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Two weeks ago we published the first part of our Google Shopping Q&A which included 12 interesting questions from Quora, Reddit and the Google AdWords Community. In part 2 of our Google Shopping Q&A we have 5 more questions in petto:
- How do I set up a Google Shopping Campaign?
- What are PPC bid automation platforms (Marin, Kenshoo, etc.) cost for trials?
- Some of our products just do not have a large enough image to meet the size requirement.
Should we just add a white background to the existing image for it to meet the new size requirement? - Is there a way for a local store to make the products it sells offline (as opposed to online) searchable on Google Shopping or Google Local Search?
- Do you think that Shopping campaigns self-optimize over time? How long does it take to start seeing results? Do you see an impression and click increase (due to optimization)? What are your best practices?
1. How do I set up a Google Shopping Campaign?
Before you start setting up a Google Shopping Campaign you have to create a Google Merchant Center and a Google AdWords account. After you linked those two accounts you are able to create a Google Shopping campaign in AdWords.
If you want to set up a simple Shopping campaign, follow these 8 steps:
- Sign into your AdWords Account
- On the Campaigns Tab, click on the “+ Campaign” Button and select “Shopping”
- Choose a Campaign name and select a Merchant identifier (the Merchant Center ID you’ve linked)
- Select your country of sale (this is the location where your products are sold and shipped)
- Set your location targeting
- Set your default bid for your product groups
- Choose your daily campaign budget and click “Save and continue”
- Optional: Add promotional text to your ads
Check out the article in the Google AdWords Help Center describing these steps in detail. They even provide a guided tour.
The full question can be found here.
Optimize Google Shopping with Whoop!
2. Some of our products just do not have a large enough image to meet the size requirement. Should we just add a white background to the existing image for it to meet the new size requirement?
Google suggests that the product takes no less than 75% but no more than 90% of the full image. So to answer your questions: If the shown product is big enough (more than 75%) after extending the canvas size, it’s ok. If the size of the product shown is less than 75% we wouldn’t recommend it. It does not only not meet Google’s requirements* but also wouldn’t be attractive for the customers. If you’d look for a product yourself and only see a small blurred item, would you click on the ad?
*Googles Requirements for the image size:
- Submit the largest, highest resolution, full-size image you have for the product, up to 16MB file size.
- Recommended image size is at least 800 x 800 pixels in height and width.
- For apparel products, images must be at least 250 x 250 pixels and can’t be larger than 64 megapixels. For all other products, images must be at least 100 x 100 pixels and can’t be larger than 64 megapixels.
- Do not scale up images or submit thumbnails. We recommend the product to take no less than 75%, but not more than 90%, of the full image.
The full question can be found here.
3. Is there a way for a local store to make the products it sells offline (as opposed to online) searchable on Google Shopping or Google Local Search?
This is only possible with local inventory ads. To get the opportunity to use local inventory ads you have to be a retailer in the US, UK, DE, FR, JP or AU and you need to contact your Google AdWords representative first to confirm your eligibility.
If you want to use local inventory ads, you have to meet a few requirements:
- You must have a local brick and mortar business location where customers can physically visit, view, and purchase the desired item.
- If you require customers to be club or store members in order to purchase products, you must clearly and prominently disclose this requirement in the product title or promotional text.
- You cannot advertise via local inventory ads if your store’s primary purpose is to promote products that violate Google Shopping’s content policies.
- You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use “lsft” to track, collect, or upload any data that personally identifies an individual (such as a name, email address, or billing information), or other data which can be reasonably linked to such information by Google.
The full question can be found here.
4. Do you think that shopping campaigns self-optimize over time? How long does it take to start seeing results? Do you see an impression and click increase (due to optimization)? What are your best practices?
Of course, it’s wise to optimize your Google Shopping campaigns. If you optimize your product data feed your ad will likely be displayed more often. So try to provide the best obtainable data. For example, work on your product titles. Do they really contain relevant terms users are searching for? Use custom labels for seasonal or top selling products. Make sure to update your product feed frequently to reflect current stock inventory.
To create more relevant ads I also recommend to improve everything that leads to higher CTRs and a better match between actual search query and your products. That will help the listing, as it is of mutual interest for Google, the advertiser, and the user. Consider to use Merchant Promotions, Product Reviews, Seller Ratings, Local Inventory Ads, provide high-quality images that stand out compared to your competition, provide competitive prices, free shipping, etc.
After your feed has been taken care of you should try different bids to see how much traffic you are able to get and at which bids you will see performance becoming efficient.
The full question can be found here.
Conclusion
We’re constantly looking for interesting and challenging questions about Google Shopping on different websites like Quora, Reddit and the Google AdWords Community. If you have any questions, feel free to comment! Also, check out my first two related blog post “5 Questions About Google Shopping on Quora” and “Google Shopping Q&A – Part 1” where we covered some interesting topics as well. ?
