Google Product Ads should be considered in your PPC management efforts. Product ads are an effective way of showcasing your products to potential buyers. Unlike Google AdWords, product ads actually display an image of your product via Google Merchant in the search results. Displaying your products as an image can be more compelling compared to a text ad. Product images can improve CTR and conversion rates. At PurePPC.com we have also found that the average cost per click can be lower for different products.
Product Ads are delivered to search results via a data feed. A data feed (as it relates to Google) is a file that contains criteria that is uploaded to Google Merchant. The required criterion is as follows:
- ID
- Title
- Link
- Price
- Description
- Condition
- Image Link
The products submitted to the data feed will not only appear in search results, but will also be visible in Google Shopping as illustrated below.
Before you can get started with Google Product Ads, you will need a Google Merchant account. Google Merchant is a free platform that is linked to your AdWords account through extensions. Products from the data feed are submitted to Google Shopping and Google search results via Google Merchant.
Below are the steps to submit your data feed to Google Merchant.
- Populate spreadsheet with required fields.
- Add all required information as it pertains to each field.
- Log into Google Merchant.
- Upload New Test Data Feed.
- Await report from Google on what was successful and what failed.
- Correct errors.
- Upload New Data Feed.
For many advertisers, getting the products uploaded to Google Merchant is one of the biggest challenges. Luckily, you can upload a test feed first. This option is very good since Google will let you know what failed and what was successfully uploaded. This way you can make the necessary edits to your spreadsheet before uploading your actual feed. I would recommend always submitting test feeds first. You don’t want to upset Google and risk getting banned. As for the upload sheet, we have found that using a CSV. File is the best option. You will need to populate the required fields and use the Google taxonomy guide to properly categorize each product.
After you upload your feed, you will want to input your cost per click data either through AdWords or Google Merchant. You will be able to view reporting in AdWords and in Google Merchant. From that point it becomes an exercise in optimization.
Google Product Ads are definitely worth taking advantage of. If you are spinning your wheels trying to get Google Product Ads to work, please contact PurePPC.com today for a free Product Ads consultation.
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