Google Shopping ads let users easily find the products they are looking for from Google searches. Users can compare prices and features of similar products, and if they find a great bargain, they can also discover all the right places to buy them.
Since they are visually appealing and dynamic, Google Shopping ads have better chances for conversions. On top of this, displaying your products through Google Shopping ads is simple. Start by creating a Google Product feed, upload it to the Merchant Center, and link it with Google Ads.
This article will discuss how you can integrate Google shopping with WooCommerce using a Google Product feed plugin.
Advantages of Google Shopping Ads
When a user searches anything on Google, the first fold of the SERP often includes the ads with useful information like price, reviews, and images. This helps customers make a more informed decision because these ads offer a lot of information compared to text ads.
Let’s explore some of the advantages of Google Shopping ads over other marketing methods.
Increase Store’s Visibility
Google Shopping provides you with a great option for better visibility for your products. Whenever there is a relevant search, your products are presented as shopping ads. This will improve the chances of getting noted by users. Compared to other advertising strategies, Google shopping ads are more effective because they are often very close to the original user search intent. Since the users are clear in what they need, these ads have a higher chance of converting visitors into customers.
More Informative Than Text Ads
Google Shopping ads are much more effective than text ads for several reasons. Google Shopping ads create better purchase intent and a better conversion rate. This is possibly due to them being more attractive and informative, thanks to images and reviews associated with shopping ads. Moreover, they provide better ROI with better targeting and, as a result, better marketing outcomes. Several studies have concluded that users are more likely to click a shopping ad when compared to a text ad.
Get More Qualified Leads
Many ecommerce store owners prefer to opt for Google Shopping ads over other forms of advertisements and marketing strategies. This means the leads generated by Google Shopping are better qualified for conversion. Since the users already have a clear idea about the product through images and reviews, they are more likely to go ahead with the purchase.
Easier to Manage
The fact is that Google Shopping ads are much easier to manage. When you advertise through text ads, you have to choose and select the relevant keywords and bid for them. On the other hand, you don’t need to go through this process in the case of Google Shopping ads.
Google scans the submitted product feed and selects relevant items based on search queries. As a result, you do not have to g through the rigors of keyword research and creating the ad. Moreover, creating a Google product feed is quite easy, thanks to several apps and plugins for generating and uploading the feeds.
How to Generate a Google Product Feed on WooCommerce
If you have a WooCommerce store and a set of products, how can you create a product feed and upload it to the Google Merchant Center?
Basically, one of the primary requirements to feature your products on Google Shopping is to create a product feed according to Google specifications. Once you have a product feed ready, you can upload it manually to Google product feed. Alternatively, you can use a WooCommerce Google product feed plugin that automates the product feed generation and upload.
Requirements for Creating Google Product Feed
When it comes to creating product feeds, Google offers actionable guidelines. If you manually upload product feeds, you need to comply with these guidelines. If you are using a plugin to generate the Google product feed, it will take care of all the requirements.
For reference, here are several essential requirements:
- Basic product data with a unique identifier, title, description, image, link, etc.
- Price details, availability, expiration date, etc.
- Product type and category.
- The product’s brand name and identifiers like GTIN, ISBN, etc.
- Attributes like color, gender, etc., and other relevant conditions.
- Information on promotional campaigns and where to include or exclude a product.
- Shipping and tax details.
How to Generate Google Product Feeds Through Plugins
A plugin offers significant improvements in creating and uploading product feeds to Google Merchant Center. Most importantly, you do not have to worry about complying with all the guidelines.
Here are the steps involved in the process using the ELEX WooCommerce Google Product Feed plugin.
Settings for Creating Product Feeds
This plugin helps you generate an XML file with your WooCommerce store products. You can add a name for the project, choose a country and specify whether to include variations. You can specify a Refresh schedule (daily, weekly or monthly) when the product feed will be updated.
Map Product Categories with Google Categories
You should be able to map a Google category to multiple product categories.
Map Product Attributes with Google
The next step is to map the product attributes with Google attributes.
Exclude Products (If Required)
Before generating the product feed, you can exclude particular products from the feed. Add the product IDs you want to exclude to the appropriate field.
Generate the Product Feed
Click the Generate Feed button to create the XML product feed.
Manage the Feeds
At this point, the Google product feed has been generated and is accessible in the Manage Feeds section of the plugin.
Upload Product Feed to Google Merchant Center Account
Next, you need to upload the product feed to your Google Merchant Center account. You need to provide the basic details, the update schedule, and specify the file URL for this account.
Connect Google Merchant Center and Google Shopping
You need to link your Google Merchant Center account with your Google Ads account as the final step. After this, Google will consider displaying your products for relevant searches based on your ad settings.
How to Optimize Google Shopping Ad Campaigns
When you create Google Shopping campaigns, you may notice some campaigns are performing better than others. There might be several reasons why some ads are performing better than others. You can optimize your shopping campaigns by making good use of analytics insights. Let us look at some of the aspects you need to take care of while creating optimized Google product feeds.
Comply With the Google Specifications
As you know, Google has unambiguous specifications on creating a Google product feed for optimal results. It is important to follow all the mandatory requirements and try out some of the optional settings. If you are not following the guidelines properly, there are chances Google might suspend your Merchant Center Account or get the product unlisted. You can avoid such risks by using a plugin to automate the feed generation with prompt refresh schedules.
Optimize Product Title and Description
You will be able to optimize product title and description by using relevant keywords. Make sure you get the game right here by using titles and descriptions without spelling or grammar errors. Also, make sure you are not using keywords excessively to be considered ‘keyword stuffing.’ Avoid duplicate titles, and also make sure you are not including product identifiers in the title.
Match Product Feed Data With Landing Pages
The data in your product feed must be up-to-date compared to your landing page. Any irregularities on this page will negatively affect the visibility of your products on Google Shopping ad campaigns. Take particular attention to ensure that product attributes like price, availability, etc., are not different from your website.
Ensure the Quality of the Images
Your product images are one of the most important aspects that catch the attention of prospective customers. Your product images should depict the product well to users. You can use a light background and good contrast to display the products in the best light. Also, make sure there is only one product in the frame, and there aren’t any promotional messages or excessive branding efforts in the pictures.
Provide a Direct Link to the Product
You need to make sure that the product link in the feed is not redirected or has any tracking parameters. In addition, you need to make sure that the URL on the product feed is the same as the landing page.
Google Shopping is a significant channel for online store owners with a great conversion rate. All you have to do is to observe the Google specifications. Thus, choosing a plugin to generate and update the same is sensible. Leave a comment if you have a query on creating Google shopping ad campaigns for your WooCommerce store.
Summary
I hope this article will enhance the customer experience in your WooCommerce store. If you want to test out this plugin, sign up for the fastest WooCommerce hosting and test the power of this plugin.
Disclaimer: This article was published in collaboration with Vijay Chelakkat from LearnWoo.
Abdur Raafay Suhail
Abdur Rafay is a Digital Marketing Executive at Cloudways. His interests revolve around technology, and he spends his time reading and learning new stuff and believes in contributing to a greater cause. After work hours, he likes to cook, travel, and indulge in music and sports. You can contact him at [email protected] or via : Linkedin
