Google shopping might just be the new angle to drive sales that your online store needs. Does your business have an online store that needs more traffic? If so, investing a little in Google Shopping could be the answer.
So, what is Google shopping?
Google shopping allows your customers to search for products on online shopping websites and compare prices.
Google Shopping is powered by two platforms: AdWords and Google Merchant Centre.
Essentially, it’s the details of your products organised in a format Google likes. AdWords is where your actual shopping campaigns live and where you’ll set your budget, manage your bids and gain insights. With Google Shopping, Google determines when your product listing ads show up. They consider your feed, your site, and your bids to determine what search queries trigger your ads. Because of this, setting up shopping ads has some strong similarities to Search Engine Optimisation.
You may not have been aware of it before, but go to Google and type in a search for anything…try school bags. What appears? Did you ever notice the row of images at the top of your search that displayed the image of school bags, the price and a website where you can buy the bag? In a nutshell, that is what Google Shopping looks like for your customers.
How do I get my business up there where the images are?
There are just a few steps you need to take:
- Set up a Google Adwords account, if you haven’t already done so.
- Then set up a Google Merchant Centre account. At this step you input information about your business and verify your website.
- You will then need to upload your feed in text or XML format. This is essentially a list of your products, including things like description and price.
- Then link your Google Adwords and Google Merchant Centre accounts.
- After doing all of that you’re ready to start a Google Shopping Campaign.
Will it work for my business?
The simple answer is that you don’t know until you try! If you have a business that is selling predominantly online it is worth a try. We have customers that sell in store and online. Their margins are much higher online, but they struggle to be found. Some of our customers have tried Google Shopping with great success and has helped them to be found on the top of the first page in a Google search.
If you are struggling with the marketing side of your business, remember that we are here to help. Lush Marketing provide a one hour free consultancy service to all first time customers. Get in touch with us at www.lushmarketing.ie/contact/