Digital Marketing

Google Shopping: the complete guide

By Pierre, on November 2, 2022, updated on November 27, 2022 - 6 min read

As you probably know, Google is the biggest search engine in the world. And Google Shopping is a feature within Google that allows users to find and compare products.

Have an ecommerce business? Want to increase your sales? So, you should seriously consider using Google Shopping.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to advertise on Google Shopping and use it to your advantage.

  • Google Shopping is a marketplace.
  • You have to create a google merchant account in order to sell your products.
  • Creating a Google Merchant center account is free.
  • When someone searches for a product on Google, your listing may appear.
  • If someone clicks on your listing, they will be taken to your ecommerce to purchase the product.

Google Shopping: what is it?

Google Shopping is a discovery tool that allows users to find and compare products.

In that sense it’s very different from Google Search, which is mostly used to find information. Google Shopping is mainly used by people who are looking to buy something.

This means that when a user searches for a product on Google Shopping, they are further along in the buying cycle and are more likely to make a purchase.

That’s why the Google Shopping experience includes:

  • product photos,
  • prices,
  • merchant ratings,
  • and other important information that users need to make a purchase decision.
grid

As you can see, it works a bit like Amazon or Ebay.

How does Google Shopping work?

Google Shopping works by showing users product listings from various retailers when they search for a specific product on Google.com.

When a user searches for a specific product, Google will show relevant product listings from multiple retailers. The user can then click on the listing to be taken to the retailer’s website to purchase the product.

What are the benefits of using Google Shopping for online sellers?

As a merchant, Google shopping has many advantages to offer you :

  • It can be a great way to improve your visibility and generate sales: Google Shopping ads are located at the top and the side of Google’s result page. This means that they are highly visible and get a lot of clicks. In fact, studies have shown that Google Shopping ads have a higher click-through rate (CTR) than regular text ads.
  • It allows you to reach customers at multiple stages of the buying process: you can reach potential customers who are in the early stages of the buying cycle. That’s because when a user searches for a product on Google Shopping, they are typically just starting to research their purchase.
  • It allows you to show up several times in the search engine: this means that if a user is looking for a product that you sell, they are likely to see your listing several times.
  • It generates higher quality leads: the users who are searching on Google Shopping are typically further along in the sales funnel. So they’re more likely to make a purchase.

Now that we’ve gone over some of the key benefits of Google Shopping, let’s take a look at how you can get started.

How to sell your products on Google Shopping?

Here’s a quick overview of the steps you’ll need to take:

  1. Set up your Merchant Center account.
  2. Check all the details about your business and your contact information.
  3. Add your products.
  4. Submit your product information through a feed for processing.
  5. Advertise your products on Google.
  6. Don’t forget to keep an eye on your progress and adjust your strategy as needed.

We’ll go into more detail on each of these steps below.

1) Set up your Merchant Center account

The first step is to set up a Google Merchant Center (GMC) account. It’s a tool that allows you to upload your product information to Google and manage your Google Shopping campaigns.

merchant center 1

2) Check all the details about your business and your contact information

Once you have an account, you’ll need to verify some important details about your business, such as:

  • your business name,
  • address,
  • and phone number.

You’ll also need to provide contact information in case Google needs to get in touch with you about your account.

3) Add your products

Next, you’ll need to add your products to GMC. You can do this by creating a product feed.

You can create a product feed manually or using a feed management tool. If you’re just starting out, we recommend using a tool like Google Sheets or GMC to create your product feed.

4) Submit your product information through a feed for processing

After you’ve created your product feed, you’ll need to submit it to Google Merchant Center for processing.

feed datafeef

Google will then review your product information and make sure that everything is accurate and meets their guidelines.

5) Advertise your products on Google

Once your product information has been approved by Google, you can start advertising your products on Google Shopping. You can do this by creating a Shopping campaign in Google Ads.

A Shopping campaign is a Google Ads campaign that is specifically designed for ecommerce businesses. Shopping campaigns allow you to showcase your products in Google Shopping and generate leads.

6) Don’t forget to keep an eye on your progress and adjust your strategy as needed

Finally, don’t forget to keep an eye on your progress and adjust your Google Shopping strategy as needed. Google Shopping can surely increase your revenues, but it’s important to remember that it’s a long-term strategy.

To be successful with Google Shopping, you need to continuously monitor your campaigns and make sure that you’re making the necessary adjustments to stay ahead of the competition.

How much does it cost to sell your products on Google Shopping?

The answer is that it depends on a number of factors, such as:

  • the type of product you’re selling,
  • its price,
  • and the competition.

Generally speaking, Google Shopping commission rates range from 5-15%, with an average of 12%.

So if you’re selling a product for $100, you can expect to pay Google a commission of $12.

Of course, these commission rates are just averages. The actual rate you’ll pay will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of product you’re selling and the competition for that product.

To get an accurate estimate of the Google Shopping commission rate you’ll need to pay, we recommend using the Google Shopping Commission Calculator.

5 pro tips to enhance your selling on Google Shopping

Google shopping can help you increase your sales but you can do even better by adopting the right strategy. So here are 5 tips to sell even better on Google Shopping:

  • Use Google Shopping Insights to understand consumer trends.
  • Optimize your product titles and descriptions.
  • Use high-quality photos.
  • Price your products competitively.
  • Monitor your progress and adjust your strategy as needed.

By following these tips, you can be sure to make the most out of Google Shopping and increase your revenues. But let’s see each of these tips in more detail.

1) Use Google Shopping Insights to understand consumer trends

shopping insight

If you want to be successful with Google Shopping, it’s important to understand consumer trends. Google Shopping Insights is a great tool that can help you with this.

Google Shopping Insights allows you to see how popular a particular product is and how the popularity of that product has changed over time. You can also see which countries are interested in a particular product.

This information can be very valuable when it comes to understanding consumer trends and making decisions about which products to sell on Google Shopping.

2) Optimize your product titles and descriptions

Another important tip is to optimize your product titles and descriptions.Your product title and description are what appear in Google Shopping, so it’s important to make sure that they’re accurate and keyword-rich.

To write an effective product title, we recommend:

  • using a maximum of 50 characters
  • including the most important keywords for your product.

For example, if you’re selling a women’s sweater, your title could be “Women’s Sweater – 100% Cotton – Size S-M-L”.

When it comes to writing an effective product description, we recommend:

  • using a maximum of 500 characters
  • including as many relevant keywords as possible.
  • It’s also important to make sure that your description is clear and concise.

3) Use high-quality photos

Google Shopping is a visual platform, so it’s important to make sure that your product images are of the highest quality possible.

Ideally, a product image should be at least 800×800 pixels and in .jpg format. You should also include multiple photos of your product from different angles.

4) Price your products competitively

price google shopping

It’s also important to price your products competitively. If you want to be successful with Google Shopping, you need to make sure that your prices are in line with the prices of similar products.

To do this, we recommend using the Google Shopping Price Tracker app. This tool allows you to track the prices of your competitors’ products and adjust your own prices accordingly.

5) Monitor your progress and adjust your strategy as needed

Google Shopping is a constantly changing platform, so it’s important to stay on top of the latest changes and make sure that your strategy is up-to-date.

To do this, we recommend setting up Google Shopping Alerts. These alerts allow you to receive email notifications whenever there are new developments with Google Shopping. This way, you can always be in the know and make sure that your selling strategy is effective.

By following these tips, you can be sure to make the most out of Google Shopping.

Google Shopping: what to remember?

As you can see Google Shopping can be a great opportunity to increase your revenues. Just remember to use some pro tips to make the most of it.

  • By utilizing Google Shopping Insights, you can get a grasp on popular consumer trends.
  • Improve your product titles and descriptions for better results.
  • Always use images that are high in quality.
  • Keep your prices competitive.
  • Keep an eye on your progress and change course if necessary.

Pierre