Google Advertising for Merchant Retailers

[Luke_Wilbur]

Google Shopping allows users to search for products on online shopping websites and compare prices between different vendors.

 

Google Merchant Center is a tool which helps you upload your product listings to be used for Google Shopping, Google Product Ads, and Google Commerce Search.

 

http://support.googl...93029&ctx=topic

 

If Channel Advisor is correct, selling products through Google Shopping may be more beneficial to merchants.

 

Recently we compared US Google Shopping March 2013 numbers against Google Product Search results from March 2012. We looked across our clients for which we are tracking their Google Shopping campaigns and found that their revenue soared, averaging 3X more revenue with Google Shopping in 2013 versus with Google Product Search in 2012.

 

ChannelAdvisor calculates these trends based on the gross merchandise value (GMV) processed through the ChannelAdvisor platform by CSE customers that have been using ChannelAdvisor software for at least a year, removing any customer additions or attrition.

 

http://www.csestrategies.com/

 

What is a "Product Target"

 

A way to specify which products in your Google Merchant Center account should trigger your product listing ads for related searches.

 

http://support.googl...r/2382955?hl=en

[Guest Ron]

How are small businesses able to compete with the larger retail chains when their strategy is to buy up the most commonly used adwords on Google? Facebook may be the only hope in competition.

[Luke_Wilbur]

Google only allows a company to list one unique product regardless if it has multiple domains.

 

Merchants must only submit:

• One listing per product, regardless of whether they own multiple websites or not
  
• One listing per products which are compatible with multiple systems (such as a memory card, a printer cartridge or car parts)
  
• Original content. Submitting content from websites that are not your own is not permitted
  

http://support.googl...00369&ctx=topic

 

This example came from Google.

 

 

Google also takes serious issue with creating cookie cutter web sites selling the same product.

 

Google Shopping doesn't allow product listings for websites that copy the content of other websites, using techniques known as "mirroring" and "framing". Mirroring refers to making multiple copies of the same website across different servers or domains

 

http://support.googl...00369&ctx=topic

 

This example came from Google.

 

[Guest OscerD]

So now Google wants to sell our products for us? I wonder how much this will end up costing merchants? Are they only going to show products from companies that pay them or use AdWords? Troubling!!!

[Guest OscerD]

So if you are a reseller of goods then your screwed??? Does this mean only manufacturers can be placed here? This is concerning.

[Luke_Wilbur]

From my vantage I see Google is has three different types of searches. Google's core search is constantly evolving to give the best results it can. If Google gets caught filtering then its "Do No Evil Mantra" is dead. Advertisers will look in other directions. Users would possibly follow suit. So I do not think they will do this. Google Search uses Adwords database to display advertisements relevant to the search queries.

 

Google Shopping is completely different model. It started similar to Google Search in the aspect that it was free product placement as long as your followed guidelines. Now it doing a revenue based model that is completely tied into Adwords, which then is displayed into other Google Properties (Search, Youtube, Gmail). I do know that Google Shopping is getting a more space on the Google Results page.

 

What I do not completely understand is Product Targeting. Here is my question to Google.

 

Hi Zee,

I just want to clarify this quote

 

"Product Listing Ads use product targets to determine when items in your Merchant Center account appear on a search results page."

 

Does this mean

 

A product target is not a key word, but a retailer (like myself) associates products with a keyword.

 

i.e. key word "pants"

 

I have 3 products (levi,wrangler,jordace) that associate with "pants"

 

When user searches "pants" my 3 products (levi,wrangler,jordace) will be displayed.

 

https://www.en.adwor...ount/m-p/142920

 

Does this mean if I put in all my products into Google Shopping that they will not be used unless my adwords avertisement specifies them?

 

The answer to this question was responded to by Celebird.

 

that sounds correct.

 

google-shopping is now a dynamic highly competitive auction.

 

searchable items must first match an active product-target within adwords --

http://celebird-supp...opping-flow.png

 

then, an item must have enough budget, bid, quality, and relevance

to compete and win a slot in one of the (product-listing) ad auctions

before the item may be seen in related, relevant, search results --

http://celebird-supp...ing-results.png

 

note that although each sounds a bit similar, and are somewhat related,

the adwords product-target (setting) is not the product_type (attribute).

 

http://productforums...ter/BQTCQNwOmuQ

 

Quality score is quite important in position an is a huge cost savings.

[Guest Simeon]

So without a Google Product-target within Adwords your product will not appear at all?

 

I also think that quality is very important but who decides quality? Is it another Google algorithm? One of the links above shows Merchant 3 and Merchant 4 with the same quality and spending yet have different results? (One has an arrow up and the other an arrow down?)

 

I appreciate your insight on this issue as it can greatly affect my business.

[Luke_Wilbur]

This is what I got from Zee to further clarify Product Targets.

 

Hi Luke,

 

These two are very different. With keywords, you can define which searches should trigger your ad. With product targets, you define which products in your Google Merchant Center account you want to feature. AdWords will show your product ad in all cases where the customer search is relevant to your product. This article explains how you can create product targets.

 

Best,

Zee

 

https://www.en.adwords-community.com/t5/Set-up-and-basics/Mother-s-Day-tip-How-to-organize-your-AdWords-account/m-p/142920