Shopping Ads Guide

PPC
Shopping Ads Guide
Article by Bisera Stankovska
Last Updated: March 17, 2023

Is your competition going places you want to be? 

 Are their sales increasing while you can barely make ends meet?

Despite your best efforts, it seems like they just have an ace up their sleeves to keep beating you at your own game. 

Chances are, you’re not making the most of Google Shopping Ads — and they are. 

If you’re not advertising on Google Shopping, you’re missing out on a lot. - Google Shopping Ads are the most popular type of ads as they cover about 77% of all retail searches. 

Although these online shopping ads have been around for a while, not many businesses know how to use them to their advantage. 

It’s time you learned what they are, how to set them up, and witness the benefits yourself! 

Receive proposals from top PPC agencies. It’s free.
GET PROPOSALS
Agency description goes here
Agency description goes here
Agency description goes here

What Are Shopping Ads?  

Google Shopping Ads are a type of Google pay-per-click ads that allow businesses to display their products in Google's search results. 

They also appear on partner sites, the Shopping tab, the price comparison apps on both iOS and Android, and the Google Display Network.

 As of 2015, you can see them on YouTube as well.

They're aimed at users looking to buy specific products or services, so you can target your ads within the broader context of their search queries.

They are a superb way to reach your audience, and their ability to target potential customers based on Google data makes them even more powerful. 

When someone searches for a product on Google, they may see Shopping Ads along with the regular text ads. 

Shopping Ads include an image of the product, the price, and the name of the store. 

 They also include helpful information like customer reviews and shipping times. 

Because they are so visual, Shopping Ads can be very effective at getting people to click through to the website. Since they are so relevant to what people are searching for, they can also help improve the site’s traffic quality — talk about killing two birds with one stone.  

That's why more and more businesses are using online Shopping Ads to promote their offers online.

How To Set Up Shopping Ads?

Setting up shopping ads doesn’t have to be complicated. Complete the process in these simple steps: 

Step #1: Choose Your Products

Choose which products you want to feature in your Shopping Ads. 

When making this decision, consider the most popular products with your target audience and the ones that will be most likely to generate sales. 

Once you’ve selected your products, you’ll need to gather all the necessary information about each one, including the name, price, image, and product description.

Step #2: Create Your Merchant Center Account

If you have a clear picture of what you’re trying to sell, it’s time to get down to business — create a Merchant Center account. 

This account is used to manage your Shopping Ads and it’s linked to your AdWords account, but we’ll get to that later. 

Once you’ve completed the sign-up process for a Merchant Center account, you can easily access your account dashboard.

When setting up your account, you’ll need to verify your domain name so you can use it in the center. 

Of course, you have to set up both tax and shipping rules, and there are many ways you can go about this. 

Step #3: Add Your Products to Your Merchant Center Account

To do this, simply go to the “Products” tab and click “Add product.” 

From here, you can fill out all of the necessary information about each product you’ve gathered in the first step. 

Once you’ve added all of your products, you can then move on to setting up your Shopping Ads campaign in AdWords.

Step #4: Set Up Your Shopping Ads Campaign in AdWords

Now that your Merchant Center account is all set up and populated with your products, it’s time to create your Shopping Ads campaign in AdWords.

If you don’t already have an AdWords account, you can easily create one. 

Once you’re logged in, click on the “Campaigns” tab and then select “Shopping” from the drop-down menu. 

There are plenty of customizable options when setting up a campaign, so make sure you do your best to target your ads before you run them. 

Shopping Ads Benefits

Businesses of all sizes are turning to Shopping Ads as the most convenient advertising channel for more than one good reason. 

Even since their launch in 2012, they have been constantly improved to offer both shoppers and advertisers the best experience possible. 

Although Google’s innovations in the realm of Shopping Ads will never stop, at their current state, these online shopping ads offer a plethora of benefits, including:

Access to a Larger Audience

Google Shopping Ads are a great way to reach a larger audience as they are displayed to users actively searching for products that you sell. 

So much so that they account for 85.3% of all clicks on AdWords or Google Shopping campaign ads. 

Since they are not limited to text, you can include product images and other information that will help capture the attention of potential customers.

Increased Sales

Because Google Shopping Ads can help you reach a larger audience and provide potential customers with more information about your products, they can also help you increase sales. 

In fact, they lead to more conversions which bring orders, ultimately turning the effort into profits.

Improved ROI

With Google Shopping Ads, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, and you can set a maximum bid that you are willing to pay per click. 

This ensures you are only spending money on ads that have the potential to generate sales, which can help improve your overall ROI. 

Even better, the average CPC of Google Shopping Ads is $0.66, which can yield some serious traffic and, ultimately, profits for your business for as low as $10 a day. 

Customization Options to Meet Your Needs & Limits

For example, you can choose which products you would like to include in your ads, as well as where those ads should be displayed. 

The best part is, you can customize them to match the look and feel of your website.

Since you can also set a budget for your ads, you can rest assured you won’t overspend. 

Effortless Setting Up and Management 

Another benefit of Google Shopping Ads is that they are easy to set up and manage. 

You can create and manage your ads using the Google Merchant Center, a free tool available to all businesses. 

Additionally, there are a variety of tutorials and support resources available online that can help you get started with using Shopping Ads.

Mobile-Friendliness 

This is especially important as more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for products online. 

55.4% of internet users rely on their mobile phones to purchase products online and 69.4% claim they use shopping apps on their mobile devices. 

Valuable Insights

Since Google Shopping Ads use a PPC model, PPC tracking is essential in gaining insights into the performance of your ads. 

The insights from Google can help you ensure your PPC campaign management is always up-to-date so you don’t miss out on any opportunity to generate more sales. 

Plus, you’ll understand what is working well and what could be improved upon in order to make the most of your ad campaigns.

Reasons Why Your Business Needs Shopping Ads

If you’re still not convinced Google Shopping Ads are the right move for your business, you might want to reconsider after you realize they are:

  • A great way to promote your products to potential customers as they are displayed prominently in Google’s search results.
  • Highly targeted, which means you can target your ads to people who are likely to be interested in what you're selling. They can even be customized to target specific demographics, interests, and even locations.
  • Extremely affordable, making them the perfect solution for small businesses on a tight budget. They are also very cost-effective, as you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
  • A unique way to build brand awareness and trust as they provide an unbiased view of your products.

Shopping Ads: Key Takeaways  

Google Shopping Ads are great for targeting specific products and services. 

You can use your existing product catalogs or create new ones based on what you know about your customers (e.g., if they like buying blue shirts instead of red). 

Having the option to customize your ads is guaranteed to bring targeted traffic to your website, boost your conversion rates, and most importantly, turn the leads into sales. 

We’ll find qualified PPC agencies for your project, for free.
GET STARTED
Subscribe to Spotlight Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest industry news