How to compete in the world of Google Shopping

@Koozai_Sam

On The Edge Retail – London

THE COMPETITIVE WORLD OF PLAs

Source: Delegator

85% OF GOOGLE’S REVENUE CAME

FROM ADWORDS IN 2013”

So where did it all begin?

Google AdWords launched on October 22nd 2000

Google differentiated between organic listings and sponsored ads.

Comparing ads from 2000 to 2015, they are VERY different.

The lines are blurring and it is hard to see where the ads end and organic starts.

Shall we take a look at Google

Shopping?

Google rolled out over 1,000 changes to the AdWords ecosystem in 2013.

Lots of those changes were related to Google Shopping campaigns.

Match users’ search query to products in your data

feed

Only available for

Ecommerce websites

Must have a Merchant

Center product feed

We love a statistic (or two).

56%of non-brand clicks were from Google Shopping ads in 2014!(Source: Thought Shift)

141%is how much the Cost per Click (CPC) of PLAs increased in 2013.(Source: Marin Software)

PLA or Text? Which is better?

  PLA Text Ads Variance

Clicks 121 167 -28%

CTR 5.30% 4.97% 7%

Avg. CPC £0.37 £0.67 -45%

eCommerce Rate 3.36% 1.13% 197%(Source: Thought Shift)

197%Conversion Rate Increase

Get the build right, right from

the start.

It is best is to have one ‘catch all’ campaign along with other more targeted campaigns.

You could split campaigns by brand and then by product within that brand.

Use Custom Labels (more on that later) for Seasonal, High Return, ROI & Top Converters.

You may choose to create campaigns by Product Type or Product Category.

If Condition is important to use, break down campaigns by New, Used or Refurbished.

Set campaigns up with high, medium or low priorities to dictate importance.

What ever structure you aim for, take things slow and let the data drive your decisions.

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Standard Settings. (Don’t forget).

Search Partners & Google Search

Ad Scheduling and Bid Adjustments

Budget and Bidding Settings

Geographic Targeting

Ad Delivery Method

Creation of the GMC data feed.

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The Product Feed will

determine how well your

account will perform

Use a developer

Link it to the site

Update automatically

Making changes in GMC is where you will gain a competitive advantage.

The feed must contain the required field attributes for it to

work.

http://kooz.ai/feed-attributesFind out more here

Stock availability should be updated frequently to avoid ad disapprovals.

Product titles should be keyword rich, descriptive and under 70 characters.

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Think about what your customers are likely to be searching for. Do your research.

Avoid using promotional text, unusual characters, shipping details or block capitals.

Always include the most important information at the start (brand, style, audience).

Product Titles.

Aim for 500 characters for Product descriptions & include important information at the start.

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Google allows space for up to 10,000 characters, but this gets cut off at 1,000.

Always use unique content and avoid the standard manufacturers’ descriptions. Don’t use characters in brand names.

Products with different variations should be kept simple. Just say this item comes in various colours, sizes etc.

Product Descriptions.

UPIs are the most important element of your feed. Ads will be disapproved if not correct.

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There are three types; GTIN, MPN and Brand. For most products you will need to submit two of the three.

Google will disapprove products using this attribute incorrectly.

Custom made goods should use the Identifier Exists attribute instead.

Unique Product Identifiers.

Make the MPU your Item Number so the product name is pulled in.

The Product Image is what makes people click. It needs to stand out from the crowd.

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Try taking your own product photos so they are different from the competition. They need to match with the landing page too.

The recommended image size is at least 400 x 400 but for clothing products this should be 250 x 250.

If the ones you are using are not converting well, test different images .

Product Images.

Be sure to add all possible shipping fees available to your customers.

Changes made to an automatic feed will impact both SEO & PPC.

Update your feed daily. The fresher the feed, the higher Google seem to rank it.

Always monitor for potential

issues.

Keep a close eye on the Diagnostics tab in Google Merchant Center.

Act on core warnings immediately and then move onto potential issues.

Check the Data Feeds tab to address & fix individual errors with your feed.

Use the Feed Debugger tool to make changes & test individual products before you go live.

Upload new data feeds in Test Mode to check everything is in order first.

Implementing Schema Mark-up.

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Used as a backup for availability and price (ideal for quick changing stock).

If the feed is different to the schema on site, Google will default to schema rather than disapprove the ad.

This is not a replacement for the data feed or for regular updates to the feed.

Schema Mark-up.

http://kooz.ai/schema-testingTest your Schema here:

…In price related item disapprovals for the merchants who participated in the

Beta.

50%Reduction…

It’s all about the custom labels (all 5 of them).

Subdivide products into unique groups

GMC allows up to 5 custom

labels

Strategic bidding means

higher ROI

Some products maybe affected by seasonality.

Think about which products generate the highest profit margin.

Others might have a high complaint rate in which case you may wish to bid lower.

Use Google Analytics to tell you which products are your best selling items.

Group products into price buckets for effective bidding strategies.

Optimisation of the shopping campaigns.

Use the Dimensions Tab to see performance breakdown for the group or campaign.

Reduce bids or even exclude products with a high cost and low number of conversions.

Review Lost Impression Share & increase bids for converting products.

Use the SQR to uncover negative keywords that should be added to your campaign.

Use the Benchmark CTR & CPC against yours to understand where you need to be.

Compare campaign performance alongside competitors using Auction Insights.

Use Google Analytics to highlight top revenue generators & increase shopping bids.

Bid a minimum of £0.01 and you will still appear in the main Shopping section!

Encourage your customers to leave feedback on review platforms.

Become a Google Certified Shop to enhance your credibility & show a badge on ads.

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Standard Optimisation. (Don’t forget).

Review campaign segmentation (device, search partners etc).

Bid according to performance based on time of day, day of week and location.

Check CPCs vs Ad Position vs Conversions and increase/decrease accordingly.

Upload different images to test Click through Rates (CTR).

Split test different promotions and wording to encourage more clicks.

Want to know about a few new

features?

‘Merchant Promotions’ can give you the edge over your competitors!

7%Increase in

CTR

PLUS an 11% decrease in the campaign CPC

http://kooz.ai/merchant-promoRegister interest here:

‘Local Inventory Ads’ show customers stock availability in the search results.

83%of online

shoppers

Would be more likely to visit a store if they could check availability beforehand.

http://kooz.ai/local-inventory-adRegister interest here:

Google have some exciting updates in BETA that are coming soon!

Sam’s Tip of the Talk.Advertisers were expected to allocate 33% of their entire paid search budget towards PLAs by the end of 2014.

Competition will become more fierce; get involved now!

Source: Marin Software

TWEET ME@Koozai_Sam

“I would love to hear from you”

Thanksfor listening.

@Koozai

Facebook.com/koozaiE-mail:

[email protected]

www.koozai.com

Tel: 0845 485 4794