Originally called Product Listing Ads (PLAs), Google Shopping Ads have become a major part of search results for e-commerce. In 2017 Google changed the way they display shopping Ads in search results and showing more results and often more prominently than previously has impacted significantly on the importance of Shopping Ads in the Adwords mix. Few advertisers can compete effectively for sales without getting involved in shopping ads.

For some the increased number of ad spaces available at the top of the search results page has increased the potential cost per sale, but not competing in the Shopping Ads space can allow too many competitors too much opportunity to win over the searcher.

There are numerous policy requirements for Shopping Ads and it requires a shopping feed setting up from your online shop to a Google Merchant Centre account and this then links in turn to a Adwords account that manages the shopping campaigns.

There are some potential pitfalls, so as with any PPC Campaigns it is worth getting professional help in the creation and management of shopping campaigns. One particular feature of shopping requires some understanding to avoid seriously wasting budget. There is no ability to select keywords in a shopping campaign, Google can decide which searches to show what products to and this if not managed correctly can mean a lot of wasted budget.

Manual management of shopping campaigns is fine if you only have a few products, but for larger campaigns it may not be practical. There are numerous automated bidding options both within Adwords and external tools and these require understanding and despite the automation still need to be monitored and managed. Here at The Client Factory, we’re a Google Partner and our accredited experts will ensure your shopping campaigns are correctly managed and optimised to maximise your return on investment and eliminate wasted budget. Shopping Campaigns are also available through Bing Ads.

To discuss how shopping campaigns might work for your business or to have us review an existing shopping campaign, please call us on 0845 4310367 or email info@theclientfactory.co.uk