Friday, October 7, 2016

How to optimize shopping ads: Google Best Practices

A Guide to Shopping Campaign Best Practices

Shopping campaigns give you the chance to feature product images and information directly in your ads. This guide covers how to create high-quality data feeds, structure effective campaigns, set your best bids and simplify the mobile shopping experience.

1. Create high-quality product feeds and keep them fresh

Use relevant titles, descriptions and images to increase CTR but don’t keyword stuff. Read more

Why: When key information comes first in well-designed titles, descriptions and images, your CTR is likely to go up. Forced repetition can also harm your placement.

Keep your feed accurate and up-to-date. Read more

Why: Inaccurate or incomplete feeds will be disapproved by Google because they create a bad experience for users. That means your ads won’t show.

2. Structure your shopping campaigns as you would a storefront

Focus on product lines, profit margins and best sellers. Read more

Why: It will help you budget and bid effectively for your top products.

Promote seasonal items with a separate campaign. Read more

Why: You’re likely to sell more with targeted budgets and marketing messages.

Use multiple campaigns and campaign priorities to promote your flash sales. Read more

Why: You can support and prioritize time-sensitive sales campaigns without restructuring your entire core campaign.

3. Bid based on your goals and your competition

Use benchmark and impression share data to set your best bids. Read more

Why: Some impressions are more valuable than others, so make sure your bids match the value of each.

Bid and budget more when you anticipate peak seasons or shifts in demand. Read more

Why: This will keep your bids competitive at periods of high traffic and opportunity.

4. Make it easy for mobile shoppers

Simplify shopping and checkout. Read more

Why: Mobile users have smaller screens and shorter usage periods.

Don’t forget about mobile tracking. Read more

Why: Shoppers use many devices each day, and mobile can play a big role in conversions.

Bid higher for shopping queries close to your store. Read more

Why: People who do shopping searches near your store are more likely to convert there.