Are you running an E-commerce website and selling goods online? If the answer is yes, you’re probably familiar with Google Shopping. Google Shopping essentially allows users to search and navigate through products on online shopping sites. Rather than visiting different websites one by one to find a product, Google Shopping provides all the listings available online. Not only can you compare different deals and prices, but you can also navigate through to the respective websites for your purchase. Google Shopping is linked with Google Merchant Center. This is a software interface that allows users to import product catalogue data directly into the Google Shopping dashboard. In this article, we’re going to outline how you can optimise your Google Merchant Centre feed and see better results from your e-commerce platform. Read on below!
What is Google Merchant Centre?
The Google Merchant Center is a single online dashboard where online businesses manage their appearance across all Google ecommerce products and make changes to their online listings as needed. The idea is to manage product status and purchase flow in real time. Google Merchant Center also allows users to showcase their products on Google’s partner sites such as YouTube. However, you must optimise your feed in order to ensure that your products are made visible to the appropriate prospects and customers.
The primary goal of the Google Merchant Center is to allow businesses to upload and maintain product information, including pictures and pricing, to be displayed in relevant Google Shopping searches. The Google Merchant Center also integrates into other Google services, such as Google My Business, to allow robust oversight and control of Google-based marketing and ecommerce. However, just having a Google Merchant Centre account is not enough. The data of your product affects how your ads and listings perform on Google. The goal should be to make these listings as successful as possible, which requires high quality product data. Secondly, the more relevant and precise information you provide, the better your ads are going to be.
Ways to Optimise your Google Merchant Centre Feed:
1. Map out your customer journey from search query to final purchase:
Think of this from the customer’s point of view. The sooner they can search and find what they’re looking for, the faster they will be able to make the purchase. Product visibility and information accessibility are vital components of the online shopping experience. Improve your product data, landing page information and make the checkout process seamless. Secondly, this will also prevent any second thoughts from arising that could hinder purchase intent.
When adding detail to your listings, know that the more information you provide in the shopping feed, the better. This will increase the relevance of your ads, and also help customers find what they want. How to do this?
Product Title:
The product title must be your top priority when optimising your Google Merchant Centre feed. Hence, pick a target keyword and try to add it to the beginning of your title.
The product title is the first thing Google looks for when someone looks for an item. Therefore, keep it concise by adding brand, colour, size, style, model number and any other attributes to deliver value.
Product Display:
Needless to say, the your product’s image is extremely important for the shopping feed. An unappealing image won’t get many clicks and could risk losing on potential sales. Product images are not about being relevant on Google. Instead, they’re about creating a great first impression and attracting customer eyes. Avoid using watermarks, unnecessary text and logos. Keep it clean and professional, and you’re good to go.
Product Category:
Many customers try using category filters to find what they’re looking for. In order to make your product eligible for advertisement, a category must be selected. Google’s Product Taxonomy (GPT) has over 6,000 categories and subcategories for you to choose from. The more targeted you are with your categories, the more relevant your product will be in search. Furthemore, narrow down the process to make it easy for customers. For example, if your product is a a special kind of wallet, categorise it like:
Apparel & Accessories > Handbags, Wallets & Cases > Wallets
The more specific you are, the more convenient it will be for customers.
2. Allocate your resources appropriately
Shift your focus towards products that have the most impact on your performance. Google checks for authenticity so ensure that you provide accurate data and descriptions for your products. Furthermore, adding colours to your product titles is a great way to ‘test the waters’ and see what works best. Tweaking elements of your products and measuring performance metrics will help identify what works and what doesn’t. Then, you can analyse all the aspects of your data before progressing further with spending to ensure maximum ROI.
For example, along with using a high quality image and accurate data for your product, you must use a unique product ID as well. Product title optimisation is key to ensuring that your ads are relevant to users. These are important attributes in the feed so keep them in consideration. If you create different IDs for your products, you can advertise details of each product to further help customers find what they want.
3. Use Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN)
Global Trade Item Numbers or GTINs have become a crucial element in the Google optimisation process. GTINs are unique item identifiers that store information in databases. Every item listed for sale requires a unique, universal GTIN to identify the item across different databases. When Google populates the shopping search results, it groups together sellers that offer items with the same GTIN. Here are some key reasons to add a GTIN:
- You’re the exclusive seller of an item (a special piece of clothing for example)
- It is custom made, vintage or unique
- You manufacture parts as well
GTINs also get you placement within searches such as ‘Best’ or ‘Top’. According to data, merchants who have added correct GTINs to their products have seen an increase of 20% in clicks on average!
4. Match your product data to your website’s landing pages
Your website’s landing page is where the user or customer is sent after clicking on your product or link. If the landing page is is different to your ad or listing, people are likely to leave your site without a purchase. For more information on landing page requirements, visit here.
Hence, use the following tips in your approach to avoid mismatch in your Google Merchant Centre feed:
- Use one product title and description: Avoid using different titles, descriptions and names for your product. Avoid the use of synonyms or search query terms that are not mentioned in your product’s landing page. Secondly, any discrepancy between the ad listing and the landing page could create suspicion and hesitation for purchase.
- Use product landing pages that display the same product variant: Your product’s landing page must showcase the same variant as your ad. For example, if your ad showcases a specific model of a red and white sneaker, ensure that your landing page when clicked on the ad displays the same product. This will save customers time and lead to a better overall shopping experience.
- Incorporate the same names and colours on the landing page: If you showcase different names and colours in your ads and your landing page, you could end up confusing customers. For example, if your ad says crimson red, but your landing page says cherry red, your customer may feel ambiguous. Use the same terms and you’ll be fine.
Final Thoughts…
And that’s a wrap! Those are 4 easy tips for you to use when planning how to optimise your Google Merchant Center feed. Keep those factors in consideration and you’ll see your sales increase in no time!
What is Google Merchant Center?
Google Merchant Center is a software interface that allows users to import product catalogue data directly into the Google Shopping dashboard. This dashboard is where online businesses manage their appearance across all Google e-commerce products and make changes when needed. The goal is to manage the product status and flow of sales in real time. The Google Merchant Center also integrates into other Google services, such as Google My Business, to allow robust oversight and control over other Marketing tools and e-commerce.
Why do I need to optimise the GMC feed?
Your product data shapes the way in which ads and listings behave and perform on Google surfaces. If you want to see your campaigns become as successful as possible, you need to provide high quality data and optimise your feed. Optimising your Google Merchant Center feed is a powerful and effective way to improve ad performance at a low cost. If you do not optimise your feed, you won’t able to realise the full benefits of using GMC.
How to optimise Google Merchant Center feed?
Optimising your GMC feed consists of a few methods of approach. You can experience higher conversion and more sales by optimising product titles based on the categories they are grouped into and matching the feed colour to the landing page. You must also select high quality images for your products and provide GTINs to allow your ads to be placed in top end search results.
If you think from the customer’s point of view, you’ll be able to map out their journey from initial search to final purchase. Follow this approach and you’ll optimise your feed with ease!
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