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Google Merchant Center Classic Transitioning To Google Merchant Center Next
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Shopping ad spend continues to grow Y/Y in fact, about 60% of all Google clicks are coming from shopping. Google sees this as a highly effective way to connect businesses with consumers, so much that shopping ad impressions were also up 40% year over year. Check out this article from search engine land which analyzed Merkle clients in 2018.
With so much success riding on whether or not you are showing up in Google Shopping, we outlined below some of the most common reasons why your products may not be showing up on Google when you need it the most. When troubleshooting why your ads are not showing up we want to take a look at the following 3 areas for the most common mistakes
Product Feed Common Mistakes
A good product title should be about 70 characters or less, concise and should include fundamental elements of the product. Google will show your ads to search terms related to your product title. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives or descriptive words. The optimal format is: Brand – Title – Dimensions. For example, “Cool New Nike Jordans Basketball Shoes” should be “Nike Jordans Men’s Size 10 Basketball Shoes”
Like your product title, your product description might not be targeting the right KWs. While you can submit up to 5,000 characters, it is best practice to keep your descriptions somewhere around 500. In order to ensure that you are showing your ads to the right customers, make sure you are including relevant product information. Always have important search terms incorporated naturally into your descriptions such as attributes, features, colors, size, design, etc.
A good description will help Google associate your products with the proper keywords your intended customers are using. On top of that it will provide reassurance to customers that they have found what they are looking for.
Below is a good example of a product image, title and description that shows for a highly competitive search term like “frying pan”
Unlike text ads, Google shopping ads always at the top of the SERP. As a result, this visual browsing or buying experience begins with proper images. Check out these 7 steps to optimize your product images.
Here are the most common image disapprovals you might find in your Merchant Account.
Here are all the values available in the Google product feed. Below is a list of the absolute must have values with NO EXCEPTIONS
Merchant Center Common Mistakes and Issues
The two most common problems in the merchant center that prevents product listing ads from showing are when taxes and shipping settings are not set up properly. Below is the basic set up for taxes in your Google Merchant account
When you click on Tax in the page menu, there are 3 options:
If you are setting up the location where you collect tax, click the blue “+” button to Add State
For Shipping, the setup is simple but may require some customization. Work with your accounting team to make sure you are following all shipping and tax rules that apply to your business. You may offer different shipping methods or flat rates on certain items. Below is an example of a common set up for shipping in Google Merchant Center. Click the blue “+” symbol to set up your shipping.
Common Mistakes in Google Ads
Many campaign settings and targeting get overlooked when it comes to Google shopping troubleshooting. It is not uncommon to forget what bid modifications have been made to a campaign. Check the following settings for your shopping campaigns to make sure you are not limiting traffic.
Negative keywords vital to an account’s success. They can minimize wasted spend by preventing your ads from showing for the wrong search queries. They can also prevent you from showing for search queries that are important to your business as well.
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