Search engine marketing

Google Shopping advertising: getting an online store moving

Verkkokaupan SEO – hakukoneoptimointi kasvattaa orgaanista myyntiä

Google Shopping is an online store’s most effective channel on the search side. The buyer looks for a product, sees the images, prices and reviews, and clicks. It is close to an optimal revenue model when you set it up well.

In brief

  • Requires a Google Merchant Center account.
  • The feed is the foundation of everything — its quality directly affects results.
  • Standard Shopping versus Performance Max — both have their place.
  • Optimised through product groups and negative keywords.

Setting it up step by step

  • Create a Google Merchant Center account.
  • Verify the website and claim ownership.
  • Create the product feed (a WooCommerce or Shopify plugin, or manually).
  • Connect it to Google Ads.
  • Create a Standard Shopping or Performance Max campaign.
Standard Shopping versus Performance Max

Optimising the feed

  • Title: brand + product name + the key attribute (size, colour, for instance)
  • Description: 500–1,500 characters, containing the key search terms
  • Images: high quality, white background, product centred
  • The Google Product Category matters
  • GTIN / EAN is compulsory for most products

Standard Shopping versus Performance Max

  • Standard Shopping: control, you see which search terms convert, more expensive
  • Performance Max: automation, cheaper, but a black box

The most common mistakes

  • Feed errors not fixed — Merchant Center reports them
  • Products without images, or images from rejected products
  • No negative keywords: irrelevant traffic burns the budget
  • Every product in the same campaign, so you cannot optimise by margin
Google Shopping advertising

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Shopping compulsory for an online store?

Not compulsory, but you lose a large share of the potential traffic without it.

What is a good ROAS in Google Shopping?

Depending on the store and the margin, 3–8×. Under 2× is loss-making.

How often does the feed update?

Usually 1–3 times a day automatically. In Merchant Center you can force a manual update.

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