Simply put, Google Shopping Feed Optimization introduces product feeds. It enables you to improve the data quality fed into Google Merchant Center. This enables the platform to better index, categorize, and distribute your Product Listing Ads (PLAs).
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Google Shopping Feed Optimization: Importance
Recently there was a significant transition from in-person shopping to online retail due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, a majority of online shoppers seek refuge in search engines when it comes to exploring and buying products.
Amazon has managed to attract 38% of online shoppers, which is noteworthy as Google has traditionally dominated the search engine arena. However, Google continues to hold an enormous 92.5% share of the search engine market. This makes it a top choice for online advertising if your business is not selling on Amazon.
It is crucial to optimize your product feed for both relevance and accuracy if you want to increase your sales on Google Shopping. This is because competition is intense, and success depends on how easily Google’s algorithm can match your ads with potential customers. To start, you must link your Google Ads account to Google Merchant Center (GMC).
After the link is established, you should optimize your Google Shopping feed to streamline everything for Google. Optimizing your feed will ensure that your ads meet the platform’s requirements, look great in search results, and provide accurate and trackable campaign data for maximum scalability.
In essence, optimizing your product feed for Google Shopping is akin to optimizing your content for SEO. By ensuring that your feed is well-optimized and displays accurate and relevant information, you make it easier for potential customers to find your products and increase your chances of making sales.
Strategies to Skyrocket Google Shopping Feed Optimization
Following are some of the strategies you can implement to optimize Google shopping feed:
Product Title X Search Queries
The product title plays a significant role in driving relevant traffic and improving the conversion rate. It is essential to optimize the title for both SEO and enhancing the likelihood of a buyer clicking on the Google Shopping Ads for your product.
As the title is one of the first things a potential buyer sees, it is crucial to make it meaningful and compelling. By adding extra elements to the title, such as the brand, features, or specifications, you can highlight its specialty and increase the likelihood of a conversion.
For instance, if you are promoting a healthcare product you can add details pertaining to its advantages. This will provide potential buyers with critical information about the product, making it easier for them to decide whether to click on the Shopping Ad or not.
Similarly, for books, electronics, and clothing products, optimizing the title by adding details such as genre, model, size, and material can significantly improve the chances of a conversion.
However, it is essential to avoid promotional terms such as the following:
- Keyword Stuffing
- Capital Letters
- Special Symbols (in the product title)
This measure will help drive relevant traffic and improve your conversion rate.
Opt For Image Optimization
An image is the first thing that prospective customers view before buying from your store. When you list your product on Google Shopping, the product image plays a crucial role in persuading potential buyers to choose your product. You must use images that clearly display your product, particularly for items such as clothing, accessories, tech products, and toys.
The most common advice from photographers is to use a white background or a contrasting one if your product is white, as it keeps buyers focused on your product. However, since Google suggests several products in a single row during searches, a distraction-free view may not always apply, unless your product has a catchy color combination.
To stand out, you can employ some unique tactics. For example, using a shaded-white background can create a classy impression of the product in the center by using a gradient background with a mix of white and light gray to give a shaded feel at the back. Additionally, you can choose an uncommon background color that may make your Ad stand out among other product Ads by searching for your product title on Google and looking at the suggested product Ads. It’s best to consult with a professional UX designer for this.
Use Square Images
Using square images is also a good idea since all Google Shopping Ads use square images. To ensure your product is displayed at the best possible size, provide square images rather than longer ones that may be resized by Google. You can also use an image border to make your product stand out. If you have product variations, it’s best to have specific images for each variation.
To optimize your product images, here are some aspects that you need to avoid:
- Unclear or blurry images (such as product prices in the images)
- Using promotional words (such as special offer)
- Clustering the product background with unnecessary elements.
Ideally, you should make these changes in your WooCommerce store. You can use image links in the product feed data for Google to achieve the best results.
Follow Google’s Category Hierarchy
A product category is essential as it allows prospective customers to navigate easily through your store. Additionally, Google also employs product categorization. This helps exhibit your shopping ads to the correct target audience.
While it is not mandatory to provide a product category field, Google searches for the category in your store to assign the product to its appropriate search intent category. Hence, it’s essential to maintain accurate categorization in your store. It is recommended to maintain your product categories in line with Google’s taxonomy list as most other marketplaces follow the same category hierarchy.
To optimize the categories on your website, you can refer to Google’s taxonomy list. However, merely maintaining the categories is insufficient for optimization. You must ensure that you assign your product to the most appropriate product category.
For instance, if you are selling a Baby Bathtub, do not merely assign it to the ‘Baby & Toddler’ category or the ‘Baby & Toddler > Baby Bathing’ category. Instead it should be placed in the child category ‘Baby & Toddler > Baby Bathing > Baby Bathtubs & Bath Seats.’
This will enable you to manage your products more effectively. It also enables Google to display your products to the appropriate audience.
You can optimize your product category in WooCommerce by selecting a child category, keep in mind to tag the parent category too. Even if you do not adhere to Google’s taxonomy, ensure that the categories are meaningful. Google can comprehend the meaning of your assigned categories with ease. You should refrain from using special characters in category names.
Product Data Consistency
You should ensure consistency across your product listings. It’s crucial to avoid confusing your buyers. If you use one title in your WooCommerce store and another in your Google Shopping listings, it may perplex the buyers. This may lead them to search for more information. Alternatively, they might abandon your listing and opt for another option if they want to make a quick purchase.
Similarly, if you have a different meta title and schema, it can alter your traditional search result title and the title that Google bot will find in the schema. Therefore, it’s best to maintain the same product information wherever it is listed. It helps ensure consistency and prevent confusion.
Optimize the Product Feed Data for the Old Products
If you don’t have time to optimize old product data in your store, it’s still beneficial to optimize certain aspects. Such as the product title and category, when adding products to the Google product feed. Although this may not completely eliminate confusion caused by varying content, it can increase the likelihood of attracting potential buyers to your store.
Conclusion
It’s typically acceptable to include the main keywords from the product title in the Google product title, as Google typically doesn’t reject feeds based on this. Additionally, the category you assign to your products is important as it helps ensure that they’re displayed to the right audience.
Moreover, it’s important to ensure that all required product data is consistent between your product schema and product page. This is because Google crawls your website before approving your product feed, and may reject products if there are inconsistencies in required attributes.
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