When consumers need something, they often search for it online right away. As a business, you want to be visible there with your products and services. Google Shopping ads make that possible. In this blog, you'll discover how it works, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and how to set it up successfully.

What is Google Shopping?

Advertising via Google is important for many companies. Do you have a webshop? Then advertising via Google Shopping could be interesting for your company, in addition to advertising via Google Ads. Google Shopping ads are the ads you see for products above the search results. There is also a separate tab called Shopping where you can find more products. For an online store, this is the most important way to advertise: your products are immediately visible, including their name, price, image, and a brief description. Google Shopping works via the Google Merchant Center. Listing your products here is free, but you pay for the product ads at the top of Google. 

Online shopping has been on the rise in recent years. In 2024 , nearly thirteen million Dutch people over the age of twelve had purchased something online in the previous three months. 

The Google Shopping ads for the search term "buy red shoes"

The Google Shopping ads under the "Shopping" tab for the search term "buy red shoes"

How much do you pay for Google Shopping ads? This depends on various factors. Just like with Google Ads, you pay per click when you appear among the search results. You set a maximum amount that you are willing to pay, including the bids and the associated strategy. Depending on what you set, your products will be displayed or not. Visibility depends not only on your bid, but also on the quality score of your ad: the better it is, the less you pay. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Google Shopping ads?

Before you get started with Google Shopping ads, you naturally want to know all the pros and cons. Here they are: 

What are the benefits?

• Your products are immediately visible at the top of search results when consumers enter a search query that is relevant to your product range.
• Because you are at the top, you get more clicks on your products.
• Your product is immediately visible. This increases purchase intent, which means that clicks that result in purchases are often more valuable, as people already know what they are going to buy. 
• It is relatively easy to sign up for Google Shopping and start using it. 
• The cost per click, CPC, is often lower than with text ads, for example.
• You can advertise at the product level and thus set up highly selective, relevant advertisements.

What are the disadvantages?

• Because many more product ads are displayed than text ads via Google Ads, competition is considerably greater. As a result, the click-through rate is often lower. 
• Installing and uploading your products for Google Shopping ads can be a lot of work. 
• You cannot add keywords as you can with Google Ads. Google Shopping uses information from your feed for this purpose. 

Setting up Google Shopping: how do you do that?

To set up Google Shopping ads, you need the following: a web store with products, a Google Merchant Center account , and a Google Ads account. 

What are the steps you need to take, in brief? 

• Set up your Google Ads and Google Merchant Center accounts completely.
• Create a campaign, including ads. First, make sure your product feed is in order and that Google Merchant Center is linked to Google Ads. 
• Keywords are selected based on the feed you have uploaded. Almost every platform has an option for implementation via a plug-in or extension for this purpose. 
• Ensure proper targeting. Consider location, demographics, and device type. 
• Check the auction house and the quality score. Choose a bidding strategy and your cost per click.
• Keep optimizing to achieve the best results. Take a close look at your ad's quality score, as this helps determine your position in the search results. Also check the data in Google Analytics and the dashboard within Google Shopping itself for more results. 

It is important that your online store is set up correctly. Think of clear images and complete product information. You want to include as much relevant information as possible in your product feed. 

Design your ads so that they stand out and attract attention. Think of compelling titles, clear images, and sufficient product information. A few extra tips: set negative keywords (irrelevant keywords) so that you won't be found on those terms, advertise specific products instead of everything, divide this up well into ad sets for different target groups, and use Google Shopping ads for retargeting. 

JKC will get to work for you

Are you looking for a partner who can contribute ideas to your marketing and take some of the work off your hands? JKC would be happy to assist you. We would be pleased to explore how we can best utilize advertising for your company and target audience. 

Want to outsource ads such as Google Shopping ads? We think along with your marketing!