If you’re already well versed in Google Ads, you probably already know their strengths (if you're not, read our guide to Google Ads here first). From providing detailed product information, like price, brand, reviews, and delivery options, Google Ads are known to increase your conversion rates.
Everyone will inevitably search for things to buy on Google, which is why having a Google Merchant Center (GMC) account set up is a great way to supercharge the success of your Google Ads. GMC is a comprehensive online dashboard for you to manage your appearance across all Google services.
Effectively managing your GMC goes hand in hand with proper Google Ads management. If you’re taking the time to comb through each step and make sure you’re getting it right, your ads will continue to perform up to your standards!
To help you get started, we’ll be doing a deep dive into Google Merchant Center: essential features, what it does, and how to set it up.
The primary goal of GMC is to give businesses and business owners the power to upload and maintain product information in Google Shopping searches. Better yet: GMC also plays nicely with other Google services, like Google My Business, Google Ads, and Google Analytics, to name a few.
To put it simply: When you set up a Google ad, Google’s algorithms still don’t know “what” you’re selling. The “what” if the product you’re selling can include:
This information needs to be manually inputted and submitted to Google. The platform used to provide this information is Google Merchant Center. With GMC, you’ll be uploading a shopping “feed,” which includes information like availability, price and color on the selection of products you want to sell. Doing so builds your online catalog in Google’s database!
Buyers who are actively searching for your product on Google will be able to see your offerings through what you input on GMC. When searching, most customers will be able to see your products in a catalog-like webpage, which increases the visibility of your other products as well. Buyers who click on these listings will also be taken directly to your store’s ecommerce page.
With GMC, you have the power to generate reports with information on how you're doing. These reports contain Merchant Center-related data to drive your business strategy, find actionable perspectives on pricing, merchandising and more.
With Google Ads integration, every product in your GMC can be linked with specific Google ads very easily. WIth Google Analytics support, you can add a custom segment specifically for GMC hits, and allows you to track these statistics separately from other hits. Finally, with Google Local Search integration, your listings can include geo-tagging to help buyers find your nearby, local stores.
Since Google Shopping is now accessible in more than 40 countries, selling your products abroad has never been easier. From displaying your inventory to prospective shoppers around the globe to setting up multi-country feeds in GMC, you have the power to extend your reach anywhere you’d like.
We’ve gone over how GMC can supercharge your online advertising. Now, let’s focus on properly setting your account up for the first time!
A feed is a file consisting of a list of products using attribute groupings that define each of your products in a distinctive manner. Attributes can have standardized or accepted values, such as situation and accessibility. You can leave other attributes, such as ID or title, open to fill in with your own value selection. Feeds are used to streamline product lines.
After setting up your GMC account, you can combine your Google Ads and Google My Business to conduct these business activities:
A properly maintained Google Merchant Center account can make or break a Google Shopping campaign. If you’re used to all the intricate fine-tuning done in Google Ads, at first GMC might seem a little less exciting in comparison. However, if take the time to make sure your GMC works properly, your chances of success with your Google Ads campaigns can be much higher.