If you’re an online seller looking to expand your reach and increase your sales, Google Shopping could be the perfect platform to add to your marketing mix. With millions of users searching for products across multiple categories, Google Shopping offers a vast potential audience for your products.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of listing your products on Google Shopping with the help of BigCommerce, an e-commerce platform that offers seamless integration with the Google Shopping platform.
Table of Contents
Setting up your Google Merchant Center Account
Before you can list your products on Google Shopping, you need to create a Google Merchant Center account. This is the account that will be used to manage your product data and feed to Google Shopping.
To set up your account, head to https://merchants.google.com/ and click on ‘Get Started’. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your account and verify the ownership of your website.
Preparing your Product Data
Once your Google Merchant Center account is set up, the next step is to prepare your product data for submission to Google Shopping. This involves organizing your data into a feed format that Google can understand.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Export your Product Data
If you’re using BigCommerce, you can easily export your product data in the required format by going to ‘Products’ > ‘Export’. Choose the ‘Google Shopping’ template and click on ‘Export’. This will generate a .csv file containing all the product data you need for your Google Shopping feed.
2. Organize your Product Data
Before you submit your product data to Google, it’s important to organize it properly. This involves ensuring that each product has a unique identifier, such as a product ID or SKU.
You also need to ensure that your product data is complete and accurate. This includes product titles, descriptions, pricing, and all relevant attributes such as color, size, and weight.
3. Validate your Product Data
It’s important to validate your product data before submitting it to Google. This involves checking for errors such as missing data, formatting errors, or incorrect information.
Google provides a tool called the ‘Content API for Shopping’ which you can use to validate your data. This tool checks your feed for errors and provides recommendations for fixing them.
Submitting Your Product Data
Once you’ve prepared your product data, it’s time to submit it to Google for review. This involves creating a feed in your Google Merchant Center account and uploading your product data to the feed.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Create a New Feed
In your Google Merchant Center account, go to ‘Products’ > ‘Feeds’ and click on ‘Create Feed’. Choose ‘Google Sheets’ as your input method and select the .csv file containing your product data.
2. Map your Product Data
Once you’ve created your feed, you need to map your product data to the appropriate Google Shopping attributes. This involves selecting the fields in your feed that correspond to the relevant product attributes in Google Shopping.
3. Upload your Product Data
Once you’ve mapped your data, you’re ready to upload your product data to the feed. Click on ‘Upload’ to submit your data to Google for review.
Optimizing Your Google Shopping Listing
Once your products are listed on Google Shopping, the next step is to optimize your listing for maximum exposure and sales. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Optimize Your Product Titles and Descriptions
Your product titles and descriptions are the most important elements of your Google Shopping listing. They need to be optimized for both search engine visibility and user appeal.
Make sure your titles contain relevant keywords and accurately describe your product. Your descriptions should highlight the key features and benefits of your product in a clear and concise manner.
2. Use High-Quality Images
High-quality images are essential for capturing the attention of potential buyers. Make sure your images are clear, well-lit, and show your product from multiple angles.
3. Monitor and Optimize your Bids
Google Shopping operates on a bidding system, where advertisers bid on certain search queries and pay per click. To ensure maximum exposure, it’s important to monitor and optimize your bids regularly.
Use Google’s bidding tools to adjust your bids based on performance data and competitor activity.
Conclusion
Listing your products on Google Shopping can be a powerful way to reach a vast audience of potential customers. With the help of BigCommerce, getting started is easy.
Follow the steps outlined in this article to set up your Google Merchant Center account, prepare your product data, and submit it to Google Shopping. With the right optimization techniques, you can maximize your exposure and drive sales through this powerful platform.