Google Shopping is Changing to a PPC Model

What is Happening?

Product Feed/Google Shopping is moving to a PPC model. So, instead of being a free service, businesses will have to pay for each click they get from their Product Feed.

Following success in the US Google have started rolling this out internationally. See Google's announcement.

Should I Panic?

No, but if you make the change before 12 April you will be eligible for £75 voucher for Google Shopping clicks. It's also worth bearing in mind that the product feed specifications are changing so you don't want to be caught out. See the specifications here.

How Much Will it Cost?

If you are currently running Adwords and getting a return on investment you can expect similar on Google Shopping. You may even see an increase in ROI as Google will be matching your products with searches directly, rather than relying on your keywords. This may result in an increase in relevant clicks.

If you aren’t generating good ROI on a weekly basis with your PPC you might want to do a complete review of your keywords, landing pages and ad copy before you also start bidding on Google Shopping.  Moneyspyder are experts in PPC and can help point you in the right direction. See our Ecommerce Consulting page for more.

Will it Affect SEO?

Existing rankings are linked to your Sitemap not your Products Feed. This change won't affect your SEO.

Is It Going to Be a Nightmare to Migrate My Account?

The good news is that you can either manage the whole thing from your Merchant Center account or you can run the whole thing from Adwords. The set-up process is fairly straightforward, and unlike other recent changes to the feed requirements, won’t need you to add new columns to your Product Feed.

This video gives you an idea of what to do. 

Why is It a Good Thing?

Google shopping is becoming a more competitive market place. This means that:

• Relevance will be rewarded. The better your feeds are, the lower your bid prices will be, and your ads will appear higher.
•  Increased traffic volumes are just a click away. Previously there were few variables in how much traffic you can get. Now you can increase your bid prices and reap the rewards.
• Early adopters will benefit the most. While we wouldn’t advise adopting this before Google have made it clear that it’s moving to the UK, it is a good idea to be ready to change so that you can stay ahead of your slower moving competitors.

At Moneyspyder we are passionate about helping Multi-Channel retailers get the most out of their platform and their online marketing. For more information about our technical offering see our Platform page or see our Ecommerce Consultancy page for details on how we can help you with your online marketing.