Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. In 2020, roughly 227.5 million people shop online. Why? Because it’s easy.

For example, when you type “notebooks” into Google, the first results that come up are Google shopping options. Check the screenshot below:

From there, it’s as easy as clicking on a result, one more click to add it to your cart, and then you are ready to buy it. 

Because of the current circumstances, aka COVID-19, brick-and-mortar retail shops have had to close, so Google has made it free to sell on Google Shops. 

This is a great opportunity for businesses to capitalize on. Google Shops are a great way to keep your business afloat and increase revenue during these challenging times and are also important steps for businesses to take to reach a larger audience. We want to help you succeed, so the aim of this blog is to give you a step-by-step guide to adding products to Google Shopping. No more wasting time, let’s get into it! 

How to Add Products to  Google Shopping

Step 1: Create a Google Merchant Account 

To set up your account, you will need to provide Google with your business name, the country, and the time zone it is in. Then it will ask you to choose which program you would like to use. There are 5 options: two options to sell on your website, one of which is advertising, one program to sell products on Google, and two more options to show your products on Google but only sell them in-store, one of which is also a form of advertisement. Both advertising options must be paid for but the others are free. And just like that, your account is created! 

Step 2: Upload Products

To upload products, simply click “products” on the left side controls of your Google merchant center account. 

Next, press Add product. From there you will have to fill out an information form about the product. The information you have to include will look a little different depending on what plan you choose. For this example, we will use the surfaces across Google programs where you sell from your website, but your products appear as a Google search result when people search for your product type. In this case, Google will ask for geographic information, product identifiers and data, description, price, tax, and shipping information. This data will help Google properly index your product. Make sure to write a good detailed product description with keywords and relevant information to make it searchable. 

Once you have filled out the information form, make sure to save it and with that, your product is uploaded! 

Creating a Product Feed

A product feed allows you to group multiple products according to certain attributes, such as condition, and monitor different groupings. Uploading a feed is a little more complicated, but below, we will walk you through it step by step. 

Step 1: Add your Basic Information

Under the products section again, there is an option to add a feed. Once you click on it you will be asked to fill out basic information, meaning your country and language. 

Step 2: Name and Upload Feed

The next step involves naming your feed and uploading it. You can upload your feed to your merchant account in a multitude of ways: (.txt) files, (.xml) files, or Google Sheets. For this example, we will look at uploading through Google Sheets. Once you select this option, you will need to link the Google account you would like to use and then select to either upload an existing file or have Google generate a feed sheet for you. 

Step 3: Fill Out Your Feed

If you choose to use the spreadsheet that Google generates, you will now have to add your data and products to the sheet. The spreadsheet includes resources to teach you how to fill it with your feed. 

Once you have uploaded your first feed you have the option to upload more feeds as well as supplemental feeds to add additional data to your primary feeds or more attributes to products. 

Congrats! Your products and feeds are uploaded to Google Shopping! It’s a fairly straightforward process and Google provides lots of resources to help along the way. But uploading your products is only half of the journey. It always is like that, when you think you’ve finally done it you realize there is more to do to make it better. So how do you track your products and make sure your account is optimized? 

Tracking your Products and Performance

Going back to the left-hand controls in your account, you will see a section for performance.

Clicking on “performance” will allow you to view how many clicks your products are receiving and how they are performing. This data may make you want to improve your product performance, or you may be satisfied, and if so, congrats! To improve performance, simply click on the “growth” button on the left-hand controls. Google will automatically give you some tips on how to improve your product performance and increase your growth. Implementing these recommendations will improve your Google shopping strategy and results. 

To learn more about how to improve your Google shopping results, check out the “manage programs” button under growth. This will show you how to easily start using other Google shopping programs, such as shopping ads and product reviews. All of these other programs will help you increase your visibility and digital marketing success on Google. Don’t be afraid to dip your toe in each and see what works best for your business. But to get started, create your merchant account and add products. 

Takeaways 

Google shopping is a must for any company that sells products. It’s an easy way to get more people to see your products and buy them. During the COVID-19 crisis it is especially important for businesses to begin setting up your account and list a product or two, it will take 30 minutes at most. I promise. 

Remember that Google offers other services, like ads, to help increase your product visibility and reach, so make sure to find the right programs that benefit your business the most. 

Need help marketing your products, getting positive reviews, running a Google Ads campaign, or setting up your merchant account? Reach out to us by clicking the button below to get any of your digital marketing questions answered. We’d love to hear from you!