How does Google Shopping add to the success of your webshop?

Although it is still not known exactly when Google Shopping will be launched in Belgium, the new tool is already in use in the Netherlands and France. The idea of Google Shopping is that it provides users with information on products as easy and fast as possible and makes it easy to compare products and prices and to find a store where the product is for sale. But what is the benefit for you as a merchant? How do you make sure that Google Shopping will contribute to the success of your store? Hendrik van Zwol gives some interesting tips on the Dutch blog Marketingfacts.

The purpose of Google Shopping is that you as a merchant can effectively bring your products to the attention of seeking consumers. This then ensures more traffic which should ultimately result in increased sales.

High Expectations
It is expected that the new comparison site scores well with consumers. Google is already very popular and a big advantage of Google Shopping is that consumers no longer need different comparison sites, but with one search engine can look at the prices and features of different products. If the consumer decides to purchase the product, he clicks on the appropriate link and then automatically is redirected to the right shop.

Most webshops will now wonder how they can stand out in the search results of Google Shopping. According to Hendrik van Zwol there are two options:

- Paid advertising on Google Adwords
- Develop a strong position in the natural way

Google will never disclose exactly how the order of the ads is determined. Yet in recent years a few things have become clear about the ranking of products. The following items are important:

Catchy title and description
Provide a good and catchy title for your product. In addition, the product description should contain relevant, accurate and clear information.

Price
The price of the product can affect the ranking, as cheaper products end up higher in the results when sorting by price. It is possible to distinguish yourself by a low or even a high price.

Data Feed
It is important to submit a data feed to Google, in which not only the required features (such as title and production description), but also the optional features are completed. Optional features are for example the amount of products in stock and shipping costs. By submitting a fully completed data feed, the products will connect better to the queries of the user.

User Generated Content
User generated content will increasingly influence search results. This will mean that positive reviews on products are likely to lead to better rankings of products. Google also states that, in case of a review, it will not only look at the figure, but also whether the review is representative and of good quality. The full (Dutch) article can be found at MarketingFacts

Source: Marketingfacts