How to Optimize Google Shopping Ads Campaigns in 2021

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Each day millions of people use Google to find products that they want to buy. Google Shopping Ads put your products in front of the right people at the right time. Not only that, the Google Shopping Ads stand out with a visual listing right at the top of the search results pages. All the most essential information is also contained in the ad, such as price and availability. They are the ultimate platform for those looking to drive highly relevant traffic to their eCommerce store.

Instead of using “keywords,” Google Shopping Ads use “product attributes” and other data feed information to show your ads to relevant customers.

In this article, you will learn how to optimize and maintain a Google Shopping ads account for the best return on ad spend.

Google Shopping Ads Feed

Make sure that you feed any merchant center errors as quickly as you can. Go into Google Merchant Center and click on Products & Diagnostics. Check anything red or yellow. Check these daily if possible.

Some of the warnings and suggestions that Google gives you are not always necessary – sometimes they just suggest things that will make them more money, but you should take a look at any.

Make sure that your titles are optimized. The more keyword-rich, the better but make sure that the title reads well, and it sounds ‘nice’ to read – as it will look spammy if it’s just full of keywords.

Make sure that your Google Shopping feed data is complete. If you are using an app or an extension for WordPress or Shopify, make sure that all the details for each product are filled correctly and in much detail. Make sure that all the information is relevant.

Information to include includes:

- Product title

- Product description

- Product category

- Vendor

- Product tags

- Product SKU

- Product UPC

According to Earnest Epps in this YouTube video, many people using Shopify tend to miss out and not fill in the product tags. Google likes to use the product tags to classify further the products and who they are for. 

When filled in correctly, product tags will increase your ad's relevancy in the eyes of Google for specific search terms. Product tags will make your ads more likely to appear prominently on the results pages and the shopping results.              

Sometimes people know exactly what they want and may even search using the product SKU or UPC. They often use a long-tail keyword that does not match the title or description but does relate to the SKU.

Remember to refresh your data feed inside of merchant center. You don’t want products to expire or to be removed by Google. You can end up with account issues and other problems if you don’t refresh the feed at least every 30 days.

Optimize Landing Pages

Product landing pages should be continuously tested and updated to create the best user experience possible, with the highest conversion rate. Google Optimize is an excellent tool for changing layout and color schemes.

Some pointers on landing page design include making sure the product and the page headline match the ad itself.

- Primary headline matches the ad & product

- Simple & Clear description

- Bullet points describing product benefits

- Unique proposition

- Social proof – review scores

- Testimonials

- Trust signals – awards, memberships, etc

- Offer multiple contact methods

- Clear CTA button

- CTA that stands out

- Video or 3D tours of products

- Visual cues to CTA

Landing pages should not overwhelm a potential customer with too much choice. Keep everything clean, clear, and simple and with one goal in mind.

It is crucial that the user is reassured and trusts the landing page and your brand. A level of trust can be achieved with a professional design and positive reviews from a third party such as TrustPilot.

Google and some users will also want to see contact details featured prominently, usually on a separate page. It can also make sense to feature a phone number on the product page for higher-value items. If you are selling RVs or vacations, people usually want to speak to someone before purchasing. If you an international seller or don’t have the staff to answer the phone 24/7, consider using a phone answering service.

Limit Networks

Limited the ad networks for your shopping ads to be shown on is something to consider testing. By default, Google will check the boxes to sign your ads to be shown on “search partners” and “YouTube and Discover on Display network.”

Search partners include sites such as The New York Times and w3schools. While these may create more clicks and sales, it often comes at a higher cost per conversion.

Add Negative Keywords

It is also a great idea to add negative keywords so that your ads do not show up for specific search queries. Inside your Google Ads account, look at the search terms report and add irrelevant terms as negative keywords.

Generally speaking, you will want to add irrelevant search terms as negative keywords. Very vague search terms should be added as well. This will depend on your budget and profit margin, but very ambiguous search terms such as “clothes” or “sneakers” are less likely to convert than specific terms such as “mans red jumper XXL.”

Evaluate Competitor Search Terms

Competitor terms are harder to convert on but are not worthless. It can be worth testing, for example, a search term that includes “Amazon” in it. It can make sense in some instances, in particular, if your product is cheaper or has a different unique selling point to your competitor.

Free Listings

They were formerly known as “surface” (not sure why), Google’s Free Listings are, well, free. Be sure to enable the free listings, as your free ads will show in places where your other ads won’t!

For more information about free listings for Google Shopping Ads, see this post by Google themselves.



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