On May 12th, part of the Línea Gráfica team attended Prestashop Day as an Official Prestashop Platinum Partner . Our colleague Javier Alonso held a workshop on Google Shopping in which very interesting topics were discussed that affect the synchronization of Prestashop modules to facilitate the Shopping task. After this workshop, we understood that our objective did not end there, so we made this post where we comment in detail what our colleague Javi explained during the conference at Prestashop Day.
Nowadays, online advertising, especially pay-per-click advertising on Google, is becoming increasingly important. This has been increased even more with the latest changes made by Google in terms of the structure of SEO and SEM positions.
With this article, from Línea Gráfica , official platinum partner of Prestashop and Google partner, we want to help you simplify the complexity of the world of PPC on Google a little more.
First of all, we must clarify that there are different types of advertising on Google. We differentiate between Shopping ads and Adwords text ads. In addition to these two types, which are the ones that appear in Google results, Google itself also offers the possibility of advertising on YouTube, on the display network, remarketing ads, ads in Gmail, etc.
First, we ask ourselves this question: What is Google Shopping?
Google has removed the text ad unit from the right side of the results and replaced it with Google Shopping ads .
This provides greater visibility and impact to Google Shopping ads. This, in turn, produced a clear change in the positions of text ads.
As you can see in this diagram, the first three positions do not change, however, the fourth position joins these three at the top of the SEO results. While the first three positions on the right move to the bottom of the search engine. Finally, the positions from the eighth onwards are eliminated.
Of course, every change has its consequences, these are the ones produced due to these changes by Google:
-Increase in CTR on ads, that is, increase in the percentage of impressions that convert into clicks.
-Increase in users .
-Increased conversions .
-Greater competitiveness, due to the smaller number of positions.
- (Slight) increase in CPC , that is, a slight increase in the cost per click due to increased competitiveness.
As you can see in the diagram, first of all, Prestashop transmits the product data feed to the Google Merchant Center module , this module is connected to Google Adwords, and from Adwords we configure the Google Shopping campaign.
What do we need to implement the Prestashop catalog in Merchant Center ?
First of all, it is essential to have a data feed for our catalog in Prestashop, and secondly, we must create an account in Google Merchant Center . Below, we offer you a series of keys for creating the data feed in Prestashop:
All these keys are based on the concept of consistency that should characterize the catalog.
-Categorization: helps structure and segment campaigns in Google Shopping.
-GTIN products: this refers to the EAN, a unique numerical identifier for commercial products that is normally associated with a barcode. It is essential, as it provides greater quality to the feed.
-Title and descriptions: are key to appearing in the results.
- Quality images: the minimum resolution must be 800x800, without watermark, only the product must appear.
Feed organization is vital, as we must have the tools ready for use. The online store is like our home, so we have to go out and fight against everyone with the best, it is not worth being just one more. Therefore, the structure will allow us to decently face the creation of campaigns.
An essential point that we must not skip before creating the data feed in Prestashop is to consult the Google Shopping policies , so we can avoid surprises later.
From Línea Gráfica we recommend that you obtain the module, since you will save time, and you will be able to have scheduled recoveries, cron, and most importantly, personalized labels.
To create the XML feed of product data in a scheduled manner, it is necessary to have a cron on the server that calls the Prestashop “ crontask ”, which is responsible for launching the data feed update. It is advisable to update it at least once a day. If you need more than 5 synchronizations, you should use the Merchant Center API.
-Study the competition, this is an essential step. We must analyze the CTR of the reference and the % of search impressions. If we find products with a CTR below the reference, we must review the quality of the ad.
-Devices: the conversion rate should be reviewed by device and the bid adjusted based on the results. Life must be made easier for mobile users. Nearly 60% of queries are made from mobile devices. We are facing a “multi-device” world and we cannot falter on any of them.
-Bid adjustment on mobile devices , you should review the conversion rate and adjust the bid based on the results.
This is a simple formula to adjust the bid on mobile, we must keep in mind that we have to optimize the budget on devices that convert.
-Detect low search impression share levels and increase bids.
-Add the “Max CPC Comparison” column and analyze whether we are in the fight.
-Review data quality in products with CTR below average.
-Use ID-item report to identify and control high costs, low returns…
-Detect rogue products and move them to independent campaigns.
-Use campaign priority, with special attention to promotions.
-Add negative keywords that will add quality to the feed.
-Use custom labels for product grouping.
-Monitor the bounce rate on product pages.
What is Google Shopping
These are product ads that are displayed in Google search results. They allow buyers to locate our products in a prominent and easy way.
What are the benefits of Google Shopping?
-Visibility. This is one of the main advantages, since in Shopping ads the products are placed in a privileged position in the search engine, that is, your products will appear at the top of Google searches. -Qualified traffic . This advantage refers to the target audience you want to direct your ads to. Thanks to the configuration parameters of the Shopping ads, you can segment your audience and narrow it down to a specific target that is interested in your products. -Analysis of results by product. In Shopping you can analyze the results of each product individually. This way you can compare which products are working for you and which aren't. -Greater Coverage. Thanks to Shopping, you get a large number of impressions within your target audience, since every time a person searches for terms related to the product you are advertising, if you bid high enough and your ads are of quality, you will be able to reach a large number of views.How Google Adwords Works
One of the qualities of advertising on Google is that you have to be very aware of possible changes that occur in the Google algorithm. But not only that, In February of this year, Google changed the way it displays its search results.
Google has removed the text ad unit from the right side of the results and replaced it with Google Shopping ads .
This provides greater visibility and impact to Google Shopping ads. This, in turn, produced a clear change in the positions of text ads.
As you can see in this diagram, the first three positions do not change, however, the fourth position joins these three at the top of the SEO results. While the first three positions on the right move to the bottom of the search engine. Finally, the positions from the eighth onwards are eliminated.
Of course, every change has its consequences, these are the ones produced due to these changes by Google:
-Increase in CTR on ads, that is, increase in the percentage of impressions that convert into clicks.
-Increase in users .
-Increased conversions .
-Greater competitiveness, due to the smaller number of positions.
- (Slight) increase in CPC , that is, a slight increase in the cost per click due to increased competitiveness.
How Google Shopping Works
As you can see in the diagram, first of all, Prestashop transmits the product data feed to the Google Merchant Center module , this module is connected to Google Adwords, and from Adwords we configure the Google Shopping campaign.
What do we need to implement the Prestashop catalog in Merchant Center ?
First of all, it is essential to have a data feed for our catalog in Prestashop, and secondly, we must create an account in Google Merchant Center . Below, we offer you a series of keys for creating the data feed in Prestashop:
All these keys are based on the concept of consistency that should characterize the catalog.
-Categorization: helps structure and segment campaigns in Google Shopping.
-GTIN products: this refers to the EAN, a unique numerical identifier for commercial products that is normally associated with a barcode. It is essential, as it provides greater quality to the feed.
-Title and descriptions: are key to appearing in the results.
- Quality images: the minimum resolution must be 800x800, without watermark, only the product must appear.
Feed organization is vital, as we must have the tools ready for use. The online store is like our home, so we have to go out and fight against everyone with the best, it is not worth being just one more. Therefore, the structure will allow us to decently face the creation of campaigns.
An essential point that we must not skip before creating the data feed in Prestashop is to consult the Google Shopping policies , so we can avoid surprises later.
Creating the Data Feed in Prestashop
Thanks to the Prestashop module “Google Merchant Center” feed management will be much faster.
From Línea Gráfica we recommend that you obtain the module, since you will save time, and you will be able to have scheduled recoveries, cron, and most importantly, personalized labels.
To create the XML feed of product data in a scheduled manner, it is necessary to have a cron on the server that calls the Prestashop “ crontask ”, which is responsible for launching the data feed update. It is advisable to update it at least once a day. If you need more than 5 synchronizations, you should use the Merchant Center API.
Requirements for creating an account in Google Merchant Center
Below is a diagram with the requirements needed to create the account: -Verify and claim the website url. -Match in product URLs with domain that has been registered -The URL must begin with http:// or https:// -Secure payment process (SSL) -Clear and visible return policy -Site accessible from anywhere in the world Within our merchant center account, we must perform a general visualization and diagnosis of the feed status. In addition, we must perform a description of the products, visualize the performance and review reports. Merchant can be considered the heart of Google Shopping. For weeks now, we have been able to see the products that have been submitted and approved from Shopping. However, we recommend that you view it globally in Merchant.
Creating Shopping Campaigns
Our colleague Javier Alonso gives us the following recommendations when carrying out a Shopping campaign: -Control the quality and updating of the data feed. Take care of the titles, descriptions and images. -Establish the structure of the campaigns as the structure of your ecommerce . -Goal-based bidding, maximum bids based on product margin or product group.
-Study the competition, this is an essential step. We must analyze the CTR of the reference and the % of search impressions. If we find products with a CTR below the reference, we must review the quality of the ad.
-Devices: the conversion rate should be reviewed by device and the bid adjusted based on the results. Life must be made easier for mobile users. Nearly 60% of queries are made from mobile devices. We are facing a “multi-device” world and we cannot falter on any of them.
-Bid adjustment on mobile devices , you should review the conversion rate and adjust the bid based on the results.
This is a simple formula to adjust the bid on mobile, we must keep in mind that we have to optimize the budget on devices that convert.
-Detect low search impression share levels and increase bids.
-Add the “Max CPC Comparison” column and analyze whether we are in the fight.
-Review data quality in products with CTR below average.
-Use ID-item report to identify and control high costs, low returns…
-Detect rogue products and move them to independent campaigns.
-Use campaign priority, with special attention to promotions.
-Add negative keywords that will add quality to the feed.
-Use custom labels for product grouping.
-Monitor the bounce rate on product pages.
