Before launching a Google Shopping campaign, you’ll need to complete a few requirements. This reading will review some of those requirements, including setting up Google accounts, reviewing policies, and completing product information.
Set up Google accounts
Before you can begin a Shopping campaign, you’ll need to set up accounts with Google Merchant Center and Google Ads and link them together. Linking your Google Analytics property to your Merchant Center account allows you to access Merchant Center-specific reporting or insights to help improve your campaign’s performance.
If you have already done so, confirm that the two accounts were linked correctly. To refresh your knowledge of Google Merchant Center and Google Ads, revisit an earlier video on this subject.
Review policies
Your content for Shopping campaigns and Shopping ads needs to comply with the Shopping ads policies. These policies are divided into four general categories:
- Prohibited content: Content you’re not allowed to promote on the Google Network
- Prohibited practices: Things you can’t do if you want to advertise with Google
- Restricted content: Content you can advertise, but with limitations
- Editorial and technical requirements: Quality standards for your ads and website
Before launching your campaign, it’s important to check that you are not violating any of Google’s Shopping ads policies. If you do, your Shopping campaign may be ended involuntarily.
For a complete list of all Google policies, visit the Google Ads policies website.
Complete product information
Review your product information in Merchant Center programs, and edit it if necessary. Submitting your product data to Google correctly is essential for creating successful product ads. Google uses this data to make sure that it’s matched to the correct queries.
Product information includes:
- Basic product data: This informs shoppers what they are purchasing. The product information you submit such as IDs, product titles, product descriptions, and links are the foundation of a successful Shopping ad campaign.
- Price and availability: These attributes define the price and availability for your products.
- Product category: This helps organize your advertising campaigns in Google Ads and to override Google’s automatic product categorization in specific cases.
- Product identifiers: These attributes such as the Global Trade Item Number and Manufacturer Part Number are used to define the products you’re selling in the global marketplace.
- Detailed product description: These attributes are used to submit product characteristics that users commonly search for, such as color, condition, and material.
- Tax information: Use this setting to override the account tax settings for an individual product. You can submit tax information for all your products using the account settings in the Merchant Center.
For a full list of product information, visit the product data specification page on the Google Merchant Center website.
Key takeaways
You must complete certain requirements to prepare your Google Shopping campaign. Carefully following these guidelines will ensure that you are on the right path for a successful Shopping campaign that keeps your customers in mind.