What is Google Merchant Center and how does it help your online store?

Google Merchant Center is a Google tool used to enter data from an online store and to advertise on Google Shopping, among other services. In other words, it allows your online store available to shoppers across Google.

So, what is the Google Merchant Center for?

This platform’s main objective is to allow users to upload the product information (brand, product type, product ID, price, description …) through a data feed, use them in advertising campaigns later, and be displayed in the most relevant Shopping searches.

However, just because you create an account in Google Merchant Center and provide your feed, it does not mean that your products will be visible in the first positions of the related searches. Google has become a competitive market, so you must continuously work on the positioning of e-commerce over time for Google to consider your information of quality and worthy of said position.

Products uploaded to Google Merchant Center have an expiration of 30 days from when the upload is made, so it is essential to keep the information updated.

Multiple advertisers widely use shopping ads in combination with other channels. This medium generates a significant increase in visibility due to incorporating images in the search engine and the high CTR that they usually have. At the same time, they develop a relatively lower search CPC than in search campaigns.

What can be done from Google Merchant Center?

• Shopping ads: the products will be displayed on the Google Shopping network, using a format similar to the catalog. This network is characterized by being one of the favorite sources for users when buying.

• Integration with AdWords: Thanks to the simple integration with AdWords, Merchant Center feeds can link with the Google advertising platform. It allows specific campaigns such as dynamic remarketing to be carried out.

• Analytics support: Data coming from the Merchant Center can be kept separate from Analytics thanks to custom segments that prevent crossing attacks.

• Online Ratings: Product reviews and ratings can help sales. Integrated with the Merchant Center listing, the ratings, including stars, receive a preferential position.

• Integration with Google Local Search: The listings can include the establishments’ locations closest to the user searching at that moment.

Some of the advantages of Google Merchant Center are:

1. More visible products. Thanks to the feed that we give to Google Merchant Center of our products and services, we gain web positioning and, therefore, visibility. The more we work on our online strategy, the more chances of getting the first related searches we will have.
2. Management of product feeds. To advertise through tools such as Google Adwords or Google Shopping, you must provide a feed of all the products you offer on your website so that Google has access to necessary information: product name, description, price, shipping costs, among others.
3. Show your inventory globally. (Or to the country of your choice). By providing the information of your product files to Google, it, through its algorithms, will show your inventory to millions of users who have a particular affinity with your products/services.

In recent months there has been so much business competition online, so companies have to use all possible tools to make their products visible and gain an organic position. Google Merchant Center allows advertising products. Likewise, it keeps the product information updated, which means your customers can find the items they are looking for easily at all times.

Make your online store available to shoppers across Google.

We hope this article has been useful to you, and if you or your company need any marketing advice, do not hesitate to contact us by email at [email protected] or follow us on our social networks!