By - Matt Lawson
Category - Search Engine Optimization
Published By - Imagination Print
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| Search Engine Optimization |
In January, Marin Software released a study
on Google’s 2012 transition from Google Product Search to the
commercial, “pay-to-play” model built on Product Listing Ads. When this
enhanced shopping experience was first announced in May of 2012, online
retailers reacted with both praise and criticism.
However, since the transition, PLA campaigns have performed with a
great deal of success. In fact, by the end of December 2012, the share of spend on PLA campaigns had increased 600% compared to January.
More importantly, during the fourth quarter of 2012, as holiday
shoppers searched and purchased products and gifts, some online
retailers allocated as much as 30% of their search spend toward PLAs.
The richer and more engaging search experience that PLAs provide for
users has produced a seemingly exponential surge in PLA adoption and
spend.
However, compared to traditional paid search campaigns, PLAs are
still in their infancy. Managing and optimizing the Merchant Center
product feed, ad group promotions, and product targets remain relatively
foreign concepts for search marketers.
In simplifying their approach to optimizing PLA campaigns, many
retailers fail to deliver a relevant and rich ad experience that
maximizes available revenue opportunities. By implementing the following
six strategies, search marketers can refine their approach to managing
and optimizing PLA campaigns and improve their revenue outcomes in 2013.
1. Fresh, Accurate & Comprehensive
PLAs aren’t “set it and forget it” campaigns. The effectiveness of
any PLA campaign starts with the quality of the product data that’s fed
into Google Merchant Center. This quality is based on three factors:
freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.
The freshness of data is based on how well the attributes defined in
your product feed align with the information provided on your website.
For instance, if a user lands your website via a PLA, the price shown
within the ad should match the price on your website. If product details
don’t match, items within Google Shopping results may be suspended. To
address this issue, submit an updated product feed to Google at the same
time your website is updated with new product information.
Data accuracy, like freshness, affects the shopping experience and is
enforced with a high standard. To prevent products from being suspended
from Google Shopping, in some cases up to one week, search marketers
need to ensure that product attributes are accurate in that images match
the product title and description, tax and shipping costs are correct,
and other product attributes are defined to meet the Google Shopping policies.
In order to present users with highly relevant PLAs for their
specific product searches, search marketers need to provide
comprehensive product information within their product feed. The more
information, or defined attributes, Google has about your products, the
better they can serve users with relevant PLAs and send them to your
website. For more information on basic and advanced product feed
attributes, click here.
2. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Clicks
For the most part, PLAs are image-based ads. A relevant image is
critical for engaging shoppers, and utilizing a stock photo fails to
differentiate your products from your competitors.
If a user searches for a particular product brand and model, you’ll
want to deliver an ad that shows that exact brand and model; but, to
engage the shopper and promote a higher click-through rate for your
products, use unique images that are not only high in quality and
detail, but also represent the products accurately.
In the example below, only two of the five PLAs use an image that differentiates the ad from the competitors.
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