A lot of people really underestimate the importance of a properly optimised product feed when it comes to improving shopping performance.
Feed optimisation tools should be viewed as an essential tool for any PPC’er who works with eCommerce brands running shopping campaigns.
Google aims to show users the most relevant listings possible in shopping results, so it seems a given that you should be changing your product attributes to suit your business goals, but you’d be surprised at how often this is missed!
There are a variety of platforms available when it comes to feed optimisation tools, which allow advertisers to change all the attributes of their products before sending the information through to your advertising platform.
Whichever you choose, I want to run you through our top tips for optimising your product feeds and maximising your shopping performance.
1. Target your titles
I like to treat product titles in a similar way to writing standard ad copy.
You want to include key attributes in your product titles that any potential customers may be searching for, as this is one of the first things Google will read when determining whether or not to show your shopping ad in the results page.
Title copy needs to be highly relevant and related to what people may be searching for when looking for your product. The most relevant terms should be included at the start of your query where possible, rather than any potential stumbling blocks where Google might misread your product title and serve an ad for an irrelevant term; costing you money.
For example, if you’re selling trainers, your title is crucial in making sure you’re including relevant information. People who are likely to convert will generally be searching with higher levels of detail, so you need to make sure this is included in your copy.
When creating a title for a pair of size 8, blue Adidas trainers, you should include as much information as possible (without sounding spammy). Rather than “Adidas Blue Trainers”, the product should read more along the lines of “Adidas Originals Blue Trainers – Size 8”.
This will allow for Google to accurately match with potential customers who are including the relevant brand, size, gender, colour etc in their search query; with your listing being a strong match and therefore more likely to show in the shopping results.
2.Decorate your descriptions
Descriptions of your products are another area where you should really make sure you’re including the right terms to drive the right traffic.
A lot of the time, descriptions will be full of a lot of ‘fluff’, describing how fantastic a product is and how to use it etc. While this might look great on site, this isn’t optimised towards driving shopping performance as it doesn’t give a lot of information about the product itself.
Relevant terms need to be included in the product description, with any crucial keywords being incorporated into this copy, while USPs can also be included towards the end to remain appealing to your customers.
One thing to be wary of however, is that you shouldn’t seem spammy with the copy in your descriptions. Keywords need to be included in a natural manner so that you can draw visitors to your site, while maintaining a strong level of optimisation towards shopping results.
Rather than having a description such as “With white laces and soles, they are comfortable and perfect for everyday use”, you could incorporate keywords into this, to be a little more targeted. “These Adidas trainers have white laces and soles, making them the perfect shoes for comfortable, everyday use”.
3. Assign your attributes
The more attributes that are included with your product, the better Google knows who to show to. It is much more likely that ads will serve to the target audience if this is information which is easily accessible when the product is being crawled for attributes.
Try to add as many attributes as possible, whether it be colour, gender, age group, size or anything else. If it can be used to get your shopping ads in front of the right people, this can save you money and ultimately drive sales of your product.
4. Prioritise your products
You will always have products that perform better or worse than each other, whether this be due to stock issues, profit margins or simply customer demand.
Do you really want to be starting off your optimisation going into a product and changing a title, descriptions and all the attributes, when you only have one of this particular item left in stock?
The main focus should be products that you know are a priority, whether they be high in-demand, best sellers or have a significant profit margin. This is where you’ll generally be pushing your shopping campaigns so it’s important to get the products in the best state possible.
5. Improve your imagery
Your product image is the first thing people see in the shopping results, so you want to make sure your images are clear, eye-catching and actually showing off what you sell.
Even if the product is the best on the market, anyone searching may bypass it if the photo being used in the feed is poor.
In some cases, where an image is low quality, too small or contains unrelated logos, the product itself will even be disapproved.
The importance of a well optimised shopping feed can’t be overstated and can hugely boost your performance levels.
Following the steps I’ve outlined should see your CPCs improve significantly, allowing for much stronger sales performance and will have a hugely positive impact no your overall ROI.
To find out more about how we can help with your PPC and paid media strategy, get in touch with us today.
