Why your Google Shopping campaign isn’t converting in to sales

Why your Google Shopping campaign isn’t converting in to sales

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If you’re wondering why your Google Shopping campaign isn’t converting then this guide could help you in understanding where you might be missing opportunities.

We love Google merchant ads here they have to be one of the single best ways to attract relevant customers to your products but with that comes a couple of downsides.

Competition & accurate targeting

The first obstacle has to be competition. Because Google shopping ads can be so effective this means more businesses like yours want to benefit from this level of exposure. Way back in the day when Google shopping was still free (oh! those were the days) there was no risk because it cost nothing to get your products in front of your audience. Now that everyone understands the power of these types of ads the cost to feature in the shopping results has also because very costly (if not managed effectively). And that is the key, running your Google shopping account to its absolute maximum potential whilst limiting the irrelevant clicks.

The second thing you should be aware of which we’ve already briefly touched on is making sure that you’ve done everything possible to target the right audience and displaying the right products. Sounds obvious and easy doesn’t it? In most instances we have found campaigns that are either targeting too many products with too many keywords, and this usually results in a poorer conversion ratio or GMV.

 

Make sure you’ve set up conversion tracking with Google Analytics and tested extensively.

This may sound remedial almost but bare with me.

Recent changes in Adwords conversion tags that prevent you from recording all conversion data.

Are you aware of recent changes to the AdWords conversion tag that prevents Apple/iPhone user conversions from being tracked? If you just shrugged your shoulders or stared blankly at the screen then don’t worry you’re not alone.

With so many updates, bugs and changes to GA, AdWords almost daily it can be very difficult to know what’s going on at times. Being OCD is helpful and why we are able to stay on top of these changes. But if you’re busy with day to day operations of your business etc then you may need help from a specialist AdWords campaign consultant.

When you’re running any AdWords Shopping campaign the conversion data is absolutely crucial for success and here’s why:

Conversions tell you which keywords and products are most successful to your business.

This in turn allows you to reduce the click waste and focus on only winners!

If you’re using enhanced CPC bidding or goal focused bidding such as sales conversions then you’re definitely going to need to know without any doubts what’s working for you and what isn’t.

 

Don’t blindly accept keyword data, deep dive in to your AdWords reporting data.

Here’s a few questions which may help you think about your shopping campaign in a new light.

  1. How often do you look at your keywords that convert?
  2. Do you regularly update your negative keyword list?
  3. Where are your customers located?
  4. What days and times of day have the highest conversions?
  5. Does remarketing play any part in the acquisition of new customer purchases?

 

What are your goals?

Are you looking to generate awareness to drive or direct people to your physical store? Or do you want customers to make a purchase on your website?

Google shopping works for both and is often overlooked for generate local business or store visits. But think of it like this:

You want a new TV, you’re not sure which one but it’s got to be big, 4K and have that wow factor!

You’ve seen some amazing deals online but you really want to go test it out in person, and more than likely seen a local store such as Curry’s who say that have one in stock.

So you see what happened in this instance is the user searched, found something they like and just by chance 😉 it’s available locally to them. Customer loves the TV and now wants to walk away with it that day so he buys in store.

Now when we said ‘by chance’ of course we meant this was purposely targeted by the online retailer.

 

Understanding your customers habits

Don’t underestimate the ever changing habits of the consumer. Weather changes for example can have a huge effect on buying habits, so if you see a sudden drop in activity or conversions take a look out of your window it may just be related to some better weather.

Other than global events and weather it’s vital that you’re constantly looking in to your visitor activity such as:

  • Bounce rates
  • CTR
  • Device activity

These are just a few of the most common ones but make sure you’re investigating this data daily.

I think i’ve checked all these but i’m still not seeing as many orders as I would have liked

This is a commonly reported issue from new customers and in many instances it can be broken down to 4 areas:

  1. Insufficient PPC budget
  2. Poor product listing images
  3. Product prices are not competitive enough
  4. Reaching the wrong type of users

 

Here’s an example of one of our customers *********.com who are running both text ads, smart shopping and regular shopping ads.

how to get more sales from google shopping

google shopping ads

Notice their cost per acquisition (CPA) has dropped from £146 to £16

Generating over £21,000 in new sales from a spend of just £1800

how to reduce cpc in google shopping

Over a longer date range you can see that not only has their average CPC (cost per click) reduced from over £2.20 to just £0.27

 

How to spend less on adwords but see 100% more conversions from Google shopping

 

This customer is now spending 50% less and getting 100% more new sales each month.

50% less ppc spend and 100% more conversions

Higher Cost Per Click Does Not Mean Better Results or More Sales

how to make google shoping work more effectively higher cpc doesnt not mean better results or more sales

Need help with your Google Shopping Ads?

If you need help to get your Google Shopping campaign on track and converting then give us a call on 01274 214 210 or drop us an email for a free no obligation audit and quotation.


Tom Peary is the director of SEO21 Ltd. Offering SEO, Website Design, Digital Marketing, Google Places Optimisation, Guest Blogging, Copywriting and Link Building Services.

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