If you are looking for the best Golf clubs to buy, what do you do? You google it, of course. Most times, what you see is a sponsored post right at the top of your search result.
These Product Listing Ads, known as Google shopping ads, are like Google mini-stores with images, reviews, titles, and other important product information you may need. PLAs are there to provide buyers with information to increase their chances of making a purchase.
Let’s see how PLAs can get you more traffic and increase your ad revenue per click.
What is Product Listing Ads?
They are product ads that appear at the top of Google search engine result queries. It is nothing like the text on the search engine result page (SERP); this ad is made from the contents of your e-commerce product information.
It specifically targets your search and includes a link where you can make your purchase immediately without leaving the site.
How Does PLAs Work?
If a user inquires about a product on Google, PLAs display the product on the left corner of the shopping tab. The ad displays the image with all the necessary information, which includes the tag and product description.
When the ad is clicked, it takes you right to the product page, where you see the full details of the product before you make a purchase.
Unlike regular ads, you don’t have to waste your time stuffing your content with keywords. All you have to do is create and organize information about your product, and Google pulls out the information from the feed, including prices, pictures, and descriptions (you don’t do much).
You may be wondering:
How can I keep track of my long list of products?
Don’t worry, Google Analytics does the work for you. It tracks every visit to your site and helps you set your daily budget so you can see how much you spend on your ads.
How To Optimize Your Product Listing Ads
- Create eye-catching headlines
It may sound cliche, but headlines attract customers, and it’s the first thing they see when they click on your product ad. This helps increase your CTR and helps you show up for the right search queries.
Always keep it simple and concise; although you can fit in around 159 characters, only 70 characters are displayed.
Use compelling keywords to increase your Google visibility status. Make use of any keyword research tool to search for trendy and better keywords for your products.
Lastly, remember to add the name of your brand to your title. This is where brand popularity advantage comes in.
- Use Negative keyword lists
Yep, it came as a shock, too, when I learned something negative can actually mean good (just this once, anyway).
One unique thing about PLAs is that it is pay-per-click advertising. You don’t pay money till someone clicks on your ad. But since not everyone who clicks on your ad makes a purchase, it can negatively affect your ROI
To prevent this from happening, you can make use of negative keywords. All you have to do is add keywords to your negative keyword list that you don’t want your PLA displayed when users search for them.
E.g., You sell luxury sports cars. Someone looking for an affordable and budget-friendly car may certainly not buy from you but may still click on your ad (costing you money).
You can add affordable and budget-friendly to your negative keyword list so your PLA won’t pop up when those words appear on the Google search bar.
- Images
Clear alluring images are like a red cherry on the top of a well-iced cupcake (mouth watering). Not only does it attract customers to your ad, it gives them the confidence that they are making the right choice.
Make sure the pictures are taken at the right angles so that your products can be represented accurately.
Your image size should be a minimum of 100 x 100 pixels and a size of 16mb or below to ensure faster loading times.
- Provide detailed descriptions
This is where you list out all the important details about your products that you feel are worth knowing.
The E-commerce industry is a very competitive space; therefore, you need to add all the necessary details for you to stand out. This includes colour, sex, price, size, material etc. Include as much detail as you can. It’s never too much.
Nobody loves ‘gaslight’ list only what you have. Do not fabricate content to get attention. Google will punish you for that.
- Remove unprofitable products
The main aim of any business is to make a profit, not losses, and there’s no profit from selling unprofitable products. You can easily detect unprofitable products by calculating your ROAS (Return On Ad Spend)
This method makes your campaign cost-effective. Apart from that, there are times when excluding a group of products makes sense.
For Example If you sell seasonal products like Christmas DIY decors, you can remove these products from the campaign till at least the Christmas season is near. It’s not like you pay rent for letting it sit out at your e-commerce store, but it doesn’t make sense to advertise a product no one will buy at the moment.
Is Your PLA Ready?
Product Listing Ads are the surest and most effective ways to increase your CTR for your e-commerce store and make sales.
If you haven’t tried PLAs before, go ahead and give them a try. See it as a new way to explore and find out what advertising method best works for you. Don’t forget to keep track of your conversations so you can see how it affects your PPC.
You may think it’s not a wise decision cos you have to spend a bit of cash, but you know “you use the money to chase money”. Don’t look at the labour; look at the benefit. If you’re confused about where to start, follow the PLAs optimizing tips above and start using the Google Store today.
Your email automation tool better be ready cos there will be a need to send some follow-up emails to your customers.