The biggest mistakes you can make with a Shopify shop in Google Shopping

If you manage a Shopify ecommerce you'll probably have taken Google Shopping into consideration as a means for the promotion of your products. In fact, Google Shopping represents an excellent alternative for all those online sellers wanting to attract attention to their ecommerce.

You can have the most beautiful ecommerce in the world, but if you don't receive traffic your efforts are in vain. To take advantage of Google Shopping's potentials you first need to connect and synchronize it with your Shopify shop. Once this step has been completed, however, it is important to be aware that there are a number of mistakes that can be made that negatively affect the visibility of companies and the performance of ads.

In order to avoid these unpleasant incidents, we present to you the main mistakes that are made with Shopify (and should be avoided) in Google Shopping.

 

1) Invalid pricing and non-optimised budgets

Product quality continues to be a crucial factor for Google. If, for example, you change the price of a number of products on your online shop but do not adjust them in Google Shopping, the products may be blocked by Google because they are considered deceptive. 

Another important aspect to consider in order to achieve effective results on Google Shopping is the proper management of budgets and bids. Insufficient budgets or campaigns that are not optimised for conversions can limit the visibility of one's ads. In addition, a failure to optimise bids can result in a high cost for ineffective clicks or a sub-optimal ad position.

 

2) Image format and data

The third mistake concerns the fact that you have images, but have uploaded them in the wrong format. Here are the guidelines to follow for image formats:

• Images must be at least 100 x 100 pixels, clothes at least 250 x 250 pixels. 800 pixels are recommended.
• Images must not be more than 64 megapixels or larger than 16 MB.
• The product must occupy 75-90% of the image.

Also to be avoided:

• watermarks
• texts
• logos or icons
• placeholders
• single-colour square images
• images that include elements covering the product

As you will have realised by now, what is important is that there is the product and that it is clearly visible.

 

3) Attention to guidelines

Paying little attention to the bidding guidelines is a mistake that is made far more often than one would think. Before using Google Shopping you have to make sure that your products comply with Google Merchant guidelines. Dangerous products such as weapons or products that incite hatred are, for instance, unwelcome. However, there is also a grey area, i.e. all those products that are subject to a special set of rules, e.g. those with age restrictions, alcohol or medicines. It is therefore important to inform yourself in advance. You can find more information on dangerous products here.

 

4) Uncallable product pages

Are your product pages not accessible on mobile? This is a very serious mistake that can cost you a lot, not only in the case of Google Shopping, but precisely in terms of conversions and reduced competitiveness. For more information, read '8 tips for improving conversions from mobile'. If your product pages cannot be called up from mobile or are not responsive, Google may limit the visibility of your ads or even cancel them.

 

5) Product ID codes

Finally, the last error: the presence of insufficient, incorrect or invalid product identification codes. These include the GTIN, brand and MPN. What is this all about? Google wants to understand what you sell, on the one hand to be able to match your products to search queries, and on the other hand to be able to compare them with other retailers selling the same products. That is why identifiers are important. A brand name is simply a brand name. However, there is an exception: customised products. In these cases, you must answer 'False' in the field 'GTIN present'. The MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) is an identifier of the manufacturer. Opposed to this is the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), a standardised number, almost the numerical version of the bar code. It is called UPC in the US and EAN in Europe. Google requires 2 of the 3 identifiers just mentioned.

As we have seen, the errors analysed can have a strong impact on the performance of active campaigns and product visibility. Therefore, avoid uploading erroneous, inconsistent or out-of-date data, respect the specifications required by Google, comply with its guidelines and policies and, finally, pay attention to budget and mobile optimisation. All this also requires constant analysis and monitoring so as to identify potential errors early on and make any necessary corrections.

Remember, Google Shopping has great potential and if you need someone to support you in optimising your presence on the platform, we are on your side. Contact us without obligation for more information.