Whilst some countries remain in lockdown and physical stores have had to close there has been an increase in the amount of online shopping occurring. Consumers are not just shopping for essentials but are now also shopping for other products such as DIY supplies, toys, clothing, and home goods in a bid to keep themselves entertained.
Whilst the extra web traffic is a lifeline for many businesses who need to keep trading in some capacity, some simply cannot afford to invest in getting their products seen through services such as Google Shopping. So, to assist retailers, Google has offered a solution that could give retailers the support they need to make it through the pandemic.
Whilst the addition of free listings on the Google Shopping tab was initially rolled out in the US, we are now seeing evidence that Google is beginning to roll this out to more countries.
How can you take advantage of free listings?
If your business already utilises Google’s Merchant Center and Shopping ads, then:
First, log into the Merchant Center and select “Growth” and then “Manage programs” in the left navigation menu. Next, select the “surfaces across Google” program card. If you want to make even more products discoverable in free listings then you can add more products to your product feed here too.
If you are new to advertising on Google then you need to sign up to the Merchant Center, opt into “surfaces across Google” and start creating your product feed so that products can appear in the free listing slots.
Google are working hard to streamline their onboarding process to make it as smooth as possible for those who are new to the Merchant Center. They also announced that they’re starting a new partnership with PayPal to allow merchants to link their accounts directly which, they hope will speed up the onboarding process and improve the experience.
So, keep an eye out in your Merchant Center to see if you are eligible for these free listings so that you can start showcasing your products for free.
If you are in need of assistance setting up Google Merchant Center, or have any questions about paid search during the COVID-19 pandemic, then get in touch with the team at AdPilot today.