What are shopping ads?

Shopping ads are a type of paid online advertisement that displays product information, such as an image, title, price, store name, and other available details, to help shoppers discover and compare products before visiting an online store. They are commonly used on Google through Google Merchant Center and Google Ads to promote products from ecommerce businesses.

Key features of shopping ads:

• Product images: Display product photos to help shoppers understand what is being offered.

• Pricing information: Show product prices and, where supported, promotional pricing.

• Product titles and details: Present relevant product information to attract potential buyers.

• Product feed integration: Use structured product data from Google Merchant Center.

• Search relevance: Show eligible products in response to relevant shopping searches.

• Performance tracking: Measure impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per click (CPC), and return on ad spend (ROAS).

• Campaign optimization: Adjust product data, bidding, budgets, and campaign settings to improve results.

Example:

Suppose a Shopify jewellery store sells diamond engagement rings. When a user searches Google for “diamond solitaire ring,” an eligible Shopping ad might display a ring image, its price, the store name, and a link to the product page.

Benefits of shopping ads:

• Help shoppers discover products visually.

• Display prices before users click.

• Attract people with purchase-oriented search intent.

• Drive qualified traffic to ecommerce websites.

• Help businesses promote large product catalogs.

Shopping ads vs. text search ads

• Shopping ads: Primarily showcase product images and structured product information.

• Text search ads: Primarily display written ad copy and links.

In short: Shopping ads promote individual products using images and product details to help ecommerce businesses attract shoppers and generate online sales.