Getting a leg up on your Amazon competition requires getting creative. Everyday more sellers enter the Amazon marketplace trying to employ the same tactics to reach the top of page one. How can you help your product gain the additional sales need to reach or maintain that top spot? By utilizing outside traffic sources like Google Shopping ads.
Google Shopping ads are a great way to give your listing additional sales and build an interested customer list. Amazon has taken over as the go-to platform for customers to begin product searches. However, shoppers that used Google to begin their product search actually made more purchases in a shorter time space when compared to Amazon.
Partnering your Amazon sales with Google Shopping ads can be the best way for you to influence the Amazon search algorithm. We are going to talk about how you can get started today with Google Shopping ads and start driving more shoppers to Amazon.
Setting Up Shopping Ads for Best Results
There are a few requirements to being able to run Google Shopping ads. First, Google requires that you have a verified domain to have a shopping account. This means that you need to drive traffic to your own website first before you can send it to Amazon. Your website also needs to be a functioning eCommerce website with a cart and check out features.
Landing pages can be created on your existing website for specific products that you want to market through the advertising campaigns. As long as the root domain matches the verified domain on the product listing ad, Google should not have a problem with the landing page. SaaS solutions like Clickfunnels can also be used to build the landing pages you need.
You will then need to set up a Google Merchant Center account to maintain all your product data. The Merchant Center account will be linked to Google Ads where you can create campaigns. Google uses the campaigns you create and the product data information to place ads on search engine results pages (SERPs) and third-party ad networks.
Providing comprehensive data to Google about your products is vital. This single-handily will help your ad campaign performance. Completing as many of the recommended attributes as possible will help Google better place your ads. The product data needs to be updated at least once every 30 days within the Merchant Center. Be descriptive and pay attention to maintaining the product data for improved performance.
You can quickly populate Google Merchant if you already have an existing Shopify website. There is a Shopify integration that can pull product information from your website into your Google Merchant account. You could also use DataFeedWatch to integrate with Google Merchant and maintain your product feeds across multiple channels at once.
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Implementing Google Shopping Ads for Amazon
There are a few potential strategies you can implement with Google Shopping ads for Amazon. The first would be to utilize a landing page with a direct offer to take shoppers to Amazon. Another option would be to try to utilize the ads to build an email list. Each strategy can help you achieve your eCommerce goals in different ways.
Driving traffic to a landing page is a fundamental part of building a sales funnel. You then need to determine what action you want the traffic to take on your landing page. One option could be to redirect that traffic to Amazon through a direct offer.
You could entice customers to take an action to purchase the product on Amazon by offering some type of promotion. Your landing page could be used to offer a discount code or you could offer a coupon directly on the Amazon page. You can also set up a link so that shoppers are taken directly to their cart. Our research has shown that this helps customers win the Amazon’s Choice Badge.
Another direct offer technique allows you to better measure ROI. You can use an Amazon Associates account and create an affiliate store. Amazon Associates allows you to see how many times a link is clicked. You can also see how many purchases occur through that link. Another benefit is you also earn referral fees. Since Amazon does not allow pixels or tags, this is the best way to measure your return on investment for Google Shopping Ads
Direct offers minimize steps shoppers need to take. They can help your Google Shopping ads traffic reach the Amazon product listing quickly. The downside with direct traffic is that it can be tough to measure the performance on Amazon and it is less likely to convert than customers who are familiar with your brand.
Another option would be to get the product listing ad traffic to take an action on your website – like join a mailing list for a coupon or to purchase on your website first. Either option will give you access to their email. You can use that for re-targeting efforts later. Emails are valuable for email marketing campaigns or ad retargeting on a variety of social media platforms.
Utilizing Google Shopping ads to build an email list can provide much longer-term benefits on Amazon. The main benefit of the email list would be to get initial sales for your products. Building sales velocity and sales history on the platform are two of the best ways to influence the Amazon search algorithm. Email lists are extremely valuable for product launches and getting a leg up on your competition.
Add Shopping Ads to Your eCommerce Strategy
Broadening your overall eCommerce marketing efforts can help you increase your sales on Amazon. While Amazon is the number one place that shoppers now go for product searches, Google still ranks number two with close to 40% of online product searches. Google Shopping ads are a great way to put your product in front of shoppers. Utilizing a landing page strategy or your own website can help you generate potential leads for Amazon. You can then send that traffic directly to Amazon or through email marketing campaigns for product launches or keyword rankings.
