In a world full of questions, there is one entity that has been keeping track of all of them—Google. Everything from “When is lockdown ending?” to “Where can I buy a facemask?” has been on our minds and therefore part of our Google searches, as we make our way through the new normal.
But there is also a-rock-and-a-hard place situation that it appears Google is attempting to provide some assistance with. How are brands that have had their revenues impacted supposed to keep in front of customers when marketing and ad budgets have likely been cut to the bone? Advertising is a massive revenue source for Google, and with competitive ad platforms like Facebook gaining traction due to lower cost CPMs, Google has a vested interest in keeping eyes and brands focused on their platform.
So, Google took a surprising tactic by announcing free Google Shopping Ads. Yes—free.
Now when it comes to advertising, Google and “free” are not words that usually go together, so the likelihood that the path to free ads is going to be a straight one is not high. Even for our team, the exact who, what, when, where, why, and how are not 100% clear, but let’s break it down…
Where and Who?
According to Google, the current plan is to roll out this program in the United States. As of right now (beginning of May),
“Search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping merchants better connect with consumers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google.”
The end of this statement is where the questions begin, “regardless of whether they advertise on Google.”
As you are probably aware, usually Google Ads (of all kinds) need to be methodically designed when it comes to ad copy, descriptions, targeting, etc.—on the surface it sounds like this major part of the ads processed is being bypassed and Google is taking the wheel.
Let’s go back to Google, they continued, “For advertisers, this means paid campaigns can now be augmented with free listings. If you’re an existing user of Merchant Center and Shopping ads, you don’t have to do anything to take advantage of the free listings, and for new users of Merchant Center, we’ll continue working to streamline the onboarding process over the coming weeks and months.
The TLDR is basically that this is going to be an automatic process with automatic placements by Google—no pay-to-play for placement in this program. But, to be included in this program, you need to be a user of Google Merchant Center. If you are, you should be good. If not, you will need to get that process started.
The “How” of Free Google Shopping Ads
Like we said from the beginning, the line to free is not a straight one. As we started digging, our team found a few details that were not included in Google’s original announcement:
“If you’re an existing user of Merchant Center and Shopping ads and you’ve already opted into the surfaces across Google program, you might already be eligible to show your products in these unpaid experiences…”
Surfaces across Google Program? Okay, this is new information. Once again, the shovels came out and we started digging for clarity. According to Google, regarding the surfaces across Google Program…
“By participating in the program for surfaces across Google, your product offers may be eligible to show in unpaid listings on Google surfaces, like the Google Shopping tab, Google Search, Google Images, Google Maps, and Google Lens.”
Google continues (on a separate page)…
“Just as we don’t charge sites to be part of the Google Search index, participating merchants are eligible to appear on surfaces across Google results for free.”
Reading Between the Lines
As with everything Google related, you need to read between the lines—the line here (again catching our attention) is the word “eligible.” We know this hole is getting deep, but stick with us for this follow up direct from Google…
“To become eligible, you must follow the required policies to show products on surfaces across Google, and meet one of two criteria:
- If you have structured data markup on your website, you will automatically have your products shown on surfaces across Google without directly participating in the program. You can opt out at any time.
- If you submit a feed through Google Merchant Center, you can participate in surfaces across Google by selecting the corresponding program in Merchant Center.
Learn more about choosing programs.”
Just FYI, we are not digging any deeper in this post, but you can see that while “free” sounds fantastic, it does not mean “frictionless.”
So, What Should You Do?
While information is still dripping out regarding these free Google Shopping ads, as well as details regarding how, who, and what ads will be picked for any search, all we can tell you are the steps to put your brand in consideration for these free Shopping ads. Well, to the best of our current knowledge.
Step 1: Product Listings
Make sure that all of your products are clearly defined on your site, including all relevant details such as sizing, colors, availability, pricing, etc. It sounds like Google will be utilizing your organic data to populate these free listings, so make sure you have all of your on-site product bases covered.
Step 2: Merchant Center
Make sure you are signed up for Google Merchant Center. As this is one of the first requirements that has been spelled out by Google, it is the first one not to miss. Once your product listings are good to go on your site, start the Google Merchant Center process if you haven’t already.
Step 3: Opting In
Next, you need to opt in to surfaces across Google’s program AND either have structured data markup on your website or submit a feed through Google Merchant Center and choose corresponding program in Merchant Center.
Step 4: Tracking
According to Google, the free Google Shopping ads will be automatically populated, assuming you have completed all the required steps to do so. But, how do you know if you are actually getting any of these free ad clicks? Google notes that soon they will be releasing Reporting for surfaces across Google where “unpaid clicks” can be viewed and tracked.
According to Google: “Soon, you can view your unpaid clicks in the new performance report for surfaces across Google in Merchant Center by selecting ‘Performance’ and then ‘Dashboard’ in the left navigation.”
If you are anything like us, you likely still have questions. But for the moment, between the Google Ad Credit announcement and now this new program, information is limited, as Google is likely also determining the best and most fluid course of action. As more information is available, our team will work to update this article, you can also check out Google’s main FAQ page dedicated to this subject.
All these announcements from Google do sound fantastic—dependent on when and how they come to fruition. If you can benefit or take advantage of these programs, that’s fantastic! However, we are advising our clients to not depend on them as a sure thing. The smart move is to assess your paid media data and adapt your strategies proactively as our new normal continues to unfold. If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact our team—we will be happy to help.