If you are planning on using Google to showcase or sell your products, then you should be thorough with your knowledge of Google Merchant Center. Why? Because with proper utilization of Google Merchant Center, you will be able to increase your products’ visibility on the world’s biggest search engine and turn net surfers into customers.
Not only customers but Google Merchant Center can help you generate a quality list of potential leads. The faster you become familiar with the Google Merchant Center and its utilization, the sooner you will win the cut-throat competition of online selling.
So, what is Google Merchant Center, and how does it work? Let us tell you.
What is Google Merchant Center?
In all its simplicity, Google Merchant Center is the platform by the search engine itself that allows the sellers to list their products online. These products are then displayed under the Google Shopping service on the top navigation panel of the search engine.
The information you give is relayed across all Google properties. And the best part is, you can avail the benefits free of cost! Yes, Google doesn’t charge you anything for this amazing service.
Google Merchant Center is means to showcase your products on Google Ads. On GMC one has to upload their product details in a data format as required by Google. Following this Google then shows the products to potential customers across its platforms.
How does Google Merchant Center work?
Google Merchant Center works by sending the product information uploaded by you to Google. After approval by Google, you can link your GMC account with your Google ads account which in turn will start showing ads on relevant search queries.
ALSO READ: 10 Tips to Create High-Conversion Google Local Inventory Ads
Who can use Google Merchant Center?
Anyone who has a business website for selling products and a Google My Business account can use Google Merchant Center. This includes individual sellers, businesses, and enterprises who want to reach out to a global market and build a cross-border identity.
Now that you know what Google Merchant Center is, let us see how you can get started.
How to Get Started With Google Merchant Center?
1. Begin With Setting Up a Google Merchant Center Account
The first step goes without saying. Set up your account on Google Merchant Center.
For this, you will first have to build Google My Business Account. The list doesn’t end here. To build a Google My Business Account you need to have a Google account.
What is the difference between Google My Business and Google Merchant Center?
Google My Business is the platform that manages your business’ online identity on the search engine. Google Merchant Center, on the other hand, helps in uploading product information and managing sales on Google.
You can think of GMC as the dashboard of the sales and offerings of a business.
Once you have your email address and Google My Business account in order, the following are the steps to configure your Google Merchant Center account-
- Fill in your website and contact details: The first and the most important step is filling up your online shop details along with other basic details like physical address and contact service information.It is important that you fill in the relevant details so that when customers see your information they are able to click and visit you.
- Now fill in your product details: Giving your product details is perhaps the most lengthy and important job you will do while setting up your Google Merchant Center account. This requires providing your product information in a format required by Google.This includes uploading data in either TXT or XML formats and giving each product a unique ID, title and link.
Keep in mind that you will have to keep updating your product data every 30 days for Google to run ads regularly. If you miss doing this, Google will flag your website and your products would be temporarily withdrawn from turning up on Google SERPs.
People who have a long list of products will find the manual process of uploading cumbersome. However, there are methods that automate data feed, which still requires minimum manual intervention.
ALSO READ: 8 Tips for Sellers and Dealerships to Ace Google Car Search
2. Get Product Approval
Once your products are uploaded the next step includes getting them approved by Google. Google will search your data feed for discrepancies and if it does find them, it won’t run ads for that particular product.
That is why it is very important that you keep a check of your product data on a regular basis. This is because rules and norms are dynamic in the digital realm and what was correct yesterday may not be today.
3. Get Linked
Post product approval you will have to link your Google Merchant Center account with your Google Ads account. This is how your products will show up as ads on Google SERPs whenever a customer searches for a particular product.
Follow these steps to start off your business online. And once you complete the beginner level you will find more tips and tricks in Google’s bag that will help you scale your business.
And voila! You are all set to sell on Google. Yes, it is this easy to sell on Google.
What are the benefits of Google Merchant Center?
Apart from being free of cost, there are so many reasons why GMC is a godsent for businesses-
- Enable sellers to optimize the product feed for Google-edited and update them
- Helps display products on shopping ads, without which it is impossible to sell online
- Sell products directly to consumers without any middleman
- Help sellers generate a high-quality lead of potential buyers.
From car dealers to booksellers, everyone can sell on Google Shopping with the help of Google Merchant Center. Try yourself today.
Suggested Read: 9 Essential Tips on Running Successful Google Vehicle Listing Ads
