Want to tap into Google‘s massive search traffic and get your products in front of millions of buyers? Adding your WordPress and WooCommerce products to Google Shopping could be an ecommerce game-changer.
As an experienced WordPress professional, I‘ve seen firsthand how Google Shopping can transform online businesses.
In this comprehensive 2022 guide, you‘ll learn how to easily add your products to Google Shopping and optimize them for success.
Contents
Why Google Shopping Matters for Ecommerce
Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second. And studies show that 49% of product searches start on Google.
Clearly, Google is where buyers search for products online.
This makes Google Shopping, Google‘s specialized search engine for products, an incredible platform for ecommerce visibility.
Being present on Google Shopping provides you instant access to this massive product-hungry audience.
Let‘s look at some stats that highlight the opportunity of Google Shopping for your business:
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Google Shopping listings get 5X more clicks than regular Product Listing Ads according to Google.
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60% of shoppers who click on Google Shopping Ads make a purchase online within 30 days (Source).
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Search interest for "best product" has grown globally by over 550% since 2016 (Source).
Clearly, Google Shopping provides incredible exposure and sales potential that you don‘t want to miss out on.
Now let‘s get into how you can effectively add products from your WordPress or WooCommerce store.
Step 1 – Set Up Your Google Merchant Center Account
To display products on Google Shopping, you first need to create a Google Merchant Center account. This is where your product data will be stored.
Here are some tips for setting up your account:
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Make sure to link your business website when creating the account. This establishes legitimacy.
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Only create one Google Merchant Center account per website. Multiple accounts can lead to disapprovals.
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Add all business and contact information accurately. This builds trust.
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Select all countries you ship to. Improves visibility in those markets.
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Carefully enter high quality product details later. Helps products get approved faster.
To create an account, go to the Google Merchant Center homepage and click Sign up.
Answer Google‘s questions about your business and enter your website URL:
Google will review your request and then let you finish setting up the account:
Enter your business name, country, and contact details. Then click Continue.
Make sure all the information you provide is accurate. This establishes legitimacy with Google.
Awesome! Your Google Merchant Center account is now ready. Time to connect it to your Google Ads account.
Step 2 – Link Your Google Ads Account
Your Google Merchant Center account needs to be linked to a Google Ads account for your products to show in Google Shopping listings.
Here are some best practices for connecting Google Ads:
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Only link an active Google Ads account that is already running shopping campaigns.
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Choose the same currency across Google Merchant Center and Google Ads.
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Set up billing in Google Ads before linking. Required for account verification.
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Link to a Google Ads manager account for easier access and organization.
To link the accounts, go to your Google Merchant Center and click the Tools icon > Linked accounts:
Click the + button to create a new Google Ads link. Choose your time zone and currency, then click Create.
Your Google Merchant Center now has access to your Google Ads account.
With the accounts linked, it‘s time to add products!
Step 3 – Generate a WordPress Products Feed
To submit products to Google Shopping, you need to first create a product feed XML file.
This feed contains all your product data in a structured format that Google can read and validate.
Some tips for creating a quality Google Shopping feed:
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Include complete product title, description, image, price, availability, etc.
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Optimize titles and descriptions for keywords to improve visibility.
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Only include products currently in stock and available for shipping.
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Remove any duplicate products from the feed before uploading.
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Use unique high quality images that meet Google‘s specifications.
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Keep your feed file size under 100MB as per Google‘s recommendations.
We‘ll use the popular ELEX Google Shopping plugin for WordPress to easily generate a product feed.
First, install and activate the ELEX Google Shopping plugin on your site.
Then go to Google Shopping Feed > Create Feed and map your products attributes:
Make sure to provide detailed information for each attribute like title, description, images, availability etc.
Under filtering options, you can configure product filters based on price, inventory etc.
Once done, click Generate Feed to create your products XML feed.
Now you have a structured Google Shopping-ready feed file with all your products data!
Step 4 – Submit Feed to Google Merchant Center
The final step is uploading your products feed from WordPress into your Google Merchant Center account.
Here are some best practices for submitting the feed:
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Only upload one primary feed at a time per website. Multiple feeds may lead to disapprovals.
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Use a descriptive name like "Product Feed from WordPress".
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Select the correct feed file type – Atom, RSS, Text or XML.
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Pick a preferred upload frequency based on how often your product catalog changes.
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Schedule feed uploads during low-traffic hours to minimize impact.
To upload, go to your Google Merchant Center and click Products > Feeds.
Click the + (plus) icon and select your website country, language, and feed upload method.
Give your feed a name like "Products Feed – WordPress XML".
Upload the XML feed file generated by the ELEX plugin on your WordPress site.
Click Create feed and Google will start processing your products.
It make take a few hours or days for Google to validate and approve your entire product catalog.
Be patient. As products get approved, they will start appearing in Google Shopping listings!
Optimizing Your Google Shopping Strategy
Listing your products in Google Shopping is just the first step. To maximize results, you need to optimize your Merchant Center feed and campaign.
Here are some expert tips:
Optimize Merchant Center Feed
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Refine titles and descriptions for keywords to improve visibility
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Add unique high-quality images for all products
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Correct any disapproved products and resubmit
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Continuously update feed with new products and inventory
Improve Shopping Campaigns
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Use all Google Shopping ad formats – Showcase, Standard, Smart
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Create granular ad groups around product attributes, categories, etc
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Enable bids at product group level for better control
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Adjust bids based on performance data in Merchant Center
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Create a promotion feed with sale prices for added visibility
Measure Performance
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Review impressions, clicks, CTR in Merchant Center for each product
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Analyze Google Analytics goals and Ecommerce dimensions
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Look at Shopping contributions to overall revenue and profits
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Compare Google Shopping metrics vs other sales channels
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Track cohorts to understand lifecycle value of these customers
By constantly optimizing your Google Shopping strategy, you can maximize the revenue potential and truly transform your ecommerce business.
Final Thoughts
Adding your WordPress and WooCommerce products into Google Shopping is a highly rewarding ecommerce growth strategy.
You gain instant exposure to millions of buyers right as they search for products on Google.
By following this comprehensive guide, you can effectively set up Google Shopping, submit your products feed from WordPress, and optimize for success.
The result can be a tremendous boost in high-intent traffic, conversions, and revenue.
I hope you found this guide useful! Let me know if you have any other questions on unlocking the power of Google Shopping for your WordPress ecommerce business.
