Google Ads Google Shopping Campaigns in 2023 with Nick Trueman (episode 132)
by April Buencamino-dyNick Trueman is the founder of Spec Digital, and host of the Winning with Shopify Podcast. He’s also a true Google Ads geek!
Nick is sharing exactly what’s happening on Google Shopping Campaigns – and what you need to know to make them work for you this year. Including Performance Max, Standard Shopping Campaigns, SmartShopping, and much more.
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Types of Google Shopping Campaigns
Nick says you should try Google Shopping Campaigns if you’re not yet using it because it’s one of the best converting channels there is.
There are three types of Google Shopping Campaigns, and Nick explains each one:
- Standard Shopping Campaigns: This is the first campaign released by Google. Because it’s standard, a lot of manual work has to be done. It’s good, but it isn’t great, so it might not be worth running for your business.
- Smart Shopping Campaigns: Nick says Smart Shopping was brilliant because when you give it your feed, which is a spreadsheet of all your products, it will work for you and deliver what you need. It also extended your reach with Gmail, Display, and YouTube. However, this has been upgraded to the next type, and you will no longer be able to create new Smart Shopping campaigns.
- Performance Max: Performance Max uses every network under Google’s disposal. You don’t have to be an eCommerce company to use it, but Nick mentions that this type of campaign works best if you have a shopping feed. This is also the shopping campaign you need to be on this 2023.
Maximising Performance Max
Nick gives us three key things we need to know for a successful Performance Max campaign:
- Feed: You need a product feed that comes out of your website, and Nick recommends using a feed optimisation tool to get all of your product information to Google. The rule with the feed is to try and fill out every single box for every product you have, which is why a tool will help. It’s also important to utilize GTINs because this allows you to gain more traction.
*Listen to episode 057 for more on GTINs and how critical they are for your products
- Asset Groups: Nick’s tip is to create a blank asset group and test it against non-blank asset groups. If it’s blank, it won’t be able to run on some channels, and these channels can actually be unprofitable. With this strategy, you will appear in front of customers who are already interested in your products.
- Audience Signal: Audience signals allow you to add audiences relevant to your business and this will influence your automation. Nick suggests adding audience signals that pertain to your existing customers so that Google will find more of them for you.
Insider Tips
If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with Google Ads – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?
You won’t be able to run shopping campaigns or Performance Max without feeds, so find someone to help you make your feeds.
On tools, because there are plenty out there, test several ones first before deciding on something.
Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve Google Ads performance?
Use the Insights page to find out which keywords are trending and what else is working for you. When you have enough data, you’ll get what’s called “affinity audiences,” which you can use for your audience signals and improve your campaigns.
With the data you get, you can also optimise your campaign structures. The key thing is to keep looking at the data to find out what’s working best. so you can do more of that.
If someone listening wants to learn more about Google Ads is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?
Nick recommends Solutions 8 on YouTube, but also adds that it’s best to look at lots of different resources and see which ones are going to work for you.
Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in Google Ads?
It’s hard to predict anything, but Nick says Shopify’s market share is going to continue growing and that a lot’s going to change on a platform level.
Interview Links
Nick on Social media:
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