Image Optimization for Google shopping
Getting Google’s attention is the primary thing that every online business owner craves. For that, you need to do image optimization for your website, work on the bounce rate, check the Meta tags, descriptions, manage the page rankings, and much more. There is a lot to do if you want to grab the attention of this giant search engine i.e. Google. Owning an eCommerce portal is what everyone can do but fulfilling the requirements of Google is not everyone’s cup of tea. To come to the notice, the product images on the site must be optimized other than these above-mentioned activities. Would you like to get rolled out by Google with time? Of course, not! However, to stay ahead of the competition, follow these steps and optimization the product images properly which never goes unnoticed.
Since your competitors are always ahead of you, never underestimate them and buck up with your Image optimization strategy. So what can you do? Well, go for paid Google shopping advertisements to immediately get the desired attention.
Product image optimization
Google shopping is fun and to take things ahead, place the products you want to sell in the product feed in the category pages. This way, the viewers find it easy to narrow down their choices and get everything in detail. When you are placing the products in Google, it gives you the option to get in the top results. Google never wants to spam you out so to avail of its services, you should display the products according to how it asks you to.
Here are Google’s image optimization guidelines which you definitely should follow for best results.
- Never write text on the product images
- 250×250 pixels is the recommended size of each image
- Logos, symbols, or watermarks on the images should be avoided
- Simple images are recommended without any borders
- Avoid dark backgrounds
These are a few indicators every online business owner should follow to stay aloft the competition. Not only will it bring more visitors, but also drive more sales to help you earn better revenues. Failing to comply with these rules might push you out of the internet. Once you have clicked the images, it’s time to edit them in the processing phase after following the guidelines. Google is smart and one can never cheat it in any sense. Quality is the major benchmark set by Google so make sure not to serve bad images.
Improve Image Quality
- Make the product Image against a white background
- Put special emphasis on lighting to offer a clear view to the viewers
- Add the zoom-in view of the products as it leads to better sales
- Scaling is important so cover 85% of the frame with the product itself
- Avoid noisy, blurry, and hazy pictures as it leaves a bad impact on the viewers
To get Google’s attention, product images hold a significant place as it also helps in boosting your sales. In order to earn good revenues, product images should be correctly aligned, cropped, and adjusted according to the website’s design.
Google Merchant Account
Google merchant account is a place where product data is uploaded after creating your account. This account is helpful for shopping campaigns that further drive sales. Since thousands of users visit your website with Google location-based technology, it becomes easy to bring more sales.
Optimize Google Data Feed
Google needs the product information which is called Data Feed. Basically, this is the basic information of the product which is mandatory to upload while submitting the product.
Submitting the information i.e. title, description, product category, image link, price, availability date, conditions, sale price, ID, and mobile link, etc. is essential. Plus, you can also add size, gender, or extra information, if required. Add as much information as you can because Google and viewers want to know everything in detail.
Add Data Feed
Now when you are all set to get listed, add data feed. For that, press the Data Feed button once you are done with image optimizing. Always make sure to add the items which are in stock as Google only displays those products and not the out-of-stock items.
When you add data feeds, use test mode as it helps in removing all the wrong information you might have provided. Being descriptive while adding feeds is beneficial as it organizes the data well and also there is an option to add new products and target countries as well in the feed type option. In whichever country you want to sell your products, set that country as the target country.
Input Method
Maintaining your listings is possible with Google as it offers an input method. Keep a record in the Google sheets of your listings added in Google. Other than that, regular uploads and scheduled fetches are there to give proper access.
Feed Setup
Depending on the type of input method, you can organize the information. If in case, you have created scheduled fetches, it is important to add a name, URL, frequency, fetch time, password, and other information to protect the data.
You can see the information on the Feeds page now.
Shopping Campaigns
Adwords is quite an important feature of Google using which one can set the most searched and low competition keywords. Adwords requires you to set a bid for few search terms and when you set the advertisement, you will be charged when someone clicks on your ad. You should definitely create an account if you don’t have any. Shopping campaigns are automatically created when you create an Adwords account. Ad management is properly done with an Adwords account.
Now is the time to link Google merchant and Adwords account before you set up any campaign. For that:
- Open the merchant account
- Click on Adwords in the left menu
- Press link button
Time to Create Shopping Campaign
Let’s do it! Create a shopping campaign, specify the target customers, and add the money to create an ad campaign. Shopping campaigns have amazing benefits, check out here:
- Product photos are visually appealing and they leave a good impact on the minds of viewers. It also draws the attention of customers and paid campaigns to increase the chances of sales
- Since all the information is added for every product in the ad, selling chances are better
- One ad is displayed for one search and there is no chance that an irrelevant product is shown to the user
It totally depends on you whether you want to use an Adwords account or a merchant account. For your information, it would be great if you make the basic settings in the merchant account and add shopping campaigns to the Adwords account. Things are seamless when both the accounts are differently managed to organize the whole structure. Since a merchant account only gives you access to work on basic parameters, creating campaigns is better to manage in an AdWords account. To create ad campaigns:
Go to Campaigns>+Campaign and select shopping from the pull-out menu. Next, to make the ad appear on Google maps or YouTube, push it for Google search partners.
Talking next, there is an option to create ad groups in order to separate the categories. For example, if you own a footwear eCommerce store, you can make subcategories like sports shoes, sneakers, flats, ballerinas, heels, stilettos, men’s shoes, kids’ shoes, flip flops, and much more, etc.
Be up-to-date
Stay updated with Google because Google likes up-to-date web pages. As the robots crawl the pages regularly, it is essential to make the web pages synchronized. Keep the workflow organized whole keeping a check on the data feed. Google continuously checks what you are doing so don’t try to fool it. Don’t act over smart or else you will be punished.
Getting results might take some time but being honest will drive good results sooner or later. Add as many products as you want in Google shopping but only the quality and in-stock products.
Check the reporting tool as it will help to fetch the data from your own website for Google to analyze. People follow you when you have something unique to offer with exceptional strategies. Be exceptional if you want everyone to notice you.
That’s all! Google shopping is a fun experience for everyone if you make it so. Never go out of focus when it comes to designing beautiful product images. Make sure to do it properly if you want to see your business growing by leaps and bounds. Once Google starts noticing you, it will be much easier to drive more sales but with the help of effective images.
Simply optimize the product images and you are all set to rock. This tutorial will definitely help you in making the whole process a lot easier than you ever think. Do whatever you want to do to m make your online website look absolutely stunning and gorgeous. It takes your efforts, time, and money, after all, it is your website. Happy image optimization!
