Instant purchases that can be made within minutes with just a gadget in hand are hardly new. In recent years, we have seen the incredible growth of e-commerce. If your product doesn’t show up on the search engines, you’re missing out on the majority of your potential customers .

However, it is not necessary to strive to cover all competencies on your own. You can become a client of the Google Merchant Center, a platform with tools that allow businesses to:

• Create smart ads for Google, Google Images and YouTube;
• Find clients all over the world;
• Use analytics and find people who are already looking for your products.

Here we’ll cover the basics of getting started with the Google Merchant Centre to get your products and services online and easily accessible to potential customers.

Who is Google Merch for?

Google Merchant is ideal for retailers.

If you sell your products anywhere on the Internet or in stationary stores, with the help of this service you will be able to attract more buyers.

This is true for the service sector as well. If you are engaged in the provision of certain services on the Internet or in offices, by advertising your offers, you will be able to increase the flow of customers who find the product on Google.

Setting up a Google Merchant account

Setting up a Google Merchant account is quite simple. These are just four steps, after passing which you will have your own account.

Step 1

Go to the Google Merchant Centre registration form. Enter the required information about your company, including what country it is based in, its name, and time zone. When finished, click Continue.

Step 2

On the next page, read the terms, accept them if you agree, and click Continue.

Step 3

Claim and verify your website.

Step 4

Select promotion programs.

• Free on Google platforms;
• Paid in shopping ads.

Step 5

Read the information, confirm that everything is correct and click Create an account.

Google Merchant Center Tools

You will use Google Ads and Analytics , not Google Merchant Center, to manage your ad bidding strategy, create ad campaigns, and track their performance .

Why then Google Merchant Center? Essentially, it will help you do three things:

• Tell Google that you have products to sell;
• Provide Google with information to create targeted ads for your products;
• Provide Google with the information necessary for the search engine to show your products and services to users from the most relevant audience.

Let’s dive into how to set up an account to ensure that all three tasks are completed.

To make sure Google has all the information it needs to find your products, create targeted ads, and show your products to the right people, it’s important to upload your full product catalog to the Google Merchant Center.

Luckily, the service allows you to upload products and services directly from your own pre-designed Google Spreadsheet template, making it incredibly easy.

Feeds

To upload product inventory, follow these steps:

Step 1

Go to the “Add Products” section and select “ADD 1 product at a time “. or you can ad multiple.

Step 2

Enter basic information, including the country in which the products are sold and the language. This will help Google ensure that the product fits the right demographic, both in terms of language and currency. Then click Continue.

Step 3

Select a channel and input method. For example, Google Sheets. Then click Continue.

Step 4

If you decide to download a Google Spreadsheet, you can choose an existing one or use a template from Merchant.

To use a pre-made template, select “Create a New Google Spreadsheet”. You also have the option to choose a download schedule, i.e. daily or weekly, depending on how often you update the product line.

Step 5

In the spreadsheet, fill in the required columns, including “id”, “name”, “description”, “link”, “state”, “price”, “availability”, “image link”, “gtin”, “code manufacturer”, “brand”, “google product category” to ensure products are properly advertised.

Step 6

When you’re done and ready to import, go to Add-ons, Google Merchant Center, and then Upload Sheet.

If you’re not sure what any of these columns mean, such as “id” or “gtin”, see Google Help .

It is important to note that you are populating the page with exactly the data that will be displayed when a user clicks on your product in Google Shopping. Therefore, it is important that the information be specific and accurate. Make sure that the information exactly matches the data on the site.