Woocommerce on WordPress is one of the easiest ways to create a fully flexible e-commerce store. With over 40% of websites on the web built on WordPress, it is not surprising that Woocommerce is so popular. Woocommerce is a plugin and has numerous extensions available to increase the functionality of your Woocommerce e-commerce website.
Planning to Advertising with Google Shopping Ads Across Dallas, Fort Worth or Texas?
If you want to advertise on Google Shopping Ads you will need to organize a few things. You will need a Merchant Account, a Google Ads that you must verify, and you will need a Google Shopping Feed. Google's requirements are constantly changing, so it is recommended you choose a flexible extension to create your Google Shopping Feed. As you add or remove products from your Google Shopping Feed, a feed that is connected to your Merchant Account will automatically update. If you change products regularly, it is recommended that you update your Google Shopping Feed daily.
Remember, you can always target your location by distance radius or by zip code, so you have complete control over who will see your Google Shopping Ads. If you only deliver to your products to clients across Dallas and Fort Worth, set a radius that covers the geographical zone appropriately.
If you have any errors, such as images with logos, Merchant Center will notify you which products need fixing. Here is a look at setting up:
Setting Up Your Google Feed for Woocommerce
The Google Shopping Feed plugin is the official Woocommerce plugin for setting up your Google Shopping Feed. There are also a numerous other plugins that offer very similar features.
Step 1: Installing the Google Shopping Feed Plugin
You can search through your dashboard on WordPress or download the Google Shopping Feed plugin directly from the Woocommerce website. After locating the plugin, install and activate the Google Product Feed plugin. Next, goo to the "Plugins" section in the WordPress dashboard, click "Add New", search for "Google Product Feed", and click "Install Now". Once it's installed, click "Activate".
Step 2: Setting Up Your Merchant Account
Without a Google Merchant Account you cannot connect your Google Shopping Feed and Your Google Shopping Ads. When opening a Merchant Account, you will have to verify your business details and other information. Most of this is designed to ensure you are selling legal and approved products for Google. As the owner of the account, you will need to do this yourself.
Step 3: Setting Up Your Google Feed in Woocommerce
To configure the plugin settings, you will need to go to the "Google Product Feed" section in the WordPress dashboard. Head to the click "Settings", and fill out the required information, such as your Google Merchant Center account ID, your country, and your currency.
The next phase is to configure your product data. To configure you product data you will need to go to the "Google Product Feed" section in the WordPress dashboard. Select the "Set-up" button and choose the fields you want to include in your feed, such as product title, description, price, and image. These are the absolute minimum required. You may need to add more attributes such as shipping fees, free shipping, weight, and dimensions, among others. Add as much detail as you can.
Once you have completed selecting your products, it is time to generate and upload the feed to Google Merchant Center. To do that, you will need to to the "Google Product Feed" section in the WordPress dashboard, select "Feed Management", and click "Generate Feed". Once you have generated your feed, it is time to download the file and upload it into your approved Merchant Center Account. If can take some time to generate and approve your feed inside the Google Merchant Center, so be patient. Also note, there are two types of feeds, feeds that need to be replaced and feeds that connected permanently, and allow for automatic updating; the latter is the feed type you want to choose.
Step 4: Creating Your Google Ads Account
The Merchant Center is where you manage your Google Shopping products. Google Ads is where you create the advertising campaigns. Once your Google Shopping Feed has been approved, connect your Google Ads account to your Merchant Center. It also pays to connect your Google Ads account to your Google Analytics account (and not the other way around) and also connect your Search Console account. All of these accounts gives Google a better idea of your website and gives you information on how your customers find your website and how they behave on your website. Many people think Google Analytics is complicated but the standard settings are more than sufficient except for enterprise accounts.
The next step is to create a Google Shopping Ads campaign. This is pretty easy by choosing to setup a new campaign. You will be given the option to choose Shopping Ads. The next step is to set your budget, your target area, your timing, and your budget.
By the time you have set up your Google Shopping Ads and have connected your Merchant Account you should see that your Google Shopping Feed has been approved and your shopping ads will start displaying.
Professional Advice
Whenever starting any Google Ads campaigns, we recommend that you only use a small portion of your proposed monthly budget. You can learn a lot from a small spend and make changes accordingly before you start spending your complete budget. It is also good to have a yearly budget so that you can change your monthly spending depending on seasonality and promotional activities.
Google Shopping Ads can get frustrating at times as Google forces new attributes that are required for your feed. This is why it is important to select a Google Shopping Feed plugin that updates regularly to keep in line with Google's requirements. Also, a big reason why Google Shopping Ads get rejected is because the images contain logos; avoid this with images that only contain the product and have a white background. This is the best way to display images on your Woocommerce.
If you are looking for help with Google Ads and/or Google Shopping Ads, we have years of experience building, setting up, and maintaining Woocommerce websites for clients across Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas, and the nation. If you would like an no-obligation quote, get in touch with us now at Lynx Search Marketing.
