Google Merchant Center.... where to start?

[MariaV]

I just find Google's site baffling...

Can anyone here shed some light on getting the best out of the Merchant Center. I understand the basic concept (I think)

Create CSV from Actinic
Upload to Google

I notice Mole end to a widget to simplify the file generation.

My questions are:

I have 3 sites, yet the merchant center seems to only allow 1 website. Yet I have 3 sites listed in my webmaster tools.

I understood it was free.... is this still the case? The merchant center is asking me to set up a product listings ad campaign... but is this for US targeted feeds only?

Some basics would be very helpful.

EDIT... just found the multi client option.
jeez.... how difficult to Google have to make things. I have to Google Google to find out the info I needed. There's absolutely nothing in the Merchant Center to say you can have multiple sites under one account.

[prsweeney]

It is no longer free, however the quality of the clicks you are paying for is pretty darn high.
This new Product Search was considered all doom and gloom, and we have had nothing but success with it. Our spend on Product Ads is less considerably less than regular Adwords, yet it seems to target much more engaged buyers.

[RoofingWarehous]

Its creating the CSV/Google feed that has always put me off. From what I hear its extremely anal and time consuming.

I even offered to pay mole end to create mine, but they turnt it down...

[prsweeney]

It can be a real massive pain to get it up and running; however the test feed will say thing won't pass, but when you submit the real feed, some might fail but most probably won't.

If you currently use regular Adwords, if you're situation is anything like ours, you will see an increase in higher quality traffic compared to the usual Adwords. People moaned about the switch to paid inclusion, but it has raised our traffic considerably compared to spending the same amount on normal Adwords.

[MariaV]

It can be a real massive pain to get it up and running; however the test feed will say thing won't pass, but when you submit the real feed, some might fail but most probably won't.

If you currently use regular Adwords, if you're situation is anything like ours, you will see an increase in higher quality traffic compared to the usual Adwords. People moaned about the switch to paid inclusion, but it has raised our traffic considerably compared to spending the same amount on normal Adwords.

Does the plug-in that Mole End produce do the job successfully? We do some Adwords at the moment and seem to get a good position with outpaying too much.

What's the difference between the new image driven ads that appear in the side bar and those results that appear under 'Shopping results'? Are these both paid listings?

And does the upload allow for stock levels ie not displaying ads for products that are out of stock (presumably only at time the feed was uploaded)

[MariaV]

Right... almost there I think. Data created and uploaded into the Merchant Center. Content checked and verified by Google.

So now what? I thought this is now a paid for service.... so how do I create and get ads to show. The 'create ads' button doesn't seem to work... I'm wondering if it's because I have UK set. yet in Google's own notes it says this new PPC is available in the UK.

So where am I going wrong?

[Jan]

Our plugin will create the correctly formatted feed but you may need to add additional data to your Actinic products - a manufacturers parts number for example.

Regards,

[MariaV]

Our plugin will create the correctly formatted feed but you may need to add additional data to your Actinic products - a manufacturers parts number for example.

Regards,

Thanks Jan

I've added EAN and Google category to everything... even managed to work out how to generate categories automatically from Actinic using variables. There's no MPN details available for my products but these seems to be recommended rather than necessary.

But i just can't figure how I go about creating the ads....

[Jan]

Hi Maria,

If you have EAN you won't need MPN.

Cheers,

[prsweeney]

Yeah, Jan's software is a lifesaver. Even if you have a well formatted feed, their software makes it easy to adjust it and ensure you are getting the right data in there.

You need to create a new AdWords campaign inside Google Merchant Center....there should be an Adwords tab on the left side. You don't have to actually go into Adwords, but you can adjust it from there. Don't hesitate to contact Merchant Center help, they really helped me sort it out.

It really is a pain to set up but just stick with it and you will figure it out. It also does take a few days (at least) for them to approve your products before you can run ads.

[MariaV]

Yeah, Jan's software is a lifesaver. Even if you have a well formatted feed, their software makes it easy to adjust it and ensure you are getting the right data in there.

You need to create a new AdWords campaign inside Google Merchant Center....there should be an Adwords tab on the left side. You don't have to actually go into Adwords, but you can adjust it from there. Don't hesitate to contact Merchant Center help, they really helped me sort it out.

It really is a pain to set up but just stick with it and you will figure it out. It also does take a few days (at least) for them to approve your products before you can run ads.

Ah right... that's probably it then. Only created and uploaded the feed today. Better late than never I guess.

[MariaV]

Our plugin will create the correctly formatted feed but you may need to add additional data to your Actinic products - a manufacturers parts number for example.

Regards,

Hi Jan

Almost there (I think). I've uploaded my feed and it was accepted by Google, I created a new campaign in adwords, but then my campaign was disproved.

One thing I've noticed is that the image links are not working. This is the link that's been output via the feed: http://www.amusica.co.uk/acatalog/Ki...&-Thre.jpg

This is what I see when I open the file on Notepad.

The link should be: http://www.amusica.co.uk/acatalog/Ki...wos-&-Thre.jpg

However... if I open the file in Excel, the link that appears in Excel works just fine

Even the image links without an '&' in them are not showing in the google product page - the one one where you can view the products you have uploaded. All my images are showing as missing.

[Jan]

Have you got a link into google shopping with a failing item without a link and details of what the image link is in google - best to check that out first and then see if the encoded & is causing an additional problem.

Regards,

[MariaV]

Have you got a link into google shopping with a failing item without a link and details of what the image link is in google - best to check that out first and then see if the encoded & is causing an additional problem.

Regards,

Hi Jan

Here's the google image link (sample anyway)

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pub...e9fWtPemgiocig

The ads have been disproved, as a failed image is a policy violation. So there is nothing showing anywhere in Google shopping I guess.

When I used your plug-in I opened the XML file in notepad and then saved it to my PC. I then manually uploaded the file to Google.

[Jan]

If you contact mole end support, we can look into it for you, send a copy of the feed file with the ticket. You can create a ticket here :

http://moleend.helpserve.com/index.php?/default

A screen shot of the error message would also be useful.

Regards,