How to List Your WooCommerce Products on Google Shopping

When there is a rapid growth of online shopping, Google Shopping stands out among all the advertising channels. 

And did you know, from the entire ecommerce platform, around 76.4% retail searches only come from Google Shopping?

This is the reason every online business tries to crack the marketplace. But how many of them make such revenue that Google Shopping offers?

Unfortunately, the average conversion rate of Google Shopping is 1.91%, and the main reason behind it is the improper Google Shopping product listings. 

In fact, around 7% of all products submitted to Google Shopping are disapproved just for the wrong product listings.

While this may seem like a small percentage, it represents a significant number of missed sales and frustrated customers.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of effectively list your WooCommerce products for Google Shopping to achieve higher rankings. You’ll learn about both free and paid listings to ensure your products stand out in the competitive marketplace.

So, let’s dive in!

How Does Google Shopping Product Listing Work? 

Google Shopping is like a big mall inside Google, where you can search for stuff and see what’s available to buy. Imagine you’re looking for running shoes. 

When you search for them in Google Shopping, you’ll see lots of options from different stores, complete with pictures, prices, and ratings.

However, they’re not just randomly thrown together. Google puts the ones it thinks you’ll like the most at the top. 

Just like when you search for something on regular Google, the top results get most of the clicks. Studies even show that about 68.7% of clicks go to the top 3 results!

Now, the question is, What does Google consider while placing your products on top?

This is where having your products listed well comes in. If your products aren’t listed properly on Google Shopping, they might not even show up, no matter how great they are. That’s why Google shopping ads sometimes called as product listing ads.

But if you do it right, your products have a better chance of being seen and clicked on.

Believe it or not, just making your product listings better can make them show up on Google a whole lot more, like 36% more! 

So if you’re running a WooCommerce store, it’s super important to know how to list your products on Google Shopping the right way.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to do it. I’ll walk you through the whole process step by step, and even give you some extra tips and warnings to help you out. Let’s make sure your products stand out on Google Shopping!

Let’s see how Google shopping product listings work using an example. 

What information shows up on Google Shopping depends on what you give them for your WooCommerce product listing.

You can also pay for ads for your products. These ads show up at the top of the search results and across Google’s network of websites.

So, whether it’s free listings or paid ads, Google Shopping can help get your products noticed by lots of people.

But, how to get your products listed on Google Shopping? 

Let’s check out the process.

How to list products on google shopping (Free and Paid)

Google Shopping offers two main ways to list your WooCommerce products: 

1. Free product listing (Organic Listing)
2. Paid product listing (Google Ads)

Free product listing: These are free organic listings that show up naturally in search results. You don’t have to pay anything for them. They rank based on search engine optimization and user intent.

Paid Product Listings: With paid listings, you’ve to pay for your products to appear prominently in the shopping ad section of google shopping product listing ads. You bid and your products show up when users search for those terms. These listings are marked with a “Sponsored” indicator.

Both Google Shopping product type listings are valuable for increasing visibility and driving traffic to your online store. 

Let’s make it more clear for you with an example of “organic deodorant.”

Now, let’s dive into the steps for listing your products for Google Shopping.

1. Set up Google Shopping feed for WooCommerce

To start listing your WooCommerce products on Google Shopping, you need to set up a product feed that meets Google’s requirements. This ensures your products show up correctly in search results. 

You can find Google’s official product feed format specifications in the Google Merchant Center Help Center.

There are two main ways to set up your products on Google Shopping: 

1. Manually or 
2. Using a plugin. 

Manually adding products can be time-consuming and prone to errors, so using a plugin is usually recommended.

One popular plugin for WooCommerce product listing on Google Shopping is the WooCommerce Google Shopping Product Feed Plugin, “CTX Feed.”

Many Woocommerce experts recommend the CTX Feed plugin to generate the best optimized product feed. 

But why?

• This plugin automatically sets up all the necessary fields for Google Shopping in seconds.
• Reduces the chance of missing required data and getting rejected from Google Shopping. 
• Additionally, you can add custom fields for extra features.
• Offers optimizations features like Title, description for your products.

The best part? 

This freemium plugin also supports over 130+ channels, including Facebook and Instagram, ensuring your product feed is optimized for various advertising platforms.

Again, a reputed wordpress plugin development company webappick has launched this plugin, so don’t worry about any technical issues. You’ll get dedicated support from the official site.

Now, let’s get into the steps to add your products to Google Shopping using the CTX Feed plugin.

Free Setting up Google Shopping feed with CTX-Feed:

To set up your Google Shopping feed using CTX Feed, go through the following steps:

Sep 1: Install and Activate CTX Feed: Go to your site’s dashboard, click on Plugins > Add New Plugin. Search for “CTX Feed” and install it. Once installed, activate it.

Step 2: Access CTX Feed Settings: You’ll find the plugin in the left panel of your dashboard. Click on CTX Feed > Make Feed.

Step 3: Adjust Settings: Choose your country and select “Google Shopping” from the template dropdown. Set the file name and choose the file type (like CSV or XML).

Step 4: Include Variants: Decide if you want to include product variants. For example, if you want to show the cheap options of your store, select “Cheapest Variation” to highlight low-priced products.

Step 5: Customize Attributes: You can add or remove attributes by clicking the “+” or “-” icons.

Step 6: Generate Feed: Click “Update And Generate Feed” to create your Google Shopping product feed.

Well, your feed is ready! While CTX Feed optimizes it for you, additional tweaks may be needed for higher rankings on Google ads. We’ll discuss this next.

2. Optimizing Product Data  Feed for Google Shopping

Though CTX Feed makes an error-free optimized product feed for your WooCommerce products,. But, still, you have to do some technical optimization to improve your rank.

1. Ensure all product information is accurate and up to date: Check product names, descriptions, prices, and images for errors or inconsistencies.

2. Use relevant keywords and attributes for better searchability: Include keywords in titles and descriptions to improve organic ranking.

3. Prioritize high-quality product images: Grab customers’ attention with clear and appealing images.

4. Optimize image size: Balance image quality and size to enhance the user experience and search engine visibility.

3. Sign up a Free Google Merchant Center account

Now, you’ve the most optimized product feed for Google Shopping. However, 

How does Google Shopping find your feed and show it to your audience? 

Well, it’s uploading your feed in the Google Marchent Center. But, before uploading it, you have to first create a Google Merchant Center account for free. 

Step 1: Create a Google Merchant Center Account

Start by visiting the Google Merchant Center website—now known as Google Merchant Center Next.

If you’re new to the platform, click “Sign up for free.” If you already have an account, simply click “Sign in.”

Tip:

Google Merchant Center Next is an updated version with a simpler, more user-friendly interface and additional features. It’s expected to be fully available in the first half of 2024, so keep an eye out for it.

Note: 

You’ll need a valid email account for this process, so make sure you have one ready.

Step 2: Enter Business Information

Next, you’ll provide important details such as:

• Business name
• Country
• Contact information
• E-commerce tools
• Local time zone

Once you’ve filled these out, agree to Google Merchant Center Next’s Terms of Service and click ‘Create Account’ to proceed.

Step 3: Verify Your Website Ownership: 

Google requires you to verify ownership of your website. This sounds complicated, but it’s not! 

There are five different verification methods to choose from, including getting a code sent to your business email or using Google Analytics.

Here, I always recommend choosing the e-commerce platform method. Again, you can choose any that seems easy for you.

That’s it! Once you’ve signed up and verified your website, you’re all set. Let’s move on to the next step.

Step 4: Provide Shipping Information

After verifying your business and website, you’ll need to provide shipping information to complete your account setup. Here’s what you’ll need:

Countries: Select your preferred shipping destinations.

Products: Choose whether all or specific products share shipping costs.

Delivery Times: Provide delivery details and select a delivery partner if needed.

Shipping Costs: Choose your preferred currency and method for shipping—options encompass Free Shipping, Paid Shipping, or Free Shipping on orders exceeding a specified threshold.

Note:

If you’re a WooCommerce store owner, check out our guide on Setting Up WooCommerce Free Shipping for more details.

Step 5: Set Up Tax Information

Now, let’s set up your sales tax.

Google will suggest a tax setup based on your business location. You can either allow Google to automatically calculate sales tax or configure it manually. You’ll also need to decide if shipping and handling charges should be taxable.

That’s it! You should now have a fully set up Google Merchant Center account for your WooCommerce store. 

Now, let’s move on to uploading your feed to GMC.

4. Upload your feed to Google Merchant Center (GMC)

Now, you need to upload your feed to Google Merchant Center (GMC). GMC offers different ways to upload your products, but the easiest and most hassle-free method is to “Add products from a file.” 

This method requires only the URL of your feed file. 

To get the feed URL, go to the CTX Feed plugin on your site, select “Manage Feeds,” and copy the URL of your generated feed for Google Shopping. 

Then, go back to Google Merchant Center and paste the feed URL into the “Enter a link to your file” section. GMC will include the file in its database and review it. 

If you continuously update your products, you can schedule GMC to check your feed for updates at intervals you choose, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.

5.  Link Google Ads with GMC 

After uploading your feed file to Google Merchant Center Next (GMC), you need to link your GMC with Google Ads to make Google Shopping aware of your products. This ensures your products show up in Google Ads.

Here’s how to do it quickly:

• In GMC, click on “Ad campaigns” on the right panel.

• Hit the “Link” button to connect to Google Ads.

• On the next page, link to your Google Ads account.

Once your account is successfully linked, your WooCommerce products will be listed on Google Shopping. To make the free listing available, proceed to the final step.

6. Google Shopping Product Listing (Free)

Once you like Google Ads to GMC Next, it’s time to do the listing. For free listing, simply go to the Google Merchant Center Next and hit on the Free Listing option.

Now, go to the left panel and click on Products >> Feeds and here you’ll find all your products available for free listing.

7. Google Shopping Product Listing (Paid)

While free listings can significantly impact your online business, you might wonder why you should pay for Google Shopping product listing ads when free listings are available. 

The answer lies in the scale and sales potential. For many clients, free listings account for only 1-3% of the total sales generated by paid shopping ads. 

To set up paid Google Shopping ads, go to Google Ads and create a new campaign. Enter your site name and proceed by clicking “Next.” 

On the following page, select the goal “Get more website sales or leads” to focus on increasing sales. Then, choose “Shopping” as your campaign type, which is ideal for WooCommerce stores. 

Google Shopping product category lists prioritize specific categories to target the right audience. So, select the most appropriate options for your products and set a competitive bid. 

This setup will help you run effective paid Google shopping ads, potentially boosting your sales significantly.

Best practices to list Woocommerce products on Google Shopping

To showcase your WooCommerce products on Google SHopping more effectively, there’re a few best practices to make sure your products get noticed by the right audience. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Optimize product titles and descriptions

The very first thing that your customer notices while searching for products is the title. So, make sure your product titles are clear and keyword-rich but not stuffed with unnecessary terms. 

In the descriptions, highlight the key features and benefits while keeping it concise and engaging.

2. Ensure High-Quality Images

Google Shopping is visually driven, so having high-quality product images is crucial. So, use clear, well-lit images that show your products from different angles. 

In fact, always make sure they meet Google’s requirements, like proper image size and no promotional overlays.

3. Set Competitive Pricing

Google Shopping is mainly a price comparison platform. It compares products from different sellers and keeps updating the product ranking.

So, if you set a little competitive pricing for your products, it can make a big difference. In fact, you may consider offering discounts or free shipping to stand out from other competitors.

5. Utilize Product Categories

Always assign your products to the most specific Google product categories. This ensures your items appear in the right searches and reach the right shoppers.

If you follow the practices, you’ll eventually increase your chances of success on Google Shopping and drive more sales to your WooCommerce store.

Conclusion:

Whether it’s free or paid Google Shopping product listing, you’ve to properly input all the information of your products. And to ensure this, the manual method really lacks behind. Again, as the Free CTX Feed plugin gives you 100% error free and optimized product feed within seconds, there is absolutely no reason to go for any manual hassle. So, set up your Google Shopping feed in the most optimized way to stand out from thousands of stores.