Changes to AdWords: Google Showcase Shopping Ads
A Different Look for Shopping Ads
Google have unveiled a new ad and landing page format for retailers to show users more products. For years, advertisers felt they did not maintain enough control over which of their products displayed in Google Shopping search results. This change attempts to alleviate those concerns by featuring a broader product mix for single searches.
The product-centric approach remains as images and prices are still featured in the search results. Showcase ads feature one large image and two smaller images of related products on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). All images are related to the search query, and are designed to appear mainly for broad and nonbranded searches. Once a user clicks on the ad, they do not land on the product display page but instead on a Google landing page featuring all the products listed in an advertiser feed relevant to the search.
How Are Advertisers Charged?
Showcase ads use a mix of cost per engagement (CPE) and cost per click (CPC).
Specifically, advertisers are charged when someone expands the Showcase Shopping ad, and spends 10 seconds within the ad or clicks a product or link in the expanded ad before then.
Why This is Important
Broad product searches are common, and usually mean a user has not decided what or where to buy. Showcase Shopping ads will help accelerate the decision to purchase by getting more product information to potential customers based on a single search query.
Advertisers have more flexibility with the new ad format and can choose any set of products they want to feature for one ad. If you have large product categories, you can feature hundreds of relevant products with Showcase Shopping ads, or you can use lifestyle images to represent the brand, or a combination of both.
Needs for Implementation
Showcase Shopping ads use the same product feed requirements for standard product ads. So, if you already use Google Shopping, no new feed changes are required. To create a Showcase Shopping ad, you’ll need an image, links, and text.
To-Do
- Upload a 1:1 logo to feature in ads
- Upload an image header representing your product or brand
- Choose a header image that represents all of the products you target with your ad – it may be the first thing users see and will influence click-through rate
Requirements for Logo
- SVG (strongly recommended) or PNG file type: Images must be either an SVG or PNG file
- For SVG files, submit a logo using the height and width attributes of 2:1 or 1:1
- If an SVG logo image file isn’t available, you may submit a PNG file that’s at least 500×500 pixels for 1:1 logos and 1000×500 pixels for 2:1 logos
- Image files can’t be larger than 5MB or wider than 2000 pixels on any side
Requirements for Header Image
- Dimensions: 1080 x 566 px
- Space aspects: 82 px from the top and bottom edge
- JPG or PNG
- 10 MB max
- No text
IMAGE SOURCE: Commerce Hub
