To advertise on Google Shopping, you need three things: a Google Merchant Center account, a feed with your products (name, price, photo, stock), and a store that meets Google’s policies, with visible pricing, shipping, and return policy. Once approved, your products can show up for free in the free listings and be featured in Shopping or Performance Max campaigns.
For online stores, Shopping tends to be the format that sells the most on Google, because people see the product, price, and store before clicking. Whoever clicks already knows how much it costs.
How Shopping works
Unlike a Search campaign, you don’t choose keywords. Google reads your feed and decides which searches each product is relevant to. That’s why the product title and description in your feed play the role that keywords play in Search.
Step by step
- Create your Merchant Center account. Our introduction to Merchant Center walks through sign-up and site verification.
- Verify and claim your store’s domain. This proves the site is yours.
- Set up shipping and returns. Google requires this information and disapproves products without it.
- Submit your feed. Platforms like Shopify, Nuvemshop, WooCommerce, and VTEX have direct integrations. You can also use a spreadsheet.
- Fix the disapprovals. The Merchant Center diagnostics page lists each problem product and the reason why.
- Link Merchant Center to Google Ads. This makes your products available for campaigns.
- Create the campaign. Standard Shopping if you want control, or Performance Max with your catalog if you already track conversions with value.
What gets products disapproved most often
- Feed price that doesn’t match the site price.
- Out-of-stock products marked as available.
- Photos with watermarks, promotional text, or collages.
- Missing return policy or contact information on the site.
- Missing GTIN (barcode) when the product has one.
How to improve your feed’s performance
- Title with what people search for. Brand, product type, model, color, and size, in that order of importance. “Men’s blue running shoes size 42” sells more than “Runner X Model”.
- Clean photo. Neutral background, full product shown, good resolution.
- Complete category and attributes. The more Google understands the product, the more relevant searches it can match.
- Competitive upfront price. Shopping is a side-by-side comparison. A product priced well above average gets clicks but doesn’t sell.
Standard Shopping or Performance Max
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Store just starting out, few conversions | Standard Shopping, with control over products and bids |
| Account with purchase conversion and value tracked | Performance Max with catalog |
| Large catalog with different margins | Split products by margin into separate campaigns |
Learn the difference between formats in Google Ads campaign types and the risks of automation in when to use Performance Max.
Measurement: the part that decides the result
Shopping only optimizes well if purchases are tracked with value. Without that, the campaign can’t tell a R$30 product from a R$900 one. Check whether your purchase tag sends the order value and whether it’s not counting the same sale twice. This is the kind of adjustment our conversion and CRM integration handles.
Frequently asked questions
Can you show up on Shopping without paying? Yes. The free listings show approved products at no cost, with less visibility than ads.
Do you need a full online store? You need a product page with a price and a way to buy. Google won’t accept a catalog without a purchase option.
Does a marketplace count as a store? To advertise on Shopping with your own domain, the product needs to be on your site. Marketplace sales follow each marketplace’s own rules.
Where to start if your store already runs ads? Our free Google Ads audit reviews your campaign, feed, and measurement setup.