For most online shops, the Google Ads campaigns that drive the most sales are Shopping and Performance Max, both powered by your product feed in Google Merchant Center. Search campaigns still have a role, but product ads with an image, price and shop name are usually the first thing shoppers see when they search for something to buy.
The quality of your product feed has a huge influence on results. Clear titles, accurate prices, good images and complete product details help Google show the right products to the right shoppers. Get the feed right, set up accurate conversion tracking with real order values, and choose a sensible campaign setup, and you give your ads the best chance of turning clicks into profitable sales.
The main Google Ads options for ecommerce
Standard Shopping campaigns
Shopping ads show a product image, title, price and your shop name, usually at the top of search results and on the Shopping tab. You do not choose keywords. Instead, Google matches searches to products using the information in your feed. Standard Shopping gives you good control: you can group products, set bids and budgets by group, and add negative keywords to block irrelevant searches.
Performance Max
Performance Max is an automated campaign type that can show your ads across Google’s channels, including Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps, from one campaign. You provide your product feed, creative assets such as images, videos and text, and audience signals, and Google’s automation decides where and when to show ads to hit your goal.
It can reach more shoppers than Shopping alone, but it offers less day-to-day control and less visibility of exactly where your money goes. We cover this in more detail in our post on Performance Max transparency.
Search campaigns
Text-based search campaigns with responsive search ads are still useful for ecommerce, especially for your brand name, category searches and high-value products where you want to control the message closely.
Shopping or Performance Max: which should you use?
There is no single right answer. It depends on your products, budget, margins and data.
- Standard Shopping often suits smaller budgets, new accounts and shops that want close control over which products and searches get spend.
- Performance Max often suits shops with reliable conversion tracking, enough sales data for the automation to learn from and good creative assets.
- Many shops use both, for example running Performance Max for the main range and Standard Shopping to control specific products, or testing one against the other.
Whatever you choose, judge it on profit, not just revenue. A campaign that brings in lots of low-margin sales may look good on paper while making little money.
Get your Merchant Center feed right
Your product feed is the foundation of Shopping and Performance Max. Small improvements here often have a bigger effect than any bid change.
Product titles
Titles are one of the most important parts of the feed. Put the most important information first and include what shoppers actually search for, such as brand, product type, key attributes like size, colour or material, and model number where relevant. “Men’s Waterproof Hiking Boots, Brown, Size 10” tells Google and shoppers far more than “Trailblazer Pro”.
Descriptions
Write clear, accurate descriptions that cover features, materials, uses and who the product is for. Avoid promotional text like “best price” or “free delivery” in the description itself.
Images
Use high-quality images that show the product clearly, ideally on a plain background for the main image. Avoid watermarks, borders and promotional text over the product. Additional images showing the product from other angles or in use can help.
Accurate details
- Make sure prices and stock levels match your website exactly, as mismatches can lead to disapprovals.
- Include unique product identifiers, such as GTINs (barcodes), brand and MPN, where they exist.
- Set accurate shipping costs and delivery times.
- Fill in optional attributes, such as colour, size, gender, age group and material, where they apply.
Custom labels
Custom labels let you tag products, for example by margin, best sellers, seasonal lines or clearance. You can then group and bid on products in a way that reflects their value to your business.
Keep an eye on diagnostics
Check Merchant Center regularly for disapproved products, warnings and policy issues. A product that is disapproved cannot show in your ads, so fixing these quickly protects sales.
Track sales accurately
Automated bidding is only as good as the data behind it. For ecommerce, that means tracking purchases with the real order value.
- Set up purchase conversion tracking that passes the actual basket value.
- Consider enhanced conversions to improve measurement accuracy.
- Link Google Ads and GA4 to see how shoppers behave on your site.
- Check that purchases are not counted twice, for example when a customer reloads the order confirmation page.
Once tracking is reliable, value-based bidding strategies such as Maximise conversion value or Target ROAS can focus spend on the products and searches that bring in the most revenue. Our conversion tracking service can help set this up properly.
Optimise for profit, not just clicks
- Segment products by margin and performance using custom labels, so your best products get the budget they deserve.
- Review search terms in Shopping campaigns and use the insights available in Performance Max to spot irrelevant traffic.
- Exclude products that are out of stock, unprofitable to advertise or consistently underperform.
- Use strong creative assets in Performance Max, including lifestyle images and short videos, rather than relying on product images alone.
- Improve your product pages with clear photos, honest reviews, delivery information and a quick checkout, as these affect how many clicks become sales.
FAQs
Do I need Google Merchant Center to run Shopping ads?
Yes. Shopping ads and product ads in Performance Max use the product data you submit to Merchant Center, which is then linked to your Google Ads account.
Is Performance Max better than Standard Shopping?
Not always. Performance Max can reach more shoppers across Google, but Standard Shopping offers more control. The right choice depends on your budget, data and goals, and many shops test both.
Why are my products disapproved?
Common reasons include price or availability mismatches between the feed and your website, missing product identifiers, image problems and policy issues. The Merchant Center diagnostics section shows the specific reason for each product.
Can I still use search ads for my online shop?
Yes. Search campaigns are useful for brand searches, category terms and high-value products, and work well alongside Shopping or Performance Max.
Grow your online sales with Google Ads
A clean product feed, accurate tracking and the right campaign setup give your shop the best chance of profitable growth. Pure Marketing is a Google Partner agency based in Birmingham, and we help online shops get more from Google Shopping and Performance Max. For more general tips, see our guide to optimising Google Ads for profit, or get in touch to talk about your shop.
