Shopping ads
This domain tests Merchant Center product data and Shopping campaign structure. Expect questions on required feed attributes, title quality, product groups, priority, bidding, and disapprovals. Shopping ads are driven by product data rather than keyword-to-ad copy.
Core rules for Shopping creative
- Required feed attributes include id, title, description, link, image_link, price, availability, brand, gtin, and mpn, plus condition where relevant. Custom goods without a GTIN need identifier_exists set to false and another unique identifier.
- Titles should follow brand + product + key attributes such as size, color, or material. Front-load important terms and avoid promotional text such as “Sale” or “Free Shipping.”
- Shopping campaigns organize products into product groups, also called listing groups in some campaign types. You can subdivide by category, brand, item ID, condition, or custom label.
- Campaign priority is low, medium, or high; the highest-priority eligible campaign with a bid normally wins the auction. Negative keywords reduce irrelevant traffic.
- Bidding options include Maximize clicks, Target ROAS, and Maximize conversion value. Custom labels can segment by margin, season, or best-seller status.
- Feed diagnostics flag disapprovals such as missing GTINs, price mismatches, unavailable items, and image problems.
Worked example
A furniture retailer sells custom sofas without manufacturer GTINs. It sets identifier_exists to false and supplies brand plus mpn. A title reads “Northline Sofa - Performance Fabric, Charcoal,” rather than “Huge Sofa Sale - Buy Now.” The team creates custom labels for high and low margin, splits product groups by those labels, and bids more aggressively on high-margin sofas. It also checks that the feed price and availability match the landing page, because mismatches trigger disapprovals and lost impressions.
Traps that cost marks
- Inventing a GTIN or leaving identifier_exists unset for custom goods.
- Putting promotional language in product titles.
- Letting price or availability go stale in the feed.
- Creating overlapping product groups without a clear priority strategy.
- Skipping negative keywords and paying for irrelevant queries.