In our previous Google CSS article we shared insights about the benefits of additional Google Shopping promotion with CSS partners via our affiliate network. In this article, we focus on practical ways to optimise performance-based Google Shopping campaigns when working with a CSS partner.
Getting started on Google Shopping is easy. Getting it set up properly takes the right structure, feed quality, and a clear approach to bidding and analysis. Below you will find actionable tips on requirements, CSS bidding, and how to analyse and optimise your efforts.
A high quality product feed
Let’s start with the product feed. Google states that a product feed enriched with extensive product data is the foundation of creating successful shopping ads. The most important attributes are the product title and product description. Where possible, include popular product keywords in both.
The content of a feed can be much richer than what is visible on a product landing page. For CSS partners, high-quality attributes make the difference between efficient scaling and wasted visibility.
A GTIN (such as an EAN) is one of the attributes most CSS partners advise to add. This unique identifier helps Google classify products accurately and improves matching with search queries. Keep product data up to date and adjust regularly to align with changing consumer searches. See Google’s guide for maintaining a high-quality feed.
Update: Want to dive deeper into product feed optimisation? Read our newer article on The power of good quality product feeds in online marketing, where we cover feed structure, attributes and best practices in more detail.
Negative keywords
Contrary to Search Ads, Shopping Ads don’t use keywords to trigger ads. Search queries are matched with product data in the feed. Instead, Shopping campaigns can use negative keywords to prevent ads from showing on terms that do not match your products.
This helps improve ROI because ads are shown to users with relevant intent. If you run your own Google Shopping campaign and add an additional campaign via a CSS partner, you can use negative keywords to avoid overlap on certain terms when that fits your strategy. Excluding brand terms is a common example, depending on your objectives.
Related article: Want a deeper look at how negative keywords and brand bidding work within Google Shopping? Read our guide on negative keywords and brand bidding best practices for advertisers.
Customised shopping feeds
You have full control over what CSS partners can promote, because you decide which products are available in the feed. Daisycon supports ‘Dedicated product feeds’ that can be used for one publisher only. This is a practical way to start small, test specific categories, and expand over time.
Most e-commerce platforms like Magento, WooCommerce and Shopify offer good feed tooling. Feed management platforms like Channable provide setups for many channels, including Daisycon feed standards. One of our other Linehub labels, Conversive, has a Channable license and can help with setup and optimisation.
CSS bidding
Every product-related Google search can trigger a Shopping auction. In the Google Shopping auction, Google evaluates multiple campaigns across multiple merchants. A merchant does not pay more simply because multiple CSS partners are active in the same auction.
“ShopForward has an in-house bidding algorithm fine-tuned for Shopping campaigns that are additional to your own Google Shopping exposure. High focus on generic search to increase the likelihood of incremental sales.”
Dirk Verzijden, Shopforward
If you want extra assurance that campaigns don’t compete, you can work with max bids for the CSS partner. Compare with your own campaigns and choose a cap that fits your goals. In practice, CSS bids are often lower because partners align bidding with the commission (CPS) they earn from performance.
An additional CSS partner can also increase the likelihood that multiple products from the same merchant appear in the same Shopping unit, which can reduce room for competitors in that moment.
Variable commissions
With the Daisycon product-level conversion pixel, available in our standard tracking for e-commerce platforms, it’s possible to set variable commissions per product type.
This gives you control over cost per sale per product group. Combined with performance-based payout, it supports a flexible and measurable Google Shopping setup via an affiliate network.
Product Listing Ads permission
With these fundamentals in place, the CSS partner typically only needs PLA permission to activate Shopping campaigns. Your contact at Daisycon can help enable this in your campaign settings.
How to analyze your shopping campaigns
Many advertisers analyse affiliate traffic, including additional Google Shopping campaigns, in Google Analytics. Measuring affiliate performance starts by adding parameters to campaign destination URLs. Read more in our FAQ article: Measuring affiliate traffic in Google Analytics.
“We optimize our bidding strategy on a daily basis and advise our clients on enhancing their performance. We found that the best way to analyze performance of our campaigns, after starting with an additional CSS partner, is through custom reports in Analytics.”
Dirk Verburg, Shoparize
The importance of seasonality
If you agreed on a testing period with a new CSS partner to measure incremental impact, take seasonal fluctuations into account. Read more about seasonality in this blog.
“Remember to take into account seasonal fluctuations. Q4 vs Q1 will rarely be a good comparison. You can possibly compare Q1 with Q1 last year.”
Tobias Bay-Larsen, Velkashopping
Overall performance
It’s important to evaluate overall Google Shopping performance. This includes results from your own Shopping activity plus CSS partners running Shopping via Daisycon. Your own campaign may show a small decrease in volume, but the combined total often increases, as also shown in our previous article.
The Google Acquisition Reports and Multi-channel Funnels reports are good starting points for collecting data.
“You will probably see that your own campaign decreases a bit in volume. It is important to look at the overall result. When you allow CSS through affiliate, the overall result will often be greater than before.”
Tobias Bay-Larsen, Velkashopping
To make performance analysis easier, we recommend creating custom reports in Google Analytics specifically for Shopping and affiliate traffic.
Could use some help? Conversive is specialised in setting this up. Our colleagues there will gladly help you out.
Getting started
You now have the key building blocks to improve your Google Shopping setup and enrich it with CSS partners. Make sure you meet the requirements and keep your analysis structured. If you want, we can help review your setup and measurement approach.
Want to learn more about Google Shopping and partnering with CSS partners?
Contact me and I’ll gladly discuss the possibilities.
Vincent Weening, Product Owner E-Commerce
