Tap into High-Intent traffic with the help of Comparison Platforms
Author: Vincent Weening, Product Owner E-commerce.
Date of publication:
Google’s Comparison Listing Ads are a new way for Comparison Websites to attract traffic – without replacing CSS campaigns
Did you know that Comparison Websites can now tap into a new stream of high-intent shoppers—without replacing their existing Google Shopping campaigns? Since early 2018, several major Comparison Websites in the Daisycon network have been actively using Google Shopping via CSS (Comparison Shopping Services). Over the years, this group has grown steadily, and today we work with some of the largest and most successful CSS partners in the EU.
Through these CSS partners, advertisers promote their products using Product Listing Ads (PLA), such as Google Shopping and Bing Shopping, a format that has proven highly effective in driving high-intent traffic to webshops, especially when product feeds are complete and products are competitively priced.
In 2024, Google introduced a new ad format that offers even more visibility: Comparison Listing Ads (CLA). While they’re also linked to CSS partners, they work differently from traditional PLAs. And importantly, in the Daisycon platform, this type of traffic is not part of the PLA media type, but falls under the Comparison Websites category.
In this blog, we’ll explain the difference between PLA and CLA and how CLA complements traditional Product Listing Ads (CSS) and unlocks extra traffic for your webshop – all through the power of Daisycon’s Google CSS partners.
What are Product Listing Ads (PLA / CSS)?
- The media type PLA in Daisycon refers to individual product ads shown across shopping platforms, most commonly on Google Shopping.
- Google Shopping ads are typically managed by Comparison Shopping Services (CSS), who advertise product offers from connected webshops.
- Within Daisycon, Google Shopping makes up the majority of PLA traffic, but similar formats also exist on platforms like Bing Shopping or Facebook Shopping.
- Your webshop’s product ads appear directly in the Shopping results, with traffic going straight to your site.
- Advertisers can enable this through the PLA media type, allowing CSS partners to promote their products on these paid shopping platforms.
Source: Google Ads Support
What are Comparison Listing Ads (CLA)?
Comparison Listing Ads (CLA) are a relatively new ad format launched by Google in response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU. This regulation pushes Google to give more visibility to Comparison Shopping Services (CSS) – and CLA is the result.
- CLA campaigns are run by CSS partners, such as Comparison Websites, and show a group of product offers from their own platform.
- These ads appear primarily in the Google Shopping tab and can appear alongside the standard product ads.
- Instead of showing a single product from one seller, a CLA ad promotes a curated product overview from the CSS partner.
- When a user clicks the ad, they land on the comparison website, where they can browse and compare offers from multiple retailers.
This creates a new opportunity for CSS partners to promote their own platform and attract visitors, while still featuring advertiser products.
Visitors who click through from a comparison platform to your webshop have already viewed multiple offers – and specifically selected yours. That makes them more product-oriented and more likely to convert.
Note: The auction for ad slots in the “Comparison sites” section (CLA) runs independently from the auction in the “Products” section (PLA). This means CLA ads do not directly compete with standard PLAs for the same ad positions.
Key differences between PLA and CLA
| Feature | PLA (Product Listing Ads) |
CLA (Comparison Listing Ads) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | One product per ad | Overview of multiple products from a single CSS |
| Placement | Google Shopping tab + Product Search results | Google Shopping tab and ‘Product Sites’ section |
| User click goes to | Directly to advertiser’s webshop | To the CSS partner’s own comparison website |
| Search intent | Product-specific and category-level queries | Product-specific and category-level queries |
| Billing | Click costs paid by the CSS partner | Click costs paid by the CSS partner |
| Media Type | Product Listing Ads (PLA) | Comparison / Shopping portal |
Why this matters for advertisers
With the rollout of Comparison Listing Ads (CLA), CSS partners (Comparison Websites) in the Daisycon network now have two distinct formats to promote your products: direct-to-webshop ads (PLA) and grouped product listings via their own platform (CLA).
The best part? You don’t need to make any changes or put in extra effort. Your products can benefit from both formats, depending on which partners you work with.
The result: Increased visibility, more chances to convert shoppers, and a stronger presence across Google Shopping — all through trusted partners in our network.
What if your products are not listed?
Some advertisers may choose not to work with Comparison Websites or prefer not to have their products promoted via Google Shopping through the affiliate channel. However, it’s important to understand how Comparison Listing Ads (CLA) work in practice.
- These ads are not created per advertiser, but per product—and always include at least two offers from different sellers.
- If your competitors sell the same or similar products, their listings will appear on the Comparison Websites and in thus also indirectly in the CLA placements.
- Your products may be missing from a key comparison, while your competitor gets the click.
- Comparison Websites will continue to show available offers—even if your webshop isn’t part of it.
In short: choosing not to work with Comparison Websites doesn’t remove the product from Google Shopping. It only removes your version of the offer from the comparison platform – and from the user’s view.
How CLA works in practice
Daisycon’s CSS partners use your product feeds to power both PLA and CLA campaigns. If you’re already teamed up with our Comparison Websites, your products might be live in CLA placements right now—driving traffic via their platforms before linking to your webshop.
How to start with Comparison Listing Ads?
- Ensure your product feed is up-to-date, complete, and competitively priced.
- Work with high-quality Comparison media that are active in the Daisycon network.
- Monitor your campaign performance and reach out to your campaign manager for insights.
Want to know if your products are already included in CLA campaigns? We’re happy to check it for you! Contact your campaign manager to find out more about these Comparison / Shopping portals.
CLA provides a new route to visibility in Google Shopping—complementing existing PLA efforts without replacing them. By working with the right partners, you ensure your products reach motivated buyers at every step of their journey.
Read more about PLA and Product Feeds
Want to know more about Comparison Shopping via Daisycon?
Contact me, and I’ll gladly discuss the possibilities.
Vincent Weening, Product Owner E-Commerce