Google recently launched ‘Shops’ in January 2022. Shops is a results page feature showcasing up to ten retailers in organic results in mobile. According to a Google representative, the new feature aims to provide users with more options for both sellers and buyers. For instance, the merchants could match shopping-related queries, and the buyers could quickly determine the product availability and which specific online store. The products featured are based on their organic search rankings.
This is not the first time that Google prioritized organic shopping efforts. In April 2020, it introduced the free product listings along with the paid listings, and since then, such features have escalated further. There’s the Shopping tab (shopping.google.com), where users can see the available deals on the products they are looking for. This is integrated with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other e-commerce platforms.
Shopify and Google’s partnerships
In June 2021, Shopify launched a tie-up with Google and Facebook through Shop Pay, a one-click checkout service. To date, the payment tool has already facilitated $24 billion in transactions within the Shopify marketplace. The feature makes it easier for customers to check out the product instantly through encryption of the product information. The quicker authentication and lesser field to accomplish enable one-tap transactions. Thereby, Shop Pay amplifies the presence and conversion of Shopify stores on both Google and Facebook marketplaces.
As such, if you are a Shopify store owner, these additional features provide an opportunity to expand your presence online, particularly in Google search engine results pages.
How Google Shopping and Shops benefit your Shopify store
1) More streamlined syncing capabilities
Syncing your Shopify account with Google Channel through its Merchant Center allows store owners to streamline the process. Google Channel refers to a free-to-install Shopify app mainly used for discovery across the platform and, thus, expansion of shopper reach. For instance, if your Shopify store and Google Channel are already synched, it will be easier for your products to appear on search results for targeted keywords. These are automated wherein new products created through Google Channel automatically appear on the Shopping tab and Shops section.
2) Free and more targeted product listings
You can update product listings straight from your Shopify admin dashboard if synced. Eligible stores and their products may appear in the Shopping tab listings for free, which means you need not pay Google to appear on the said search listings. Additionally, Google Merchant Center allows Shopify merchants to add up to three levels of product types for a more targeted product listing.
3) Improved product visibility
Google is a network, and listings appear across all its products, not just the Shopping tab or Shops section when using mobile devices. Among these places are Google search, Google Images, Google Lens, Google Map, and YouTube. There are two types of listings:
- Standard listing
Products must include basic data attributes submitted to the merchant center or via the structured data markup
- Enhanced listing
Products must have data attributes submitted through the merchant center and should be of higher data quality standards
4) Expansive advertisement reach
Shopify store owners can create Google campaigns and advertisements straight from the dashboard. They have to connect their Google Ads account. This integration allows the ads made either directly from Shopify via the Smart Shopping campaign tool. Or through Google Ads, since it offers more customization features than Shopify) wherein the ads will appear on various Google products. More places the ad is made available means more users would be able to see it. Constant exposure to ads makes your brand the top-of-mind brand. In addition, users may buy the product directly and checkout using the Buy on Google feature using Shopify payments. The buyer need not be directed to your Shopify store, add the product to the shopping cart and pay for it. They can directly purchase the product from Google.
5) Improved overall conversions
Having said that, appearing on the Shops section on mobile and Shopping tab on the desktop impact the bottom line. Users searching for products on Google have purchase intent, which means that such intent could be higher when they use the shopping tab when searching for products. Therefore, if your products appear on the tab as product listings, there’s a higher chance for conversion than organic results listings. Nevertheless, the product listing appears as rich snippets in the search results page when the appropriate product keyword is triggered. So, this is undoubtedly a win-win situation whether users search products in Google search or Shopping tab.
TL;DR
There are at least three ways Shopping and Shop can help your Shopify store’s profitability.
Streamlined integration
Your Shopify store connects to key Google products–from Channel to Smart Shopping, making expanding and managing the inventory and marketing and promotions easier. These are all possible without leaving your Shopify dashboard.
Optimized ads
Merchants may create campaigns straight from your Shopify store using the information already stored there. This means allowing you to devote your time to other marketing activities to maximize the returns.
Automatic updates
Changes to the campaigns and advertisements are automatically reflected on your Google Ads account. So you need not worry about misaligned product feeds because whatever you do on Shopify ads-wise are carried through to your Ads account.
Shopify and Google constantly roll out new tools that purport both merchant and customer acquisition. The goal is to expand where products might appear and drive a sale. However, Shopify products’ placement in the Google marketplace is based on organic search ranking. Therefore, if your Shopify store and product pages, among others, are not optimized well for maximum displayability in Google, you might not be able to reap the benefits of integration.
Furthermore, Google may continue launching organic shopping features in Search, Images, Lens, or even YouTube. Therefore, it becomes even more important for Shopify owners to ensure that their stores are optimized for results pages and the Google marketplace.
Optimind offers Shopify SEO services to help Shopify merchants capture all potential traffic, leads, and sales–the overall conversions. Additionally, we can help you harness the possibilities of the integrations between Shopify and Google. Call us now!
