As an e-commerce business owner, when you look to promote your products online- you must have come across the question- of whether to invest in Google Search Ads or Google Shopping Ads. You have also heard of both Google shopping and search ads often.
If you’re asking which is better between Google search ads and shopping ads- we would say neither. In fact, search ads and shopping ads can go on together for your business. Running one ad type does not mean excluding the other one.
The deciding factors are your business goals and the services or products you sell. Both Google shopping ads and search ads run through the Google Ads channel and they help businesses get traffic to their website and get more Google ads ROI.
Both of these digital ad types run on a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model, which means you pay when someone clicks on your search or shopping ads. The amount of money you pay depends upon the competition for the keyword and your ad budget. In this respect, these ad types are similar.
So, what’s the best choice for your business? In this blog, we’ll be discussing with you the differences between Google search ads and shopping ads, their benefits, and which one works best for your business.
What are Google shopping ads?
Let’s say you are looking to buy hiking shoes and want to know what Google suggests as the best hiking shoes with a quick glance at their images and prices.
This is one of the many Google shopping ads you see while looking for a product online. These ads appear when someone is looking for product-specific searches like in the picture above, shopping ads are shown for the search ‘hiking shoes’. The ads show a list of relevant products with pictures of the product, title, brand name, price, and a powerful offer like ‘discount’ or ‘free shipping’.
Shopping ads gain quick attention, these ads are all about the product and are designed to be eye-catching. They’re set up to quickly give you a look at the product you’re searching for and it’s important details like brand name, price, and picture. As you do not have to dig deeper for these pieces of information, shopping ads are highly preferable Google ads for e-commerce businesses.
When you go to the Google Shopping tab, you’ll see Shopping Ads appear at the top, above the free listings. If you click on one, it takes you to a page with more info about the product, where you can decide if you want to buy it or check out other matching options.
If you sell physical products, running Google Shopping Ads is no rocket science, or at least taking advantage of the free listings.
The big difference between Google Shopping Ads and regular Google Search Ads is that you don’t bid on keywords in shopping ads. Instead, you create a product feed, and Google’s algorithm calculates out which keywords should bring up your products in search results.
Benefits of Google shopping ads
- Visually attractive– Shopping ads show off your product images, making them stand out and grab attention.
- Key info upfront– People immediately see the price, brand, and reviews, so they know what they’re getting before they click.
- Top visibility– Your products appear at the top of search results, giving you a better shot at reaching shoppers when they’re ready to buy.
- No keyword hassle– You don’t need to worry about bidding on keywords—Google handles it by matching your product to relevant searches.
- More qualified shoppers– Since people see all the important details before clicking, those who do click are more likely to buy.
- Higher chance of sales– With more interested shoppers coming in, your chances of making a sale go up.
What are Google text search ads?
Google text search ads are loosely called ‘search ads’. Search ads are the most common ad types that we see every day while making Google searches, even if we don’t expect to see the ads of any products or services. When a business owner says that they’re running Google ads, it’s the search ads that they are mostly talking about.
Search text ads appear in the form of text- hence the name. There’s a space for the headline of the product or service, and a quick description but a business can also add contact numbers, working hours, and website links, to make the ads useful.
Search text ads work on keywords bid- this is what sets it aside from Google shopping ads. The more searched for and relevant your keywords in the ad copy are, the higher the chances that your ad will reach the target audience. When a person looks for a related product or online using the search terms that match your keyword your ad automatically enters the keyword bid and shows up to the person.
Different keywords have different prices based on the quality, competition, and relevance of your ad with the landing page.
Using the right keywords is a also a part of SEO optimization of your website. Keywords are whole another topic but they’re are very useful for reaching a broad but targeted audience. If your ads show up to an interested audience due to irrelevant keywords, it will be a waste of your ad budget. Because those clicks and impressions are not going to convert into revenue.
You get better control, targeting, and analysis features on the Google Ads platform to stay competitive. If you implement the Google text search ads right, it can put your business before your customers at the right time.
Benefits of Google Search text ads
- Targeted reach– These ads appear when someone searches for your products or services. This way you reach an audience that wants to buy.
- Cost control– You have to pay only when someone clicks on your ad. That means, you’re not wasting money on people who aren’t interested.
- Flexibility with keywords– With text search ads, you can target keywords that are relevant to your business. This ensures your ad is seen by the right people. To avoid the irrelevant traffic, you should exclude certain keywords.
- Ad customization– You can easily add extensions to include things like links to specific pages, contact info, or business hours. These extensions are important for engagement.
- Measurable results– Google’s ad platforms provide detailed analytics, so you can see what’s working, and which parts need adjustments.
- Scalability– Whether you’re a small business or a large company, you can increase the budget and frequency of ads based on your business goals.
- Fast visibility- You don’t have to wait long to see results- your ads show up instantly as you make the ads live.
Why run both Google shopping ads and Search text ads
Google Shopping Ads and Google’s search text ads both run on the same Google Ads platform, but these ad formats are not the same.
Unlike Facebook Ads, where a single ad has multiple placements like Stories and the news feed, with Google, you need to create separate campaigns for each type and budget for them accordingly.
That said, our ad experts recommend our clients use both Google Shopping Ads and search text ads at the same time. Here’s why.
- Improve your keyword impression share
Some searches show shopping ads at the top, while others display text ads. If you run campaigns for both, there are more chances of appearing in a lot of search results. This helps you get a larger impression share (percentage of times your ads show up for your target keywords). The more often your ads appear, the better your brand visibility, and using both ad types increases your impression share.
- Works for different user intent
Different ad formats attract different types of users. For example, think about someone searching for ‘hiking shoes’. While the intent is the same- researching hiking shoes- the two ad formats attract different buyers.
Some people are more attracted to shopping ads that show the product’s pictures along with pricing. Other users want to know more about the brand’s name, offers, quality, and materials before deciding to buy. In this case, text ads that focus on unique selling points and the value the company provides.
Using both shopping ads and text ads makes sure you reach users in all stages of their buying journey.
- Keyword opportunities
Keyword strategy is not the same for search ads and Shopping Ads.
Shopping ads pull information directly from your product listings. If someone searches for ‘brown leather boots for men’ or ‘heeled boots,’ your product could pop up in the ads if it matches the description. This means you can rank for various shopping ad placements without having to create unique ad copy for every single search.
Text ads depend heavily on using exact or similar keywords in the copy. While you can mention ‘men’s hiking shoes’, it’s tough to include every feature in a coherent ad especially if you have a big inventory.
Looking at which search terms lead to conversions in Shopping ads can help you identify valuable keywords using which you can run search text ads.
Conclusion
We hope this comparison helps you determine whether to go with Google text search ads or Shopping Ads. Both ad types have different features, setup processes, and costs. It’s important to think about your resources and business goals before making a choice.
eCommerce businesses usually benefit the most from running both. McElligott Digital Marketing is here to support you in getting started with both ad formats using data-driven Google Ads strategies.
Need help getting your Google ads up and running? No problem!
Reach out to us for a FREE strategy call at (833) 772-4897.
FAQs
1. What is a good budget for Google Shopping ads?
A good budget for Google Shopping ads varies by business size and goals, but ad experts recommend starting with at least $500 to $1,000 per month. This allows for enough data collection to optimize your campaigns effectively.
2. Is $500 enough for Google Ads?
Yes, $500 can be enough to start with Google Ads, especially for small businesses or those new to online advertising. You should monitor performance and adjust your budget as needed based on results.
3. What do you mean by search ads?
Search ads are text-based ads that appear on search engine results pages when someone enters specific keywords. These ads drive traffic to websites by matching the ads to the search terms based on relevance and intent.
