Google’s New Shoppable Image Ads

It seems like every month we are discussing new features and changes happening in Google’s advertising offerings. As the dominant platform in the digital advertising space, they are constantly looking for ways for business owners and marketers to reach their customers online. So, what’s the latest news from Google? Shoppable ads are now available on Google images.

An Overview of the Google Marketing Platform

Typically, when we talk about Google advertising, we talk about the pay-per-click, search based campaigns, which is one of the most common ways we recommend clients to drive more traffic to their site.

To put it in simple terms, when you set up search campaigns, you are bidding on certain keywords that your target audience may be searching. Then when a user types in that search term, a text-based ad appears for your website, and you only pay if the user clicks on your ad.

Unlike search campaigns which are text-based, there are many other advertising capabilities that are primarily visual.

Display ads are image ads that appear to users as they browse websites in Google’s advertising network – and advertisers can target users based on demographics like age, gender, income, parental status, as well as an extensive cataloging of interests and behaviors based on browsing data available in Google.

Displays ads also have the option for retargeting which will serve ads to users that have already visited the website or allow you to create users like those who have visited your website. Advertisers also have the option to advertise visually through video ads on YouTube.

How Does Image Search Advertising Work?

The introduction of Google image ads marries the idea of search-based advertising and visual advertising in Google’s network in a very new way. Now, marketers will be serving images ads to those based on the keywords they search, rather than displays ads based on the user’s demographic data.

So, what kind of companies can use these images ads? Obviously, anyone that is selling any type of physical product can make the most out of these shoppable ads. Bidding on direct keywords for your products – like a footwear company bidding on “shoes” or “women’s shoes”, etc. – is going to be the most effective way to capitalize on this new feature.

However, marketers can get more strategic with the keywords they bid on for image searches. For example, a company that sells home décor items could bid for searches like “home décor inspiration” or “living room design ideas” to get in front of new users. A cosmetics company could bid on keywords like “prom makeup ideas” or “everyday makeup looks”. While it may be a user just browsing the web rather than directly shopping, you can still get in front of these searches, drive more traffic to your site, and ultimately get more sales for your business.

The images below show the “Sponsored” images that appear through paid search for selected keywords.

Work with A Digital Agency on Your Advertising Strategy

With all the different advertising options in Google’s platform, it can be difficult to know where to start. Depending on the size of your business, your target audience, your region, and your industry – the right strategy for advertising is going to be different for everyone. By working with a digital agency, you can

collaborate with you to understand your business’s goals and formulate a comprehensive strategy to help you reach them through the digital space. For more information on working with us to grow your business online, contact Atilus today!