Shopping Archives

Free Google Shopping? your products will appear in organic Shopping results!

Posted on June 11, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

Google announced on April 21 that it will display your products in the “Shopping” tab free of charge. For the time being, these changes will take effect in the United States before the end of April, and will roll out worldwide before the end of the year.

(Update October 12, 2020: the worldwide launch of Google Shopping Free listings is officially scheduled for mid-October. See our article on the subject and the Google Free Shopping program update)

Paid ads will continue to appear in ad slots and will function in the same way as current Shopping ads.

Natural results from Google Shopping

Google’s announcement comes as something of a surprise, given that retailers who use Google Ads invest heavily in Google Shopping ads to promote their products.
Why make this feature free? What’s in it for Google? And what’s in it for merchants?

Why does Google make Google Shopping free?

In general, online shopping and the user experience on Google’s platforms have been major issues since the company decided to launch its “Shopping Action” Marketplace to compete with Amazon.

One might think that this is a throwback to Google Shopping, when “Froogle” was free back in 2012 at its launch. But it seems more accurate to say that it’s an enrichment of Google’s database.

More products = more purchasing opportunities = more product searches on Google and therefore less on Amazon.

Opening up Google Shopping and making it free of charge would be a way of capturing more buyers on Google and not leaving room for Amazon and other marketplaces. Some studies have already shown that Amazon captures more buyers than Google. According to Feedvisor’s March 2019 study, two-thirds of American shoppers generally start their search for new products on Amazon;

Source: Emarketer.com – Feedvisor study “The 2019 Amazon Consumer Behavior Report”.

Making Google Shopping free for merchants seems to have 3 objectives for Google:

Expand product database in the face of Amazon.
Showcase merchants who don’t run Shopping campaigns, and thus capture future customers for Google Shopping campaigns.
Retain and acquire new users who currently prefer to search for products on Amazon and other marketplaces.

What are the benefits for merchants of participating in the Google Platforms program?

For merchants and e-tailers, the benefits are quite simple. It’s all about making your products visible and acquiring more customers through Google’s search engine, and more specifically through Google Shopping.

Merchants who don’t yet run Google Shopping campaigns will be able to discover the benefits of this visual ad format, which is already highly effective for those who do run paid Google Shopping campaigns.

What’s not certain, however, is how Google will select which products will be displayed as natural.
Some ads indicate that these will be “popular” products. But will it be SEO popularity: i.e., counted by the number of external links pointing to your page, popular because of the number of sales on your products, or popular because it’s a product with a lot of positive reviews?

How can I join the Google Platforms program?

To take part in the program, you must of course comply with Google’s prorgamme distribution rules. In order for your products to appear in Google Shopping’s natural results, you must meet one of the following two criteria:

Work on your SEO, as your products will appear in Google Shopping’s “natural results”. You don’t need to have a Merchant Center account. Google will automatically retrieve product information via their structured data tags if these are present on your site. Our teams are available to help you with your SEO project.

Links:
=> Structured tags
=> Tools for creating structured tags

Activate the “Google Platforms” program in your Merchant Center account. As soon as the program is active in France, you’ll need to add a new “destination” in the Flux import parameters. In the Merchant Center, under the “Growth” tab, you’ll find the link to “Manage programs”. Google Platforms” will then be displayed.

For the second option, in the Merchant Center, in the “Growth” section, you will find the link for “Manage programs” which redirects you to the functions and options in which you can participate (such as Google Shopping, Shopping Action, Avis Client …):

Google Platforms program

For the moment, as the program is not active in France, adding products to “Google Platforms” is not yet possible.
On the other hand, you’ll soon need to add a new “destination” to your feed. ” Destination: Google Platforms”.

Conclusion

In any case, we strongly recommend that you add rich content (or structured data tags) to your site and product sheets in the coming months if you wish to benefit from this free option.

As for the question of how products are displayed and search engine optimized on Google Shopping, we still don’t have all the answers.
Google talks about “popular” products, but this definition is very vague.

Are they popular products because they’re in high demand, or because they’re products with high sales, a lot of reviews, or because there are a lot of links pointing to this product page?…
We’ll keep a close eye on developments in the program and keep you informed. I hope these elements have given you a little more information on the subject!

We welcome your questions and comments. If you need more information or advice on your acquisition, our Google Ads Certified agency and our team of Google Ads Experts are available to discuss your requirements.

See you soon

Need to evolve your digital strategy?

We carry out a complete diagnosis of your strategy and campaigns.

Fully supported by Adenlab, you pay nothing.

Our free preliminary audit will give you a clear picture of the current state of your campaigns. It will enable you to identify and plan the evolution of your performance on your acquisition channels.

Google Shopping: The Showcase format

Posted on June 10, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

What updates have you made to this Google Shopping format, which targets more generic searches and displays more products from your catalog in Google results?

Google has rolled out 4 new features for Google Showcase Shopping ads in France and internationally in August 2020. Here’s what’s changed:

Google Shopping Showcase ads

A Google Shopping ad type

Allows you to showcase several similar products associated with a generic query (e.g. white sneakers) in a single ad.
Particularly suitable for targeting non-notoriety searches that are not precise and do not contain brand names
Useful for suggesting your brand to Internet users who may not have considered your brand and products, even though they may be relevant to their needs.

Why use Google Shopping Showcase ads? What are the advantages for a merchant?

A great way to target undecided Internet users

Perfectly suited to this type of search, as they allow you to display several products corresponding to a fairly broad query

You are free to define which products are displayed in your Showcase Shopping ad.

You can choose the products you wish to highlight according to the requests of Internet users, so you have complete control over the final result and your digital communication.

Track engagement and conversions generated by your Showcase Shopping ads in real time

Check the performance of your ads using the various tools offered free of charge by Google.
In just a few clicks, you’ll be able to determine whether or not these non-promotional campaigns are profitable for you.

Format Showcase updates: the 4 new features announced by Google

Products will appear in a carousel and will be grouped by merchant.

This system will allow buyers to easily explore multiple brand options in a searchable format.

Impressions will be counted for each product presented in the carousel.

Whereas in the past, impressions were only visible at ad group level. This evolution can increase the total number of impressions seen on your products.

All clicks on ads from Google search results pages will now be redirected directly to your e-commerce site.

You will no longer be billed according to the length of the commitment, but will pay per click.

Showcase Shopping ads no longer include header images

You will no longer be able to add or modify such items

Conclusion

Google Shopping’s Showcase format is the format for capturing more undecided buyers who perform generic searches.
For these future customers, it enables them to see a range of products on Google results before clicking through to your e-commerce site. And for you, it means that you only pay when the user clicks on the product in the ad.
If you’d like more information on this format and more generally on Google Ads devices and campaigns for your e-commerce and your brand, we’d be delighted to discuss it with you.

Free Google Shopping : Official launch

Posted on June 10, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

On April 21, Google announced that it would display your products for free in the “Shopping” tab. We talked about this in our article “Google Shopping Free? Your products will appear in organic Shopping results!”

The “new” feature has so far been available in the USA. Now it’s been announced by Google as a worldwide launch of free shopping listings!
In mid-October, search results in the Shopping tab will also feature free ads, whether or not you advertise on Google Shopping.
Google’s stated aim: to help retailers connect with more customers.

From paid Google Shopping to free Google Shopping

From mid-October, the Google Shopping tab, in France and the rest of the world, will no longer feature only paid ads, but a mix of paid and free.

Merchants who have participated in the program since April 2020 in the US have seen an average increase of over 50% in clicks and over 100% in impressions on both free and paid ads in the Shopping tab. Merchants, both “small and medium-sized”, saw the biggest increase.
Google sees free ads as complementary to existing paid ads. It is therefore recommended to use both free product listings and paid Shopping ads.

What impact will existing shopping campaigns have?

According to Google, the free product listing will have no impact on the performance of your current shopping campaigns.
However, you will be able to track product developments and performance in the “Google Shopping Free” section in new Merchant Center reports.
These reports will be visible in both the “Performance” and “Product” sections of Merchant Center.

How can you improve your performance on free Google Shopping listings?

To improve your ranking in Google Shopping’s free product listing, you’ll need to follow the best practices that should be implemented for Google Shopping campaigns. You’ll need to continue optimizing your feed and the quality of the product information you add to it.
Feed attributes are therefore the key to quality.
In fact, we recommend you re-read our article on optimizing your Google Shopping feed.

Use all required flow attributes and ensure that the data produced is up-to-date, correct and complete.

As far as technical constraints are concerned, all you have to do is opt for the feed of your existing ads in Google’s surfaces. You don’t need to create a separate feed. Separate feeds for your Shopping ads and the free listing could result in the loss of product eligibility for Shopping ads.

Here you’ll find all the data requirements and eligibility criteria for displaying your products on Google surfaces.

Conclusion

This is an important development for Google Shopping and for merchants who promote their products on Google.
It’s also a step backwards for Google, which launched Google Shopping free of charge.
In any case, the key to these developments is the data and information in the product feed sent to the Merchant Center;
The optimization of feed attributes and their enrichment needs to be worked on and improved. We are available to discuss with you the possible evolution of your flow and the improvement of your catalog’s visibility.

Google reviews: How to activate all Google reviews for your business and e-commerce?

Posted on June 10, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

simulate the results of your Google Ads campaigns:

Our performance simulator shows you the expected results of your Google Ads campaigns.

Did you know that 71% of consumers take into account the opinions of other customers when making purchases? Among Millennials, this figure is as high as 84%!

Comments and opinions about products and services influence our purchasing decisions. There’s a good chance that your future customers will buy items that have received good reviews or constructive feedback, even if they’re more expensive than similar products.

Download our white paper

Implementing review solutions will make the difference for your undecided customers and increase your site’s conversion rate.

In this article, we present the different types of Google reviews you can use to increase your visibility on Google, attract more customers and boost sales.

Most people don’t know that there are 4 types of Google reviews, and more recently a 5th type of review has entered the suite of Google review solutions.

The 5 types of reviews and ratings are

Product reviews

Opinions about sellers and your company

Opinions on schema.org structured data

Reviews on Google Maps

Validate” notices

Here’s what you need to know, enjoy your reading …

Product Reviews : How to activate Product Reviews on Google?

Product reviews are used by online sales sites. They can be used by buyers and sellers in a variety of ways:

For Ecommerce sellers: this enables them to promote products that have received positive reviews
Reviews can also be displayed on Google Shopping ads. From a visual point of view, this has a positive impact on ad click-through rates.
For buyers and future customers: it’s a guarantee of quality and reassurance, since its reviews have been validated by other customers who have bought the products in question and are therefore satisfied.

How do I activate product reviews?

You have three options:

Use a third-party aggregator like Trustpilot.
Upload your XML notification feed to your Merchant Center.
Join Google’s Product Reviews program

Use a Google-approved third-party review aggregator

This is the easiest way to display product reviews on Google, as it requires no technical setup on your part.

All you need to do is participate in Google’s product review program and fill in this google form
. Google will then automatically collect the reviews from your aggregators.

Google-approved aggregators available in France include :

Bazaarvoice
eKomi
Trustpilot
Verified Reviews
Trusted Shops
Reviews.io
Verified examinations
Stores you can trust
Yotpo

You’ll find a complete list of review aggregators on the Google site

Import your Product Reviews feeds into your Merchant Center account

This is a little more complicated, and you may need the help of a developer or a third-party plugin that can export the feed in the format expected by Google(How to create an XML feed).

Here, too, you’ll need to sign up for the product review program by filling in the participation form.

Google will activate product reviews in your Merchent Center, and you’ll be free to submit your feed.

After that, downloading is pretty straightforward. But don’t be frustrated if you don’t see your product reviews right away. It will take a few days for the reviews to be approved.

You can find all Google’s instructions on the Product Review Feed in Merchant Center here.

Join Google's Product Reviews program

This third method of activating product reviews is also interesting. To set it up, you’ll need to join the “Google Customer Reviews” program and add optional lines of code to collect reviews on your products
Google Customer Reviews is a free program that lets you collect comments from users who have made a purchase on your site and make them visible (or not) to future buyers.

If it’s easier for you to add javascript code to your website and you have GTIN attributes for your products, this is the method for you.
Google’s Product Reviews program will allow your customers to evaluate their shopping experience and submit a product review available on Google Shopping.

How does this program work?

You’ll need to add a few lines of JavaScript code to your site’s order confirmation page to provide Google with the GTIN code data for products purchased by your customers who have agreed to receive the Google Customer Reviews survey.
You will need to provide Google with valid GTIN codes for all orders for which data relating to this code is available.

Sample survey invitation

Here you will find all the official information about the Google Product Reviews and customer reviews program.

This program will help you obtain your Google Avis Client badge:

CONCLUSION ON PRODUCT REVIEWS

To sum up the 3 possibilities for product reviews, keep the following points in mind:

Product reviews don’t just show reviews from your Ecommerce store – Google shows reviews from different stores for the same product.
If you want to display reviews specific to your own Ecommerce business, you need to be part of the free Google Customer Reviews program.
Products on Google Shopping display stars when there are at least three reviews for the product. If, for example, you have one review for a product, Google will search for two more reviews on other retailer sites.
You’ll need a unique identifier for your products, such as the GTIN or MPN. This will help Google identify your products and display relevant reviews from different e-tailers.

Opinions about sellers and your company

Vendor evaluation

Vendor ratings are one of the most important types of rating to be found on the market. Do a search on “laptops for work” or “car insurance” and you’re likely to get a sample vendor rating. Of course, it all depends on where you live. Google localizes search results, which means that two people in different places will not get the same results for the same search.

Who can benefit from vendor evaluations?

Seller reviews can be used by both e-commerce and service companies. This makes them a very flexible option for most businesses. You can see in the screenshot below that I’ve done a search for “laptops for work”. In addition to the Google Shopping results (on the right), I also get results from Google Ads. In fact, these go to the top of the page. As you can see, the first result is from Best Buy and it includes a seller rating. The rating is not for a particular laptop, but for Best Buy as a seller.

How do I get a vendor appraisal?

Seller reviews are based on comments left by people on your website. How do you get these reviews from your site to Google for use in seller reviews? Google is where it really counts. Your credibility starts there, and you want your reviews to appear in your search results.

The answer is that there are companies that are authorized by Google to syndicate data from your website to the platform for use in seller reviews. There are currently 32 third-party rating aggregators approved by Google. Many of them are in languages other than English (such as Japanese, Spanish, French, German, etc.), which is why we’ve narrowed down the results for you in the table above.

These 32 companies collect reviews for you and display seller ratings (sometimes called merchant reviews) directly in Google ads. Here’s a list of the 32 companies. If you have an e-commerce site, you need to choose a Google-certified site to display both seller reviews and product reviews.

For local and service businesses, you need an average of 100 reviews over 12 months to display Google Seller Ratings. That’s about 13 reviews per month. If you can’t reach 13 reviews a month, don’t bother getting Seller Ratings, because the stars will never show up in Google Adwords. Concentrate instead on Google Local Ratings (see below). If you’d like to know more about Seller Ratings, read our article How to get star ratings in your Google Adwords 2020 ad. You can also contact me and I’ll help you get seller ratings for your business. After all, it’s what I do.

Can you get free seller ratings?

Companies authorized by Google to syndicate data for seller reviews charge different monthly fees for their services. In my experience, these fees are well worth it. Seller evaluation is a real tool for increasing sales, and the investment is well worth it. In any case, you should know that you can get these reviews for free. This is possible thanks to Google Customer Reviews. I’ve already written an article on Google Customer Reviews. Check it out for more information.

All I can say here is that Google Customer Reviews is a service for e-commerce businesses that allows them to transmit review data to Google from their sites. But there’s a catch. Setting up Google Customer Reviews requires a great deal of technical expertise. So you’ll probably have to pay an experienced programmer to do it. That means it’s not entirely free. Programmers don’t come cheap. You could end up paying thousands of dollars for integration. So it’s best to opt for a company that’s been doing this for a long time.

Product or vendor evaluation?

I’ve already answered part of this question in the discussion above. Vendor reviews are for everyone. They apply to both e-commerce and service businesses. Product reviews, on the other hand, apply only to e-commerce businesses. So, if you’re an e-commerce business, you’ll want to get both seller and product reviews. This way, people can evaluate your company and your products.

Opinions on schema.org structured data

Schema rankings appear in Google organic. These include product reviews, event reviews (such as concerts), brand reviews, creative work reviews, offer reviews, location reviews, organization reviews and service reviews. You can find more information at https://schema.org/Review. Structured tagging is carried out so that reviews can be displayed organically in Google.

Who are structured ratings designed for?
E-commerce websites looking for product reviews will also want schema ratings. Many CMSs like WordPress and Shopify have a plugin that can generate the schema code that will display product review stars in organic Google. What’s more, companies like the 24 I mentioned above can manage this for your site and at the same time display these stars in your Google Shopping PLA ads.

Reviews on Google Maps

This is the 4th type of Google review there is. One thing to remember is that these 4 systems are completely different platforms for collecting reviews and turning them into rankings. Some feed Google CPC Text Ads, others feed Google Shopping, while others feed Google Organic. Now we’re into Google Maps.

Who is Google My Business Ratings for?

Google My Business reviews are for local businesses. If you’re a local business, then you really need to pay attention.
That’s because Google localizes search results. So, if you own a restaurant, you want to make sure that your establishment appears in local search results. What’s more, you also want your business to appear on Google Maps.

One thing you’ll notice about Google is that Google Maps results appear before Google organic results. So, if you’re a local business and you haven’t set out to get Google My Business reviews, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
People will do their searches and they’ll come across Google Maps results from your competitors. So even if you’re number 1 on Google’s “natural” results, it won’t really matter because you’ll be somewhere at the bottom of the list.

How to get reviews on Google My Business

Where can I get local ratings on Google? These stars appear on your Google My Business listings. Google My Business is the tool that powers your listing on Google Maps. Here’s what you need to do to get reviews on Google My Business

Sign up for Google My Business
– Check out your business
– Go to your business review pages
– Copy the URL
– Send it to your customers (and your mom and dad, etc.). Ask them to review your business.
If you need to automate getting reviews on Google Local, contact me. I have friends who will get you Google Local reviews from your own customers. If you need to launch your Google Local Ratings, send your Google Review URL to all your past customers.

Summary of its 4 types of reviews

Okay, let’s quickly recap. There are 4 types of Google Ratings and Reviews that can be found on this site. First of all, you have seller ratings. These appear in CPC text ads and in Google Shopping. Who should use them? Service companies and e-commerce sites. The other type of rating is product ratings. They appear in Google Shopping PLA ads. They also appear at the top of Google’s organic results under the heading “Popular products”. Product ratings are only for e-commerce companies that are able to ship products. There are companies that are approved for both seller and product reviews. Third ratings are organic schema ratings. The Google-approved companies mentioned above will be able to generate schema reviews for you. Finally, there are Google My Business reviews, which are important for local businesses. They appear on Google Maps.

Contact our teams to find out more

simulate the results of your Google Ads campaigns:

Our performance simulator shows you the results you can expect from your Google Ads campaigns.

SEA strategy: the importance of properly measuring your Google Ads performance

Posted on June 10, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

Recently, we covered the subject of Google Ads taking control after COVID, as well as Google Ads Smart Bidding.

To take things a step further, we felt it essential to address the issue of performance measurement.

How do you measure your performance on Google Ads?
Of course, a good SEA strategy can’t be conceived without an in-depth analysis of the numbers and behavior of your ads.

How to measure your return on investment? How can you easily and effectively measure your performance on Google Ads? We’ll answer all your questions.

How do you measure your return on investment (ROI)?

Whatever your reason for using Google Ads (increasing sales, getting more leads, etc.), it’s important to always keep your ROI in mind.

Without monitoring this aspect of your SEA strategy, you won’t be able to see the real effect of your investments.

And first of all, on Google Ads, in order to calculate your ROI, you absolutely need to know your costs (advertising, but also manufacturing if applicable).

You can also apply the following calculation:
ROI = (Margin – Advertising cost) / Advertising cost
If you want to calculate your ROAS (return on advertising investment) you can do so as follows:
ROAS = Revenue (e.g. from Google Ads) / Advertising cost

Track your Google Ads conversions and revenues

Google Ads provides you with a campaign management and analysis tool, so you can track your conversions precisely.

This enables you to determine how many clicks have actually generated conversions. This way, you can find out whether a product, keyword or ad is profitable for your business.

Of course, the value of each conversion must be greater than what you spent.

Sample Google Ads report

Why measure your Google Ads performance?

Get more visits

Measuring your performance as part of your SEA strategy gives you the means to achieve your objectives.

Do you want more traffic to your website? Then you need to focus on increasing clicks and click-through rates.

Keeping track of these figures will tell you whether your current strategy is working: campaigns and ad groups by theme or brand, lists of keywords around the same theme, careful ad copywriting, and so on.

Increase sales and conversions

To set new sales targets, you need to track conversions and revenue on Google Ads.

A product on Google Shopping or a keyword in your text ads that works very well leads to a large number of conversions, while on the other hand, you may find that certain products or keywords are ineffective.

It’s time to invest in the products and search terms that bring you the highest returns.

You also need to make sure that your campaigns link to the right pages and products.

Indirect conversions report – Google Analytics

Increase your brand awareness

Do you want to raise your profile? Launch a brand?

It’s theincrease in impression volume that you’ll need to study closely, as well as customer engagement, audience size and frequency of use.

Your SEA strategy should be based on Google Ads campaigns designed to reach as many of your target audience as possible.

What’s more, you also want to encourage web users to interact with your content as much as possible: keep a close eye on the click-through rates (CTR) of your campaigns.

Google Ads campaign objectives

SEA strategy: improve your ROI

In conclusion, if you want to succeed with your SEA strategy, you need to monitor your Google Ads on a regular basis.

Most important of all? Without doubt, being able to identify campaigns that generate few conversions, so that you can rework them or remove them permanently.

Part. 2 – Performance Max & Smart Shopping

Posted on June 10, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

Google Ads Smart Shopping campaigns, soon to be replaced by Performance Max : Planning

In 2021, Google announced that Performance Max would gradually replace Smart Shopping campaigns and Local Services ads in Google Ads. The migration is scheduled to start in April 2022.

Here’s how this change will work over the coming months, and what it means for your Google Ads campaigns.

Performance Max: what's it all about?

Launching in November 2021, Google Performance Max is a new type of automated campaign that promises to maximize advertisers’ performance across all Google channels (Shopping, YouTube, Display, Search, Discovery, Gmail and Maps) in a single campaign.

After a successful launch, Performance Max will soon become the only campaign type for companies running Google Ads Smart Shopping campaigns and Local Services Ads.

Planning & Updates

Smart Shopping campaign updates from April 2022

What are the stages in the migration to performances max? What tools will advertisers have at their disposal for this migration?

The migration to Performance Max campaigns will take place in stages.

Advertisers will be able to switch their Smart Shopping campaigns to Performance Max from April 2022.

To help advertisers make the switch quickly and easily, Google has announced a “one-click” upgrade tool.

This tool will enable one-click upgrades on specific campaigns, or on all campaigns.

When should you migrate to Google Performance Max?

Here are Google’s tips for choosing the right time to implement PMax:

💡

Warning: if you do nothing, your campaigns will switch over automatically!

Indeed, if no action is taken on Smart Shopping or Local Campaigns on your accounts by July, the old campaigns will be automatically upgraded. This should be effective by September 2022.

Changes to be expected with Performance Max upgrades

How will Google set up your campaigns without your intervention?
Thanks to its algorithm and the millions of data it processes!

The new Performance Max campaigns will be based on existing Smart Shopping and Local Campaigns.

This means that most existing parameters will be retained.
A relative relief for advertisers.

After the automatic switchover to Performance Max, campaigns will benefit from new functionalities, so they should also become more effective:

New ad inventory available (which will also be added to YouTube, Search and Discovery)

New perspectives in automation

Advice

Scaling your schedule: some tips for switching to Performance Max

How do I switch my Google Ads campaigns to Performance Max?

For advertisers who don’t want to use the Google Ads one-click tool, it’s possible to create new Performance Max campaigns right now, and we even recommend that you do so, to carry out tests ahead of the migration.

We explain this in more detail in our article on launching your Google Ads Performance Max campaigns.

Performance Max and Google Ads: the future of e-commerce campaigns?

Conclusion

The automation of advertising campaigns is rapidly gaining ground.

Advertisers are well advised to turn to Performance Max, if only to understand and better master this new solution, in particular by testing several variants that enable them to retain a degree of control over their campaigns (message, budget or target audiences).

Need help with the transition to Performance Max upgrades? We’re here to help.

Adenlab specializes in managing Google Ads campaigns for e-commerce sites, and we’ll be delighted to guide you in maximizing your performance.

We're here to talk to you

Part. 3 – Performance Max & Google Ads

Posted on June 9, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

How do you get started and set up your campaigns? We tell you all about it!

A reminder about Performance Max: what is it and how does it work? Performance Max is a new tool created by Google to centrally manage online advertising campaigns.

Its goal

Its aim: to generate high-performance results across multiple channels (Search, Display, YouTube…), all from a single platform, in a single campaign. The stated aim is to facilitate the management of advertising campaigns for all advertisers.

His secret

Its secret: automation and the power of its algorithm, designed to achieve conversion objectives and not just be visible on keywords.

Deployment schedule

Deployment schedule: we have dedicated an article to this subject, which can be consulted here:Performance Max deployment schedule on Google Ads

So how do you go about migrating your Smart Shopping campaigns? First of all, you’ll need to clarify your conversion objectives by product or service, rather than thinking in terms of keywords, which people would search for in order to buy them. Here’s why:

Conversion goals at the heart of Performance Max's Google Ads campaign strategy

These are the first elements you’ll be asked for when you launch a campaign on Google Performance Max, and they’re essential. Each campaign will be designed and automated according to your conversion objectives. These can take the form oflead acquisition via phone calls or form filling, or even purchases on your ecommerce site.

We’ll explain below how to optimize them, but first, here are the main elements to prepare and the steps to follow to successfully migrate your Smart Shopping campaigns to Performance Max.

What you need to launch a Perfomance Max campaign

Your marketing and conversion objectives

Your feeds

Google My Business (optional) ○ Google Merchant Center (optional) ○ Dynamic ad feed (optional) ○ Business data feed (optional)

The resources you'll be using

Text, image, video (optional as it can be generated automatically)

Your audiences

Primary audiences, including remarketing lists (optional) ○ Google Audiences, including custom audiences (optional)

Your geographical targets

The desired budget

On this basis, ads will be automatically served on search engines, Maps, Display, Gmail, Discovery and YouTube.

Getting started: how do I create a Google Ads campaign with Performance Max?

Step 1: Select your objectives

Step 2: Choose Performance Max campaigns Step 3: Determine a strategic bid and budget Step 4: Add as many campaign parameters as you need Step 5: Create an asset group and assign it/them an ad group and assign them an audience Step 6: Add extensions, if relevant to you

Start your migration: when and how to launch your first Performance Max campaign with Google Ads?

○ First of all, you don’t need to pause your current campaigns to test Performance Max.

○ You should also know that the sooner you get started, the more you’ll benefit, because from the 2nd half of 2022 you’ll automatically be redirected to this type of campaign as far as Google Shopping is concerned. ○ But for now, you can go step by step, and it’s even recommended.

💡

Here are the main points to bear in mind:

○ Google Ads Performance Max campaigns are complementary to your existing campaigns. However, Performance Max campaigns will take priority over existing Shopping campaigns that use the same products in the same account. ○ Don’t launch a Shopping campaign (standard or Smart Shopping) and a Google Performance Max campaign at the same time and for the same product references ○ Test a campaign first to tame the tool and do some “test and learn”. ○ Refine your campaigns and deploy them on more offers or products, depending on the results obtained in the test phase (we explain the recommended timing below).

Test & learn: our recommendations

Don't switch all your campaigns at once to Performance Max

As we’ve just seen, it’s advisable to test Performance Max alongside your existing campaigns, whatever the channel. Indeed, even though Performance Max delivers ads across the entire Google inventory, it’s important to use it alongside your existing campaigns as a complementary strategy. This is because existing campaigns often have additional features and tools (such as keyword research), which can help maintain your brand’s presence on different platforms and conversion volume, while Performance Max enables you to seize additional opportunities.

Tracking and analysis of Performace Max campaigns from Google Ads

In order to be able to track and analyze your campaign, you need to use Google Analytics Conversion Tracking for a more precise measurement of conversions, or alternatively, Google Ads Conversion Tracking.

Launch: Sample campaign schedule

1 . Analysis of a typical period before the campaign 2 . Conversion measurement phase for this sample period 3 . Implementation of the Performance Max solution, start-up phase 4 . Performance Max campaign acceleration phase 5 . Evaluation of campaign results

💡

Test analysis tips

To be set up BEFORE the campaign

Include: Campaigns optimized for the same purpose as Performance Max. Exclude: Existing campaigns that are not optimized for the same objective, such as branding campaigns like YouTube Instream and CPM Display.

To be examined AFTER the campaign

Change in global conversions. Change in conversion value to a similar CPA/ROAS*.

Please note

Examining the breakdown of performance by objective can also be useful! But wait a minute … Before we know how to examine your campaigns, let’s answer a key question: “How do you determine your conversion goals on Performance Max?”

Focus on... Google Ads and Performance Max conversion targets

Set relevant objectives

The Performance Max algorithm attempts to capture the most qualified conversions according to a desired ROI. If you want to optimize it, it’s advisable to aim for the lowest conversions in your funnel (i.e. the purpose of your campaign: call, form, purchase…), but also to choose a reasonable volume, closely aligned with the desired objective!

In brief

Take the time to prepare your campaigns before getting started, and migrate your campaigns. Test different product verticals to get the most out of Google Performance Max. Because even if the promise is campaign automation, there are still a good number of optimization points to improve your conversions. Would you like to talk to our experts? Contact us now! We help a large number of ecommerce sites manage their Google Ads campaigns.

We would be happy to discuss this with you

Interview : Natalya Donnat – Director of Operations & General Manager, Adenlab

Posted on June 9, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

Following the changes to Google Ads and the Performance Max solution, we interviewed Natalya Donnat, Director of Operations at Adenlab. She answered our questions, giving us a clearer picture of the Performance Max issues.

🤓

What do you think of Google Ads’ max performance campaigns?

So far, initial tests have been encouraging. The Performance Max campaign type has been in Beta since May 2021, and following positive results at Google, this Beta has been whitelisted for all accounts. Several tests have also been launched at Adenlab on several different business sectors. Some business sectors are responding better than others, but the tests are still being finalized.

🤓

Does automating this format benefit advertisers?

For the moment, I can’t say that automation is beneficial. The Performance Max format gives us very little information to analyze performance by diffusion (search, display or shopping). *It is currently impossible to understand where our ads are broadcast. * During our tests, we remain very vigilant about the distribution of our campaigns.

🤓

Does automating this format benefit advertisers?

We find that the Performance Max format cannibalizes our other Search, Shopping, Video or Display campaigns. And therefore take precedence and are prioritized by Google. That’s why we’ve developed Adenlab’s own methodology for setting up campaigns, reading performance and applying optimizations.

🤓

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Google Ads Performance Max campaigns?

=> The benefits Distribution across the entire Google inventory (YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps) from a single campaign Initial results are encouraging Increase in new customers Richer audience information => Disadvantages No information on the distribution of activated levers within the campaign Few possible optimizations Cannibalization with existing campaigns

We would be delighted to discuss the subject with you.

Google replaces FLoC with the Topics API: What you need to know!

Posted on June 9, 2025August 27, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

With the deprecation of third-party cookies, Google has struggled to find a way to preserve privacy while delivering relevant ads – a win-win solution for advertisers and consumers alike.

Its initial solution was FLoC, but the Topics API will now take over as the new star of cookie-free targeting.

Article translated and interpreted from “Google Replaces FLoC with Topics API: What You Need to Know” by Susie Marino

The TL;DR

FLoC is being replaced by the Topics API as a better solution for interest-based but privacy-friendly advertising.
Instead of assigning cohorts to users, it will assign them subjects, which they can view and modify.
Advertisers see it as a compromise, but are concerned about the diversity of subjects.

What is interest-based advertising?

To understand what’s going on, you first need to know what interest-based advertising (IBA) is.

Interest-targeted advertising consists in serving ads to a user based on his or her interests, which are deduced from the sites he or she visits.

This enables advertisers to reach the right audiences and users to see relevant ads.

However, this information is often collected by third-party cookies which, as we all know, do not respect privacy and are on the way out.

What is FLoC?

FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) was Google’s initial solution for interest-based targeting without third-party cookies.

We’ll give you all the details of FLoC here, but basically it involved dividing users into cohorts each week based on their browsing history, then sending these anonymous cohorts back to websites for advertising purposes.

But FLoC had its shortcomings, such as a lack of clarity and transparency from the user’s point of view, and several serious security risks.

The Topics API aims to eliminate most of these problems.

What is the Topics API?

On January 25, 2022, Google announced that FLoC was being replaced by Topics API, which is a better solution for interest-based advertising, based on information and community feedback from previous FLoC trials.

The main difference between FLoC and Topics API is that instead of assigning users cohort IDs every week, it will assign them three to five possible topics of interest every three weeks, based on their browsing history.

The API will then communicate three of these topics to participating sites, which can then use them for advertising purposes.

For example, a site dealing with skiing and snowboarding would be placed in the “Sports” category.

Subjects are defined to exclude potentially sensitive categories (race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.).

There are currently 350 themes, but this number is set to rise to hundreds, if not thousands.

Sites can decline to be assigned a theme, and users will be able to view the themes assigned to them.

What the PPC community has to say about the Topics API

The Topics API can definitely be a challenge to digest, and PPC experts already have plenty to say.

Here are a few comments gathered from the ppc community:

Encouraging, but more information is still needed

Aaron Levy, Head of Paid Search at Tinuiti, praises Google for trying to find a happy compromise between user and advertiser, even if the platform didn’t give us all the answers.

TLDR: There’s still a lot of vagueness out there, but it’s encouraging to see that Google is working with wider industry feedback and working towards stability.

In the Search Engine Land article, Aaron continues:

It’s strange to call it an advantage, but I consider anything launched with a higher probability of stability and a lower probability of mass opt-out to be a win.

Indeed, there’s no way around the extinction of third-party cookies. At this stage, the PPC community will take what it can get.

No great surprise

A more neutral sentiment here, by Simon Harris, Trade Desk Director at DPG Media, is not surprised, given the history of these efforts, and finds it :

A common-sense approach

Here's what he says in his Tweets:

People were talking about this approach (a long time ago, before the OG), so much so that I initially thought, wrongly, that this was the path Google would take. I assumed they wouldn’t, because it would have been seen as anti-competitive for anyone who could make sense and money out of a cohort ID and Bidstream data.

It’s interesting to see that Google has come full circle, since the pre-canalized topics were discussed before the first OG. From the consumer’s point of view, it’s good to see that they’re taking a common-sense approach here.

Google was already talking about it back in August, and the rumors have been building up for weeks. So it’s not really a surprise.

The full tweet is here

This is in line with Aaron’s earlier comment that an intermediate solution had to be found.

FLoC was already notorious for its problems, so it was only a matter of time before Google published another proposal, like Topics.

Concerns about the accuracy of subject targeting

Many advertisers feel that the list of topics is not nearly as precise as they would like.

To be fair, Google could only create a limited number of topics before its list became too specific.

If advertisers want more precise topic category choices, this could lead to Google getting deeper into the trap of catering to the needs of each niche market.

That said, Jayesh Easwaramony, founder of Spectra Global, says targeting will get worse, and gives this example.

While it’s fun to laugh at this comic strip that shows the breadth of the fitness subject category, the concern is valid.

A person browsing a fitness website on New Year’s Day is completely different from a person working as a personal trainer.

Chances are, they’re also customers of various businesses.

What you can do

Wondering what all this means for your own advertising strategy?

Try the following steps:

Collect your own data. There are many ways to collect first-party data and even zero-party data (this is number four on our list of 2022 marketing trends).
Stay tuned for updates to the Topics API. Google has a page dedicated to the Privacy Sandbox, and we’ll keep you posted too!

Google Topics API: TBD

The value of the Topics project is in the making, but I’m not sure it’s the future. There are essentially three points to remember here:

Are we surprised? No.
Are the topics too broad? Yes.
Do we have any choice but to try it out? No.

While the Topics initiative is necessary on Google’s part, it’s still too early to tell how beneficial it will be for advertisers.

When will the Topics API be launched?

In its announcement, Google said it would be launching a trial version of Topics and user controls in Chrome “soon”, so that “developers and the advertising industry can try it out”.

The final design of the user controls and other technical aspects of Topics’ operation will be decided on the basis of your feedback and what we learn from the trial.

How many topics will there be?

Google currently estimates that there will be around 350 to start with, but expects the final number of subjects to reach a few hundred or thousands.

Can users see what their subjects are?

Yes, you’ll have total control over this feature, as you’ll be able to view topics, delete those you don’t like and even disable them altogether.

Chrome also shares a complete list of available topics.

What are “participating websites”?

These are websites that end up using the rubric API, i.e. that authorize Google to assign them a rubric.

Sites can decline to be assigned a theme, but they won’t receive theme data either.

What data are used to determine the headings?

In fact, Google assigns themes to websites, and assigns you a theme based on the sites you visit most often.

Google writes: “The calculation of the most frequent topics is carried out entirely within the browser, without sharing data with external servers. The resulting topics may be sent to servers anonymously for sensitivity and abuse analysis.”

Increase your sales without spending a thing! By improving your search engine optimisation on Google Shopping!

Posted on June 9, 2025August 1, 2025 by Adenlab Adenlab

Merchants combining Google Shopping’s free listings with their Google Ads campaigns recorded 2 times more views and increased visits to their site by an average of 50%.

For many advertisers, products listed on Google Shopping and not benefiting from an advertising campaign are relegated to oblivion: that’s a mistake!

Indeed, we tend to believe that, like the second Google page, these product pages are never visited.

However, back in 2020, Google observed that merchants who combined free listings with their paid campaigns recorded twice as many views and increased visits to their websites by an average of +50%.

These significant figures can be explained by three letters: SEO.

Taking care of your search engine optimization on Google Shopping will encourage you to adopt best practices in the management of your Merchant Center feed, which in turn will improve your natural search engine optimization and therefore your visibility.

We also show you how to FINALLY analyze sales and conversions linked to your search engine optimization on Google Shopping (Warning: GA4 prerequisite).

How to improve the visibility of your products on Google Shopping Free

Good practice means taking particular care with

Although ROAS and ROI (Return on Investment) are often used interchangeably, they differ.
ROI takes into account overall costs, while ROAS focuses solely on advertising investments. ROAS is therefore better suited to evaluating the effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns.

Practical examples to better understand its application

How your feed works

It’s essential to ensure that your Merchant Center indexes your catalog correctly to maximize the visibility of your products.

In fact, even if it’s accepted that a certain percentage of your products will not be visible, a high percentage of rejected products is still an indication of a malfunction in your flow settings.

Choosing your keywords

Depending on your references and products, you can choose different positioning strategies.

Focus on generic, highly competitive keywords, or work on the long tail with more specific keywords.

The choice of one or other method will also be determined by the time and budget you can devote to this activity.

The care you take with your titles and descriptions

Indeed, even if it’s advisable to include your keywords in titles and descriptions, it’s better to write for web users before writing for the robot.

In fact, use descriptions to provide more information about your product. Descriptions will be used by Google Shopping to position you on “long tail” search terms.

Adding reinsurance elements

This will help you stand out from the competition.

Don’t forget that your free listings won’t necessarily appear among the first. You’ll be able to catch the eye of web surfers with your free listings on sites such as Avis Vérifiés or Trustpilot.

All these tips should help you improve your visibility on Google Shopping, the spearhead of free product listing.

Google Shopping : Improve the performance of product listings on Google Shopping

What would be the point of tracking the conversions of your naturally listed products on Google Shopping?

Analysing the performance and sales of your search engine optimisation products on Google Shopping has four advantages for you

Improve your customer knowledge

Having the most comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of your market will enable you to spot future trends and plan your strategies accordingly.

Enrich your database

Indeed, what could be more important than the intention of a customer who lands on your site by dint of research and without having been influenced by a paid shopping ad?

Discover high-potential products

These analyses will enable you to include the same products in your paid campaigns.

Give your products free visibility

Whether you’re just starting out in e-commerce or you’re a seasoned pro, search engine optimisation on Google Shopping lets you test your hypotheses in real life without fear of incurring a loss, whatever the performance of your paid shopping ads.

And if you feel like retorting that the customer journey is long and impenetrable, we’ll tell you that it’s all the more reason to track down those conversions that often fly under the radar, and which could enrich your knowledge of the paths your customers take to get to you.

As you can see, not worrying about these conversions would be like being satisfied with the tip of the iceberg, thinking you’ve seen the whole thing.

How to activate free Google Shopping conversion tracking in 5 clicks

Now it’s time to set up your tracking system to follow the evolution of your search engine optimisation on Google Shopping Gratuit and track the evolution of your sales.

It’s important to note that using Google Analytics 4 is a prerequisite for this tracking. If this is your case, this tutorial is for you!

A new Merchant Center feature will enable you to unlock the full potential of your catalog. To set it up, follow these steps.

Rendezvous :

In the tools and settings section, then in conversion settings
You can now activate automatic tagging.
The final url will then be assigned a tag as in the following example:
www.example.com/?srsltid=123xyz

Merchant Center – Conversion settings

Secondly, you’ll need to view your conversions in Google Analytics 4.

After logging in, go to :

in the Administration section.
In the list of products to associate, select Merchant Center.
All you have to do is link the two accounts.

For even more effective tracking and performance monitoring, build your own customized tool with Adenlab. With our Catalogue straker solution, create a more relevant reporting hub that meets your objectives. Thanks to our data-driven vision, quickly identify products in immediate need of attention, and anticipate increases in competition.