How to Create a Google Shopping Ad

To run Google Shopping ads, you must have a Google Ads account and a Google Merchant Center account. These two accounts must be linked together. It’s also recommended to have Google Analytics set up for tracking performance.

Google ShoppingStep 1: Sign in to Google Ads

  • Log into your Google Ads account.

Step 2: Create a New Campaign

  • Click Campaigns
  • Click the blue + button to create a new campaign

Step 3: Choose Your Goal and Campaign Type

  • Select your campaign goal (typically Sales)
  • Choose Shopping as the campaign type

Step 4: Select Your Merchant Center Account

  • Choose the Merchant Center account that contains the products you want to advertise. Click Save and Continue.

Step 5: Set Campaign Settings

  • Name your campaign
  • Choose your daily budget
  • Set your bid
  • You’ll also see optional settings like Priority, Devices, Locations, and Networks. These are set to default unless you change them.
  • Click Save and Continue.

Step 6: Choose “Product Shopping Ad”

  • Select Product Shopping Ad when prompted.

Step 7: Create Your First Product Group

  • Name your Ad Group
  • Enter a bid. This bid applies to the default product group called “All Products.”
  • Click Save.

Step 8: Subdivide the “All Products” Group

  • After saving, you’ll be taken to the Product Group page where you’ll see All Products. You can now break this into smaller groups for better bidding control.
  • To create a product group subdivision:
    1. Click the + next to All Products
    2. Next to “Subdivide All Products By,” choose an attribute (such as category, brand, or product type)
    3. Select the subdivisions you want (for example: Polo Shirts, Dress Shirts, T-Shirts)
    4. Click Continue to adjust bids, or Save to keep the default bid. This allows you to bid differently based on product type, brand, or category.

Important to Remember

Google Shopping ads are not based on keywords. They are generated from the product data in your Merchant Center feed. That means your ad performance depends on how accurate and optimized your product titles, descriptions, and attributes are inside Merchant Center.