Why Should Anyone Click Your Google Shopping Ad?

When someone searches your product type in Google, they’re met with an aisle of near-identical options. If you sell desks, it’s you vs. hundreds of desks. So… why should they click yours?

After optimising Shopping and Performance Max (PMax) campaigns with millions in ad spend, we’ve noticed the brands that win do a few simple things differently—and they do them consistently.

Below is exactly what we implement for top-performing Shopify brands, why it works, and how to apply it in your own account today.

1) The Invisible Fix That Gets More Clicks

Problem: Product titles sound nice… but don’t match what people actually type.

Example: A client listed “Modern Computer Desk”. It read well, but it was invisible among lookalikes.

What we did: Checked Campaigns → Insights & reports → Search terms and found the real money phrase: “adjustable desk for home office.” We added that exact phrase to the product title.

Result: Within two weeks, click-throughs jumped—and conversions followed.

Do this now (5-minute task):

1. Open your PMax/Shopping campaign → Insights & reports → Search terms.
2. Export the last 30–90 days and sort by clicks + conversions.
3. Rewrite product titles in your feed to include the highest-intent phrases (don’t stuff; make it natural).
4. Refresh the feed and re-fetch in Merchant Center.

Tip: Prioritise products with high impression share but low CTR. Title relevance is often the culprit.

2) When Google Stops Guessing, You Start Winning

Problem: One campaign for every product. One budget to cover “rent, groceries, and holidays.” Something suffers.

Why it matters: Google’s algorithm will push spend to a handful of easy winners while great products stay unseen.

Fix: Split campaigns to control where money goes and what signals Google learns from.

Proven structures:

• Branded vs. Non-Branded (baseline for most stores)
• By Category (e.g., Desks, Chairs, Storage)
• By Price Tier (e.g., ≤£99, £100–£299, £300+)

For big catalogues (1,000s of SKUs): Start with Branded vs. Non-Branded; add Category if search intent (from Step 1) shows clear differences.

Why it works: Cleaner signals, steadier CPA/ROAS, easier scaling.

Do this now:

1. Duplicate your primary Shopping/PMax campaign.
2. Use Brand exclusions and Brand-only audience signals to separate intent.
3. Set distinct budgets + targets per campaign (e.g., non-brand gets more cautious tROAS/tCPA).
4. Monitor Search categories and Search terms weekly and refine.

3) Win Clicks Without Slashing Prices

You don’t need to be the cheapest—you need to look competitive where it matters.

Where to look: In Google Merchant Center → Products, there’s a Sale price suggestions column. Google runs simulations using your ad performance, price sensitivity over the last 7 days, and market data to suggest which items benefit most from a price change.

A fast, profitable test:

1. Identify your top 10 revenue drivers in PMax/Shopping.
2. Apply Google’s suggested discount only to those SKUs.
3. Use a Merchant Center Promotion (so you show as “best value” in ads) rather than dropping site-wide prices.
4. Track impression share, CTR, CVR, and profit for 7–14 days.

Note: If you change the price on-site, the product page must reflect the discount. Promotions help you test ad price perception without tanking margins across every channel.

4) The 20% CPC Edge That Feels Like Cheating (EU Only)

If you sell in Europe, route your Shopping ads through a Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partner. You’ll typically pay ~20% less per click—baked into the auction after Google’s EU fine. Same campaigns, same data, different entry point.

Compounding impact: Spend £20k/month? That’s roughly £4k in extra clicks—every month.

Tools we like: We often pair DataFeedWatch for feed management with a CSS partner to claim the discount.

Do this now:

1. Choose a CSS partner and link Merchant Center.
2. Keep campaigns as-is; confirm ads serve via the CSS.
3. Reinvest the CPC savings into non-brand or new products.

5) Data That Makes Every Pound Work Harder

Average advertisers glance at ROAS once a month and “go with their gut.” Top brands label the account so spend flows automatically to what works.

Create dynamic custom labels for:

• Top performers: Rolling top 20% by revenue or profit
• Seasonal items: Based on historical demand windows
• Margin tiers: High vs. low (from your back-end data)
• Price bands: e.g., ≤£50, £51–£150, £151+

How to use labels:

• Split campaigns or asset groups by label.
• Set tougher targets on low-margin items, looser on high-margin.
• Rotate creative (images, headlines) based on label—e.g., “Best-seller” badges for top 20%.

Outcome: Your account shifts from reactive to proactive. Every pound knows where it’s going and why.

Quick Checklist (Copy/Paste)

• Pull 30–90 days of Search terms → rewrite titles with real phrases.
• Split Branded vs. Non-Branded (add Category/Price if needed).
• Test Sale price suggestions on top 10 SKUs with a Promotion.
• If in the EU, switch to a CSS for ~20% CPC savings.
• Build custom labels (top 20%, seasonal, margin tiers) and route budgets accordingly.
• Review Search categories, Insights, and Budget pacing weekly.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Keyword stuffing titles: Make them readable; lead with the primary phrase, keep key specs (size, material, colour).
• Mixing brand & non-brand in one pot: You’ll misread performance and over-credit branded demand.
• Only chasing ROAS: Track profit and incrementality, especially when testing price/promos.
• Ignoring feed health: Disapprovals, missing GTINs, or weak images will quietly cap scale.

Need a Hand?

If you’d like help applying this to your Shopify store—title rewrites, smart structures, promotions, CSS setup, and data-driven labelling—book a call with Marketing XP. We’ll show you what’s working right now and build a plan that protects margin while you scale.