How to Create Smart Shopping Campaigns in Google Ads

Key takeaways

Smart Shopping campaigns in Google Ads, now updated to Performance Max campaigns, create and place ads that target potential customers.

• To create a Smart Shopping campaign, you’ll need a Google Ads account and a Merchant Center account. 

• Select the products you want to feature in your campaign and add images, logos, and text for further customization. 

• You can set a budget and a bidding strategy to manage your new Smart Shopping campaign.

Learn more about Google Ads and how to create Smart Shopping campaigns. If you’re ready to develop your e-commerce skills, consider enrolling in the Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Professional Certificate. You’ll have the chance to learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and e-commerce in as little as six months. By the end, you’ll have earned a career credential to share with potential employers.

What is a Smart Shopping campaign?

Smart Shopping campaigns automatically create and place your ads targeted to your customers based on a feed of information about your products. Google Ads has updated Smart Shopping campaigns to Performance Max, a campaign type that builds on the tools of Smart Shopping to provide stronger performance and more robust reporting. Once you have upgraded your campaigns, you can no longer start a new Smart Shopping campaign. You can read more about upgrading your Smart Shopping campaigns to Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads Help. 

Did Google get rid of smart campaigns?

Google began to phase out its Smart Shopping campaigns in 2022, transitioning users to Performance Max. The updated Performance Max campaigns integrate many Smart Shopping features and offer AI-powered optimization.

How to create a Google Smart Shopping campaign

You will need a Google Ads account, a Merchant Center account, and a working link between the two to use Smart Shopping campaigns. Google also recommends that if you are currently running other campaigns, such as a display advertising campaign with certain products, you should either discontinue those ads or select different products for a Smart Shopping campaign. Otherwise, your advertising could interfere with Google’s ability to collect data necessary for smart calculations. 

The steps to create a Smart Shopping campaign are to: 

1. Navigate to the new campaign menu.

2. Configure settings

3. Set your budget and bidding strategy.

4. Choose the products you want to feature and upload ad assets such as images.

5. Preview your potential ads before saving your settings. 

Let’s take a closer look at each step of the process. 

1. Create a new campaign. 

From your Google Ads home page, click on the Campaigns icon. Then, click the Campaigns drop-down menu, and click Campaigns for the third time. Finally, click the Plus icon and then New Campaign. 

2. Configure settings.

For a Smart Shopping campaign, you should set Sales as your campaign objective.

Select Shopping for campaign type. 

In the next step, you will link your campaign to your Merchant Center account and the country where you sell your products. Choose Smart Shopping campaign for the Campaign subtype, press Continue, and create a name for your campaign. 

3. Set your budget and bid strategy. 

Smart Shopping campaigns automatically bid on your behalf using machine learning to find the most value for your daily budget. As a result, your bidding strategy is set by default. You will need to set a daily average budget. You also have the option to set a target return on ad spend. 

4. Choose products and upload assets.

Next, you’ll need to choose the products you wish to feature and upload digital assets such as images, logos, and text. If you do not choose the products you wish to feature, Google Ads will draw products from your entire feed. This can pose a problem if you have other campaigns running that may interfere with Smart Shopping machine learning and ad placement.

5. Preview potential ads and save.

Once you’ve uploaded your assets, Google Ads will use them to create responsive ads, or ads that automatically fit into whatever space is available to them. Google Ads will generate a few examples of what your ads will look like for you to preview and approve. Click Save to finish setting up your Smart Shopping campaign. 

Read more: How to Create Video Action Campaigns in Google Ads 

Explore free digital marketing resources

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to gain access to career tips and industry trends. Then, explore these resources to broaden your digital marketing knowledge:

• Customize Google Ads: How to Set Up Smart Bidding in Google Ads 

• Get certified: 6 Digital Marketing Certificates for Future Marketing Pros 

• Broaden your knowledge: Digital Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know 

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