Learn how to create Smart Shopping campaigns in Google Ads to simplify management and get more conversion value.
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.
By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to create new Smart Shopping campaigns in Google Ads.
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:
Navigate to the new campaign menu.
Configure settings
Set your budget and bidding strategy.
Choose the products you want to feature and upload ad assets such as images.
Preview your potential ads before saving your settings.
Let’s take a closer look at each step of the process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you’re ready to learn more about a career as a marketing coordinator or e-commerce associate, consider earning your Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate on Coursera. This beginner-friendly, seven-course series will help prepare you for a career in the industry, teaching you skills such as search engine optimization, email marketing, e-commerce, and more.
Editorial Team
Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...
This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.
Whether you're starting your career or trying to advance to the next level, experts at Google are here to help.
Save money and learn in-demand skills from top companies and organizations at your own pace.