New Changes To Google: What Will They Mean To Your Ecommerce Business?

This is a guest post written by Arie Shpanya from Imonline Group, a top ecommerce agency"

There is no question that Google is a vital resource for any eCommerce business. With the Google landscape transforming as frequently as it does, it is important to stay afloat of these changes if you expect your business to have an edge over the competition. With that in mind, let’s examine the recent changes to Google, and see how your eCommerce business can benefit from them.

Google Real-Time Search

In October last year, Google announced that it would begin including real-time updates as a part of the search result. By December, Google released a Latest Search feature as part of the natural search. The feature displays the latest news updates and Tweets within any given search result. Thus, shoppers are exposed to up-to-the-minute information about products they are searching for. It is clear then that eCommerce businesses must adapt to this new feature by integrating social marketing strategies into their current SEO campaigns. The Latest Search feature shows the writing on the wall: Shoppers will be purchasing goods in real-time, and it is important for your business to attract their attention at that phase of the search, or else it may be too late. 

Google Product Extensions

Google Product Extensions connects keywords with relevant products offered directly by retailers. However, in addition to triggering paid search ads, results can now display images and pricing information. The good news is that your products can now claim more screen space and, thus, increase your click-through rates. The bad news is that if you do not have images for display, you will now show up lower in the results, which will lead to a lower click-through rate.

Google Product Listing Ads

Besides for paid search ads, Google now includes Product Listing Ads, which come from Google-approved affiliate networks and product search inventory. In short, these Product Listing Ads display an image, followed by product name and price. The big deal is that these ads use a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) model instead of the typical cost-per-click (CPC) model. This means these ads are lower risk for you. Lower risk and more efficient – so what’s the catch? Right now these ads are limited to a few advertisers in a limited beta. However, if these ads come into play, the entire scheme of attracting customers will shift significantly. 

Google Product Reviews

Recently, Google announced a partnership with Bazaarvoice – a top product review company – which will allow user reviews and ratings to appear within relevant search results. Currently, this feature is exclusively available to retailers who work with Bazaarvoice, but expect all that to change in the near future. It is unclear at this time exactly what affects these reviews will have, but you can be certain they will have an impact.

Android Apps

Google research shows that in the three years since the launch of the first iPhone, mobile shopping-related search queries have grown by more than 3,000%. It is important for retailers to recognize the emergence of mCommerce as a legitimate sales channel, and take the necessary steps to be a part of the growing excitement. Google’s smartphone operating system – Android – is the fastest growing smartphone operating system currently on the market. Google recently launched Google Shopper, a mobile app that lets consumers search for products via a barcode scan, picture scan or keywords. There are many other such apps that make shopping via mobile smartphones a breeze. If you don’t want your business to be left lying in the dust, now is the time to take action and find your niche in the mCommerce arena.

Remember, Google is a big part of what makes any eCommerce retailer successful. It makes sense to keep up-to-date and align your business to these fresh, exciting changes.