Google Standard Shopping Ads Now Extended to Discover, Gmail, YouTube

A recent change to Standard Shopping campaigns on Google could potentially have a significant impact on the overall performance and reach of your search campaigns.

As of March 4th, Google Shopping ads will now be able to extend to the Discover feed, Gmail, and YouTube. This update aligns the settings and features of Standard Shopping campaigns with Smart Shopping campaigns (launched in 2019). Note: one remaining difference between the two is that automated bidding is the only process available for Smart Shopping campaigns (whereas Standard Shopping allows for automated and manual bid optimization).

A few important details about this update:

• Effective March 4th, Standard Shopping campaigns will be automatically opted-in to include placements on YouTube, Gmail, and Discover. You can find these settings in the Network tab (see image below).
  
  If you do not want Standard Shopping campaigns serving on the Display Network, make sure to uncheck this box.
• Google Ads reporting will separate Discover, Gmail and YouTube performance into a "Display Network" segment. You will not be able to view performance by property.
• Expect to see lower CTR and overall performance on these networks as they tend to target users higher up in the conversion funnel.
• Opting-in to Search Network allows Shopping ads to be served in Google Image Search.

Lastly, you may be noticing a trend by Google over the past year in which they are beginning to merge multiple campaign types into one (e.g. Smart Shopping, Discovery Campaigns, etc) in order to make it easier for advertisers to manage campaigns and expand reach. If you manage the performance of your campaigns based on placements, this shift could potentially make it more challenging as reporting capabilities are now limited to Search or Display Network. This would also affect the ability to analyze performance based on where each tactic lands in the funnel.

Updates like these which automatically expand the placements of your ads can have a significant - and immediate - impact on important performance metrics. If you haven’t yet, make sure to look into your settings and be intentional about your Google Shopping ad placements. For strategic help on your search campaigns, reach out to Rise.