Automated Google Shopping for Netcash Shop
April 21, 2021
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August 26, 2021
You can improve your Google search ranking without trying to trick the system by listening to Google’s SEO recommendations. One of the latest updates published by Google is specifically focused on online sellers, with a focus on adding GTIN’s and brand names to the product details page.
Let’s unpack SEO with Google to understand how it works, why it is essential and how easy it is to rank higher in search engine results using Netcash Shop eCommerce.
Treat product information as top priority
Google has 1 mission, which is to help users find the services, products, and information they are searching for, quickly and effortlessly, by organising all digital information and content across the globe for a fast and convenient user experience.
For eCommerce specifically, the Google search engine tries to match the users search queries with exact or similar products and enough information about the products to assist them in making a buying decision, whether it is negative or positive.
And how is this done? Google bots scan the content of your online shop, understand the content, and display the relevant content to potential customers in the SERP’s (Search Engine Result Pages).
Special code markdown helps the Google bots identify specific product details and product information (description, price, etc.), or product elements (images, ranks, reviews, etc.) on the product detail page to help refine the user’s search.
The Netcash Shop eCommerce platform knows what vital content markdown is, and to take the burden off users, we do the hard coding work upfront. We built the platform to make SEO easy so that you can focus on selling. When you write your product names and descriptions or post product reviews, rest assured the search engines will scan your online store and show your customers specific, relevant content.
Why is it important?
Basically, if the Google bot can’t find, identify or classify the content on your website and online store, it will have no way of ‘filing’ it in the correct place and therefore can’t display it to the public.
If Google can’t identify or classify the content on your website, it won’t be able to show it to the public adequately or at all. I like to say that your product descriptions and website information are your virtual salesperson. In theory if you give Google and other search engines as much information as you can about your product or brand, it will help them understand more about the products and services you are trying to sell and help your product pages rank as high as possible.
I guess at this stage you want to know how including detailed product information on your product page can positively impact your online business.
To begin, relevant and detailed product information helps Google Search & Google Images display relevant search results to attract the right audience.
Oh, and of course higher rankings in search results will drive more leads and higher traffic volumes to your website.
Secondly, the search results include any additional information about your product or service, highlighting the offer which helps convert the customer and allows them to make a faster buying decision. The additional information is an opportunity to grab the attention of the customer searching before they get distracted by the following search results for similar products.
And finally, adding rich content with detailed product information is pretty close to having them on your product detail page. You will always be one step ahead of competing brands that are not using markdown or doing it half-heartedly.
Work with Google to win the race
Now that you understand the basics of Google bots and SEO, how can you use this process to shorten the search time and use it for good? It’s simple really, make sure you include as much detailed and relevant information about your products or services as possible, and not only in the product descriptions.
When you set up Netcash Shop and load your products or services to sell online, you will notice that all the content you add has its own input field. This back-end design is specifically to flag the content with specific code tags so that Google bots can easily find and identify your content to improve your search engine ranking. It is important to note that each one of these text fields must be filled out for maximum impact on your SEO.
Our advice to Netcash Shop users is to fill in as much information into the product information text fields provided to help your products or services rank higher in Google search results.
Tell the story by including the product name, SKU, weight, availability, stock on hand, product description, product images and more.
Add the Brand Name and Product GTIN
We mentioned how important it is for Google to be able to identify your product or service to ensure that it appears in the correct search results at the correct time. Read the February 2021 update on Googles blog. Google also uses product GTINs for a few reasons. The bots read GTINs and use them to match products to existing offers with search queries across the digital globe.
Understanding a GTIN?
The acronym stands for Global Trade Item Number (GTIN™). Most of us refer to the GTIN as a barcode, which is a registered global numeric identifier used to give a product a unique item number. Manufacturers assign a GTIN to each product they manufacture. If multiple retailers sell the same product, the GTIN will be identical across all.
Let’s break down and understand GTINs
Depending on the origin of the product, GTINs can be 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits long. You can differentiate between the four variations like this:
- UPC – a Unique Numerical Identifier consisting of 12 numeric digits predominantly used in North America. Also known as GTIN-12 and UPC-A.
- EAN – a European Article Number (EAN) typically has 13 numeric digits but can occasionally be either 8 or 14 numeric digits and is primarily used outside of North America. Also known as GTIN-13.
- JAN – a Japanese Article Number (JAN) is used only in Japan and consists of GTIN- 3, 8 or 13 numeric digits.
When books are involved, the GTIN is specific to all types of books including eBooks, hardcover & audio. This special GTIN can be identified by the ISBN:
- ISBN – an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique numerical identifier for commercial books published since 1970. It can be found on the back of the book, along with the barcode. It can be either 10 or 13 numeric digits.
How will my Business Benefit from using ISBNs
There are various benefits of using GTINs in overall business, and here are some reasons GTINs can help you grow your online business:
- GTINs link manufacturers, retailers and stock across brick & mortar businesses and online digital businesses. When an item is sold, the GTIN links updates across all systems helping keep data accurate.
- GTINs help customers and yourself, the seller, identify the origin of the products. This information can be used for sourcing and to verify the manufacturers business history, making sure you provide your customers with high-quality products from reputable manufacturers. Your customer can use the GTIN to assure themselves that they made the right decision shopping on your online store.
- Your business can use barcodes to integrate with the retail ecosystem worldwide regardless of where you are based and where you are selling from. They erase the language barriers and country borders, making your store a cell of the universal digital commerce world. Cool, huh?
- Barcodes help break down language barriers and across borders and make the automation process simple.
Next up is the Brand Name!
If you are selling branded goods, it is a huge benefit to include the brand name in your product information. Google relies on the brand name as a secondary identifier to identify products. In many cases if you are a start-up of local business without GTINs, you can use the brand name as a substitute.
Brand names often show on the Google Shopping Tab and in the Google search results. Including brand names is not mandatory but if they are available Google recommends including them.
GTINs and Brand Names with Netcash Shop
To reiterate, adding GTINs to your eCommerce business is essential for the success of your online Shop and SEO rankings on Google.
And Netcash Shop is built with multiple options making it easy for you.
Manual GTIN Updates
In the Netcash Shop control panel, we have included an attributes tab on the product information space. By default, we have included two test input fields which can’t be deleted.
You can find these fields by navigating to Netcash Shop admin > Catalog à Products > Edit any Product.
When you have entered toe product to edit, you will see tabs at the top of the product edit page, directly below the product title. The second tab from the left is ‘Attributes’. When you click on attributes, you will see the following in your product editor:
Netcash Shop has automatically included a field ‘UPS’ which is our name for GTINs. You can change the name of this field easily if you navigate to the ‘Product Types’ area in the Netcash Shop settings. This field is standard and will be visible on the product details page of your online store, so it is advisable to customise this in an abbreviation relevant to your location and audience for a better online shopping experience for your customers.
This is advisable for sellers with a smaller product listing.
Bulk GTIN Updates
If you have a larger product listing, you can save time editing and make use of quick and easy bulk updates with CSV files. Use the Export / Import tools in the Netcash Shop control panel.
You can export your product catalog as a CSV file, edit the UPC / GTIN and brand fields, and then Import the CSV file back into Netcash Shop. We have some Import / Export tips in the Netcash Help Center to help you get started.
Google Merchant Center and GTINs
You can choose to sell online through the Google Merchant Center by following Googles recommendations, instead of on your own website or social media platforms, but you might run into trouble. Your rankings will be negatively impacted, or you could be excluded from search results if you have missing identifiers. If you are using Google Shopping or if you are advertising via the Google Merchant Center, you must update your product listing and ensure that you have GTINs and brand names specified otherwise your products and adverts will be ranked down.
If you have no GTINs
You can easily assign your own GTINs if you are the manufacturer of the product. This must be done through an official register. Google recommends this register GS1 company for manufacturers to assign GTINs to products. If you are a seller, you need to approach your supplier for the product GTINs. If your supplier is unable to supply barcodes, it might be a good idea to change to a supplier with valid GTINs. If you are unsure and want to verify GTINs, you can use the GTIN database.
Nobody likes cheaters
Making up GTINs will have no benefit to you at all. Google is integrated with all registered and valid GTIN databases. If you are feeding Google the wrong information, Google will know.
My Conclusion
Including GTINs and Brand names in the Netcash Shop attributes fields gives you the opportunity to rank higher in Google Search and Google Shopping. Consider the points in this blog post and provide detailed product information on your product pages. Especially GTINs and Brand names.
Take advantage of this free information to increase your search ranking, you have nothing to lose. All you need to do is put some time aside, verify and add your GTINs and Brand names to your product attributes and we bet you will see a positive change in your Google Search rankings soon.
Feel free to reach out to our support team for guidance.
Author:
Steven Howard
eCommerce Product Owner
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