Google Shopping ads for Indian retailers: getting started

When someone searches for "men's running shoes under 2000" on Google, the first thing they often see is a row of product images with prices and store names at the top of the page. Those are Shopping ads, and they are run through Google Merchant Center combined with Google Ads. For Indian retailers selling physical products, these ads are often the highest-ROI Google channel because they show product images, prices, and your store name before anyone clicks.

Setting up Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center is the system that holds your product data. Start at merchants.google.com and create an account. You will need your business name, website URL, and physical address.

Verify and claim your website by adding a small snippet of code to your site header or connecting through Google Search Console. Google will also verify that your website meets basic standards: it must have a clear return policy, shipping information, and contact details visible to users.

Once your account is verified, you submit a product feed. This is a file (spreadsheet or XML) that lists all your products with their titles, descriptions, prices, images, availability, and product IDs.

Creating your product feed

For WooCommerce stores, install the "Google Listings and Ads" plugin or a dedicated feed plugin like WooCommerce Google Feed Manager. These automatically generate a product feed that Merchant Center can read and update regularly.

The quality of your feed directly affects how well your Shopping ads perform. Google uses the data in your feed to decide when to show your products. Pay attention to product titles: include the brand name, product type, key attributes, and relevant keywords in the title. "Adidas Men's Running Shoes Blue Size 9 UK" will get shown for more relevant queries than just "Running Shoes."

Product descriptions should be detailed and include natural variations of the product name. Images must be high quality, on a white or neutral background, and show only the product (no watermarks, promotional text, or logos overlaid).

Connecting Merchant Center to Google Ads

Once your feed is approved (Google reviews it within 3 to 5 days), go to Google Ads, click the tools icon, and link your Merchant Center account. Then create a new Shopping campaign.

Choose your campaign type: Standard Shopping or Performance Max. Standard Shopping gives you more manual control. Performance Max is Google's newer campaign type that uses automation across all Google channels. For first-time Shopping advertisers in India, Standard Shopping lets you understand what is working before letting Google's algorithm take over.

Set your daily budget and bids. Shopping ads use a cost-per-click model. Start with a moderate CPC bid of ₹5 to ₹15 and adjust based on performance data after a couple of weeks.

Optimising for Indian shoppers

Indian price sensitivity means your Shopping ads need competitive pricing. Google displays your price alongside competitors in the Shopping tab. If your price is significantly higher for the same product, your click-through rate will suffer.

Run promotions through Merchant Center's Promotions feature. A "Free delivery above ₹499" or "10% off first order" badge on your Shopping ad can meaningfully improve click-through rates.

Negative keywords matter in Shopping campaigns. Unlike Search campaigns, you cannot control exactly which queries trigger your Shopping ads. Monitor your search term report weekly and add irrelevant terms as negatives to prevent wasted spend.

Frequently asked questions