Google Shopping opens floodgates to China (even wider)

[chapeaunoir]

In 2012, Google Shopping moved to a pay-to-play model. In order to get visibility on Google Shopping, sellers must pay for Product Listing ads. Greater demand (relative to supply) for PLA ads could mean they will become more expensive for current advertisers.

This may have a big impact on small businesses with limited ad budgets.  I was considering once again purchasing ad space on Google, but probably won't bother as visibility gets more expensive - under Google Ads system sellers bid for ad space. 

www.ecommercebytes.com/2018/06/18/google-shopping-to-see-influx-of-chinese-products-via-jd-com-deal/

[val2525]

Wonder if that will hold true for regular google search?

I've tried using Google Shopping. I don't like it.

[chapeaunoir]

I'm not sure about Google search, and that's a good question.

Google shopping worked well for me for a while, then they changed the program (speculation was that they were discontinuing it, but turns out they didn't) and I had no luck after that and haven't been bidding for ad space. I think it'll just be too expensive. I'm futzing around with a standalone website and it brought Google Shopping ads back into my mind.

[val2525]

Google shopping options are too limited (even worse than eBay search returns, LOL!).

[chapeaunoir]

Maybe that's why my stuff came up at the top of searches - before it was revamped it worked really well to get my items up, though OTOH, I sell in a really niche market and that may have tilted returns a bit.