Google Shopping is the product of two Google platforms: AdWords and Merchant Center. Each plays a vital role in the health of your Google Shopping campaigns so it’s important that you understand how each works in relation to your product listing ads (PLAs).

Google Merchant Center is where your product data feed lives. It retains all of your product data in a format that’s compatible with the Google AdWords platform and, more specifically, how AdWords takes in Shopping campaign data.

Google AdWords is where your shopping campaigns (listing ads, budget, bids) live. It’s also where you’ll be able to see reporting data and make changes to campaign settings.

Google Shopping success is determined by a combination of factors:

1. Planning and strategy
2. Product data feed  
3. Bidding
4. Campaign monitoring and feed optimization
5. Landing pages and checkout process

In the upcoming emails we’ll dive deeper into each of these concepts, guiding you along the way toward a successful Google Shopping strategy.