When someone searches Google for a specific product ("women's running shoes", say) and sees a row of photos with price and store name at the top, that's Google Shopping. Unlike a traditional text ad, it shows the product directly, so whoever clicks already arrives with a much clearer purchase intent.
Why it usually converts better than text ads
The user already sees the photo, price and store before clicking. That naturally filters out anyone not genuinely interested in that product or price range, which translates into higher-quality traffic and, generally, a lower cost per conversion than traditional Google Search Ads.
The foundation of it all: the product feed
Google Shopping doesn't work by writing ad copy — it runs off a feed (a structured file) with each product's data: title, description, price, availability, category, image. The quality of that feed directly determines which searches each product shows up for.
The mistake that limits performance the most
Generic or poorly optimised product titles ("Blue t-shirt" instead of "Women's navy blue organic cotton short-sleeve t-shirt") mean Google doesn't know which searches to show that product for. The more specific and detail-rich the title and description, the more relevant searches the ad captures.
How to start without burning through budget
Start with products that already have good turnover or higher margins, review weekly which searches are generating clicks (to exclude the ones that don't fit) and adjust bids per product based on actual performance, not uniformly across the whole catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an online store to use Google Shopping?
Yes, Google Shopping requires a product feed connected to a real online store, with up-to-date prices and availability.
What's the minimum budget needed to start?
There's no fixed minimum, but to gather enough data to optimise with any judgement, it's usually recommended to start with at least a few hundred euros a month, depending on the number of products and how competitive the sector is.
Does Google Shopping work for any type of product?
It works especially well for physical products with clear purchase-intent searches. For services or very generic products, other Google Ads formats usually perform better.