Google Ads

Catalogue

• Preparation list
• How to set up a Google Merchant Center account
• Detailed steps‍
• Frequently asked questions‍
• How to charge fees

Preparing to Launch a Google Ad：

1. ‍Online store settings:Before running Google Shopping ads, Google needs to make sure your store is trustworthy, compliant, and provides a good shopping experience. Therefore, merchants need to complete the following settings in the online store：
   • Add shipping methods and charges
   • Add payment methods (excluding bank transfers and cash pickup payments)
   • Add a return policy (*if you don't have any policies, please provide a reason)
   • Add contact method (phone number, email address)
   • Add contact information to proceed with verification (including phone number and company address)
2. Other requirements:If the following conditions are not met, the system will show an error, and the merchant will not be able to complete the ad settings, thus avoiding poor presentation:
   • At least 50 items uploaded
   • Achieve at least 50 transactions per month
   • Add product description
3. ‍Set up a Google Merchant Center account:Google Merchant Center (GMC) is an important tool for merchants to add product catalogs, manage product information uniformly, and analyze product performance data. It is the core of Google Shopping ads. All shopping ads must submit product information through GMC before they can be displayed on the Google platform.
4. ‍Product materials must comply with Google guidelines:Google has strict rules on advertising content. All product information must comply with Google product data standards. Failure to do so may result in advertising being denied or even account suspension.‍
   • Prohibited delivery:‍
     • Prohibited items: drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods
     • Adult content: Pornographic materials, sexual services
     • Illegal services: hacking tools, pirated software, financial fraud
     • Misleading products: fake medicine, hypocrisy‍
   • Restricted placement (subject to specific conditions)‍
     • Services: technical support, finance, healthcare
     • Alcohol: Brand promotion, direct sales (subject to regional restrictions)
     • Medicines: Prescription Drugs & Medical Organization Advertisements (Google approval required)
     • Nutritional supplements: legal products are permitted, but they must not overstate efficacy or contain controlled ingredients

‍

How to Set up a Google Merchant Center Account:

Steps:

1. Online store settings: Go to the management interface of Boutir website “Promote > Advertise > Create Ad”, click “Google Ads”, and follow the instructions on the page to complete the online store settings task.
2. Authorize and connect to your Google account:After completing all tasks, click “Next”, click “Connect with Google” and sign in to the Google account associated with your store
3. Select language:Currently, the pre-set sales area through Boutir is Hong Kong. Merchants can choose the language as Chinese/English. Please make sure that your product information matches the set language before setting, otherwise it will not be approved by Google. If you choose English, then only people who have set English as their Internet browser language will see your products.
4. Set up an account and submit for approval:After clicking “Create New Account”, please wait patiently for the system to create your Google Merchant Center account and Ads account for you. After completing the relevant account creation procedure, Google will begin reviewing your online store and product information.

‍

Detailed Steps

1. Value-added funds: Go to the “Accounts and Subscriptions” > “Funds”/“Create an Ad” page > “Available Funds” in the management interface of Boutir website, and click “Add Value” to add more funds. The minimum redemption amount is HK$100 each time; please note that after you add value, the system will not return all funds to cash.
2. Set up Google ads:Go to the management interface of Boutir website “Promote > Advertise > Create Ad” and click “Google Ads”‍
3. Select a product and set the ad name: ‍
   
   • Select products:. Select the products you need to make the advertisement achieve the best results. We recommend that merchants have at least 50 products, so if the number of products is small, the suggested merchant can select all the products.‍
   • Ad name:It is for the merchant's own reference only, and is not a display name.‍
4. Set a budget and ad duration: ‍
   
   • Advertisement time:You need to set a minimum of one month for the ad to start and end.‍
   • Advertisement Budget:The daily budget for Suggested Ads is HK$30.‍
5. Set up an bidding strategy:The purpose of setting up an auction strategy is so that your ad can be displayed to potential customers at the right time and in the right place. Google Ads takes part in the competition based on your settings and determines which ads can be displayed. In this process, the bid price and quality score will influence the ranking of the ads. ‍
   
   • Increase conversion value competition as much as possible:The purpose of this strategy is for your ads to compete for the highest conversion value (such as sales revenue or other conversion goals) within a set budget. Google Ads uses machine learning to automatically adjust your bids and get the highest conversion value based on opportunities.‍
   • Target return on investment (ROAS):Target ROAS refers to how much value you want to bring for every $1 spent on advertising. Example: Set a goal: If you want to earn $5 in sales for every $1 spent on advertising, then you can set a ROAS goal of**500%**. Your actual ROAS may be different from the target you set, but Google Ads will automatically help you adjust your bid to achieve the ROAS closest to the target you set.
   • Note: If the merchant has no experience with Google advertising, it is recommended not to set a “target advertising spend rebate rate” to avoid reducing the conversion value and affecting ad expression‍
6. One-key delivery, monitoring results at any time:Track advertising expressions instantly, and improve return on investment (ROAS) based on data optimization strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. ‍How long does Google approval take?
   ‍Google is required to review whether stores and products are eligible. The review time is usually 2-4 weeks, The specific time is based on Google's review progress.
2. ‍How do I deal with a Google Merchant Center account or product being banned? ‍
   • Find out why you were banned
     • Go to Google Merchant Center and check “Diagnostics” → “Account issues”.
     • Check the notification email from Google to see the specific reason for the violation. ‍
       • Common types of accounts or products prohibited:
         • Product warning: There is a risk of refusal of approval, which affects advertising expressions.
         • Account Warning: Unmodified accounts may be banned.
         • Account banned: An appeal review is required before it can be restored.‍
       • Common irregulary causes‍
         • False statement: false advertisement, unclear return and refund policy.
         • Price does not match: The advertised price is different from the price displayed on the website.
         • Illegal content: counterfeit products, pirated software, prohibited supplements.‍
   • Edit an account or product
     • Increase store credibility
       • Provide complete contact information (address, phone, email).
       • Clearly outline the refund/return policy (process, timelines, costs).
       • Payment and delivery methods must not include illegal options such as “in-person” or “bank transfer.”
     • Correct product information
       • Make sure the product description is clear and the images meet Google standards.
       • Avoid hagendas (such as “100% effective”, “cheapest in Hong Kong”).
       • To sell branded products, you must provide a distribution authorization document.
     • Remove illegal items
       • Remove prohibited content (such as pirated software, counterfeit products).
       • Ensure supplements comply with regulations and avoid containing controlled ingredients
   • Submission review
     
     • Sign in to Google Merchant Center.
     • Go to “Products” → “Diagnostics”.
     • Click “Account issues” to check the type of issue.
     • After amending the complaint, submit it and wait for Google to review it again.
3. ‍How long does the ad need to run?
   Merchants should operate the least amount of advertising 1 month Let's observe the results, and allow the system enough time to collect data and optimize advertisements. If the advertisement is stopped or modified during the study period, the advertising expression may fluctuate, and merchants need to wait patiently for the study period to end before observing the results.‍
   
   • If you stop advertising: If the merchant stops advertising and wants to post the old advertisement again, they must restart the advertisement as soon as possible; otherwise, the Google system will once again go through a “learning period” to re-collect data and proceed with optimization.‍
   • Create a new ad: If a merchant creates a new advertising campaign, whether it's a completely new ad or a revised ad, Google will also begin a new learning period, and will not improve new advertising expressions based on old data.
4. ‍How many products should I choose to promote?
   To ensure the best advertising results, it is recommended that merchants have at least 50 products before posting Google ads, and select all products when creating ads. If the number of products is huge, and there are more than 100 products in the same category, you can consider creating advertisements by category; conversely, if the number of products is small, you can directly create a single advertisement to promote all products. Additionally, merchants should ensure that the selected products comply with Google's shopping advertising policies, and never list products prohibited by Google, such as counterfeit products or dangerous items. As for more sensitive products such as adult products and alcoholic beverages, even though Google does not clearly prohibit them, it is still recommended to avoid listing them so as not to affect account operations.‍
5. How much is the daily ad opening limit?
   The advertising budget should depend on the merchant's affordability, but underestimation may affect the exposure rate, cause the Google system to be unable to obtain sufficient data, extend the “learning period”, and affect the effectiveness of advertising. Therefore, it is recommended that when launching Google ads for the first time, the daily budget is HK$50 and lasts at least 1 month, after which adjustments can be made according to the ad expression.‍
6. What are Google's bidding strategies?
   ‍Based on Google Ads' bidding strategy, different types of advertising series currently offer a variety of bidding methods, such as “click priority”, “exposure priority”, etc. For smart shopping ads, Google currently only supports “competing for the highest conversion value”. Merchants can set a “target advertising return rate” (ROAS) to ensure that advertising expressions reach the expected return on investment.‍
7. When setting up an bidding strategy, should you set a target advertising return rate?
   If the merchant is launching Google ads for the first time, it is not recommended to immediately set a target advertising return rate (ROAS), as this will greatly limit the system and affect advertising efficiency. It is recommended that merchants first accumulate a certain amount of experience, observe the advertisement's feedback situation, and then set an appropriate response rate based on actual expressions.‍
8. How can I see the ads that are being posted?Successful advertising involves a number of factors, such as pricing strategy, quality of product data, and the correlation between products and user searches. Therefore, even if the ad has passed Google's review, merchants still need to enter the appropriate keywords in the search engine before they have a chance to see their ad.‍
9. Why hasn't the ad been charged for several days? Does that mean the ad wasn't successful?
   ‍Even if the ad is successfully published, Google usually deducts the cost of the ad every few days. Therefore, when viewing ad reports in Boutir mobile app, merchants may find that the advertisement has received exposure and accumulated data, but the account has not yet been charged. This is a normal phenomenon.‍
10. The advertisement has been running for a while but the response is poor. How can it be improved?
    Poor advertising may be related to under-budgeting. As mentioned above, if the daily ad spend is too low, it may affect exposure and lead to poor advertising results. Furthermore, advertising expression may fluctuate a lot during the “learning period”, but as the system obtains more data, the effectiveness usually improves. If the advertisement has passed the “learning period” and the response still does not meet the target, it is recommended that it be optimized in the following areas:
    
    • Evaluating product competitiveness: Check whether the product is attractive or has market advantage.
    • Optimize product titles and descriptions: Refer to competitors' practices to ensure titles and descriptions are clear and differentiated.
    • Improve product information: Provide more detailed specifications, such as size, color, etc., to increase purchasing motivation.
    • Improve selling points: Highlight the competitiveness of products through advantages such as price and delivery methods.

How to Charge the Fee:

1. How much does it cost to advertise on Google through Boutir?
   You need to use a funding system to advertise, and Boutir will charge a 15% service fee based on your advertising budget. Google advertising fees, on the other hand, will be charged according to the bidding method you choose.
   • Scenario 1 | Set publication period: Budget $30 per day, publish for 30 days
     The system will reserve funds for the entire period at once, including advertising fees and 15% service fees: $30 x 30 days x 1.15 = $1,035
   • Scenario 2 | Closing date not set: Daily budget of $30, start immediately
     Ads will continue to run until you manually stop them. The methods for withholding funds are as follows:
     • First day: The system will reserve funds for the same day and the next day:
       　($30 + $30) x 1.15 = $69
     • Every day thereafter: The system will reserve the required funds for the next day:
       　$30 x 1.15 = $34.5
     • After advertising ends: The system will clear the last day's advertising fees and service fees on the next day, and return unused funds to your fund account.
2. How will Boutir System refund the remaining funds?
   Google will deduct funds based on the actual number of ads displayed, and will refund unused funds 1 to 2 days after the ad ends. Therefore, when the advertisement is completed, Boutir System will deduct the used funds based on the actual advertising costs and return the remaining unused funds to your fund account.
   • Scenario 1: Stop advertising immediately on your own, and the system will usually refund the remaining funds within about 24 hours.
   • Scenario 2: The advertisement ends according to the publication date. When the advertisement is set, the system will first reserve the funds required for the publication period in one time (advertising budget and 15% service fee), and the remaining funds will be refunded approximately 32 hours after the advertisement is completed.
3. When setting up ads, what are the problems if the remaining funds are insufficient?
   If the remaining funds are insufficient, merchants will not be able to confirm the advertisement, and will not be able to save the ad settings. They will need to re-create the advertisement after completing the value-added, so ask the merchant to check the balance before setting up the advertisement.

‍

‍