Google Base is another free and very interesting service offered by Google. Basically, you can upload your products to Google for inclusion in their shopping search engine. Extremely powerful, and allows links directly to your website and Product Pages and Google Buy Now buttons, etc.
The uploads can be done individually or in a batch process. We prefer batch because even if you have a very small number of products, you have to go in every 30 days and refresh your listings or they expire (we always forget). With the batch method you upload a spreadsheet which can be placed on a server for Google to refresh from…without your intervention. Again, for free.
One caution before we get into how to do the uploads. There is no doubt that if you get picked up by Google for inclusion in its buy area on the front page it is an invaluable position. And, if you add your products to Amazon in their Stores amazing things can happen. But, for the small business it is highly unlikely that you will get premier positioning by Google or spend the money to get placed on Amazon. So, expect the results will be minimal, the links will not be counted, and no one will use the Buy Now button to order your products. If they do….be happy but do not build your business plan around this strategy until you prove it will work for you (someone else being successful is no guarantee you will be…). (Here is an excellent video on the difference between the actual data (dataset) and your expectations (mindset)
For most small businesses, Google Base will get you some additional Intentional Traffic. The real value comes from the statistics which give the number of impressions and click through’s that give another Post Filtering view of which of your products are interesting to Web Users.
Another interesting use of Google Base is to search for your products. You might be down 20 pages or so. Don’t despair, you will go through page after page of competitors pricing and web site links which you can use as input to tune your offerings. Here are the steps, images are below:
Google Base Manual upload:
- Create your links (Randr Web Business Suite)
- Sign in to Google Base and manually enter products
Google Base Batch upload:
- Create your links (Randr Web Business Suite)
- Download CSV file of products with links (Randr Web Business Suite)
Google Base Statistics:
Google Base Search Results:
Next we will look at Google’s Web Master Tools, and Google Trends to see how they might help us attract Intentional Visitors.
Google Base Manual upload
Create the Google Base Links:
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Copy the links for the manual Create Google Base Item process:
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Google Base Batch upload
Create links as above.
Run Custom Query to create Product Download
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Download your products for automated feed to Google Base.
Tags: SEO/SEM