CSS Google Shopping: Advertise on price comparison portals

Online marketing is an important channel for every company. The Corona crisis in particular shows how important online marketing is for presence and performance. If you want to advertise online, you can’t get around Google. CSS Google Shopping is the new buzzword. What does it mean and how do you find the right Google CSS partner?

What is CSS Google Shopping?

The question in online marketing is always: What is the best way to be found? How do I get my offer on page one of the Google search results? A whole professional group is now dealing with these questions. What makes it difficult is that Google is increasingly using the search results for its own offer in the form of Google Shopping. Especially via voice search like Alexa, Google Shopping appears in front in the search queries. However, this way of doing things violates current law. Google then launched the Google Shopping Europe (GSE) ad platform. On this platform, external price comparison sites are now also displayed, i.e. Google CSS partners. The price comparisons displayed by Google now show a wider range of offers and are therefore called Comparison Shopping Service (CSS). Google is now itself a bidder and must participate in its own auctions.
What are the advantages of CSS Google Shopping?

With CSS Google Shopping, a better comparability and a higher play-out possibility moves into Google Shopping. Google can therefore no longer play out its market power in the same way. This is the big advantage for all other providers. One difference in CSS’s ad usage is the margin. Google charges a margin of 20 percent on each ad. This means that your own bid is always 20 percent lower than the actual bid. However, if a Google CSS partner is used, this reduction does not apply. This means that your own bids are included in the auctions in full.
What are the disadvantages of CSS Google Shopping?

Google CSS partners are usually used for CSS Google Shopping. The advantage of omitting the 20 percent margin is offset by a service fee charged by the CSS partner. As a rule, the cost advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To be able to use the service of CSS partners, the account runs through the CSS provider. The account must of course be moved for this purpose. A full migration of the account may require changes. As a rule, access rights remain with the CSS partner. The Google Shopping setting, however, can remain unchanged.
Conclusion:

CSS Google Shopping enables an appropriate and fair playout of ads. To avoid Google retaining a margin, it is advisable to use the service of a Google CSS partner.