Embedding Google ads on a webshop - WHY?

I am intrigued at the number of webshops I visit (often to benchmark my own!) that brandish google adverts that generally have the net effect of taking potential customers off the site into the welcoming arms of direct competitors!

I find this practice plainly stupid!

Aside from a few measly farthings that Google might toss their way, there is a massive amount to be lost from blatantly encouraging your visitors to high-tail it out of your website.

Recent research (supported by much longer term observation) indicates that the more simple a website the better. The vast majority of people focus on the centre of the screen - almost exclusively - and this is where simple navigation presentation is its most critical. Fewer than 2% "observe" the detail on the periphery - much less respond to it.

Am I missing something? Is there some value in all these popular histrionics that I'm failing to see?

I try to get people to reach the "add to cart" boxes in just two or three clicks.

Interestingly, when used effectively, Zencart is exceptionally good at facilitating this core objective. What a superbly-designed system it is!:clap:

I've never really understood the use of Google Ads with e-commerce systems. Like you say, the art of a great shop is to convert visitors to buyers. I'd be interested to see Google Analytics (or any otehr non-Google based application) statistics for visitor tracking where Google Ads is installed, and compare the conversion rates on similar stores. Obviously we live in a data-precious age, so these stats are extremely hard to get out of competitors, so this may be a little while in coming!

I think it's often a case of store owners seeing the Google brand, and wanting a piece of the pie, without really considering the side-effects and implications of adding everything on offer to their store.

Absolute

schoolboy:

I am intrigued at the number of webshops I visit (often to benchmark my own!) that brandish google adverts that generally have the net effect of taking potential customers off the site into the welcoming arms of direct competitors!

I find this practice plainly stupid!
I completely agree. Why anyone would think that giving their competitors advertising space on their website is a good idea is beyond me.

Regards,
Christian.

The only one who benefits ... is Google.

If your using your shop as a showcase it brings in a bit of income, I'm not targeting the worls with my shop I just use it as a reference for customers but I get google ckecks posted to me also!

I have any other local suppliers blocked from being on my site

It may depend on what you're selling. The Google ads could be complimentary. However, if that's the case, I'd prefer to sell ad space directly to the complimentary company, and skip Google altogether.

To play devils's advocate...if some one is coming to your site and decides to leave, why not get some revenue from their visit (if they leave by clicking a Google ad). Our customer to sale conversion percentage was around 3%. That means 97% of the visitors decide to leave.

We had it on another site and did not see a drop in sales, however, we averaged checks each month in the amount of $1500-2,000k from Google. In addition, you can disable your competitors ads, so you can somewhat control what ads appear.

$1500-$2000? That's some serious traffic using your store as a stop gap. Firstly, it's great that you have such good traffic coming to your site in the first place, and I do see your point with the "you may as well get paid for those leaving as well as those buying" theory.

I think there is defiantely more room for a targetted marketing system, where you as the store owner can select the ads you want to show, and they can choose your store as well, rather than just being another Google Ad on another site. Personally, I see them on a site and just skim straight past. If the site hasn't got what I need, then it's back to the search engine to find another one...... here I come Google!

Absolute

Absolute:

$1500-$2000? That's some serious traffic using your store as a stop gap. Firstly, it's great that you have such good traffic coming to your site in the first place, and I do see your point with the "you may as well get paid for those leaving as well as those buying" theory.

Absolute

Agree... with that sort of traffic I'd be focusing on getting them to buy from ME. That $1500 would probably be more like $15,000 if that happens...

If you're going to put up ads for someone other than yourself, why not use affiliate ads, or paid ads? I'd think you'd make WAY more than the pennies from Google in most cases.

Or use the ad space to put YOUR ads and highligh products customers might not immediately see, or sales.

solarflare:

If you're going to put up ads for someone other than yourself, why not use affiliate ads, or paid ads? I'd think you'd make WAY more than the pennies from Google in most cases.

Or use the ad space to put YOUR ads and highligh products customers might not immediately see, or sales.

My views exactly...