Comparison Shopping Engine Feed Optimization
In 2008, Google began using a relevancy-based algorithm for product search results. This change revolutionized comparison shopping and singlehandedly gave thousands of e-commerce businesses the opportunity to improve their rankings without lowering their prices.
A comparison shopping engine (CSE) relies on product data feeds to populate its database. A data feed is a CSV, TXT or XML file that lists a company’s product catalog, along with attributes that define and organize product details, image information, and URL. While a properly formatted data feed submitted to an active CSE account can ensure that a merchant’s products will appear in that shopping engine’s results, it does not guarantee a specific ranking.
A product data feed can be optimized to improve the visibility of products within comparison shopping engines. The act of modifying a data feed to improve relevancy and visibility in CSE’s is called data feed optimization (DFO.)
Data feed optimization is one of the most powerful ways to influence the results of your CSE program. Successful DFO should begin with a strategic plan, since different engines have varying advantages and audiences. It is important to determine which engines are the right fit for your business and products.
There are two types of comparison shopping engines: algorithm-based and fee-based.
Data Feed Optimization For Algorithm Based (Free) Shopping Engines
The top three major algorithm based comparison shopping engines are Google Shopping, TheFind, and Bing Shopping. Data feeds for each of these shopping engines can be optimized for relevancy by using DFO strategies. These three comparison shopping engines are all non-fee based, meaning there are no setup or CPC fees assessed by the engine.
The key components of optimizing data feeds for algorithm based engines are: optimization of data feed content, attribute optimization, use of categories, third-party ratings and reviews, and the freshness & completeness of the data feed. The CSE algorithm considers all of these factors when determining the relevance of a product for ranking in search results.
Algorithm based shopping engines offer three categories of attributes: required, recommended, optional. Required attributes for Google Shopping consist of ID, title, description, Google product category, product type, link, image link, condition, availability, price, brand, and manufacturer part number (MPN), along with over 40 different optional attributes. TheFind requires six mandatory attributes (title, description, image link, page URL, price and unique ID), 15 “highly recommended” attributes, and 65 optional attributes. Bing Shopping requires nine mandatory attributes: merchant product ID, title, brand, MPN, product URL, price, availability, description, and image URL. Bing Shopping also offers optional attributes.
The content in a data feed should be relevant, complete, current and accurate. Optimizing the content within a data feed may include enhancement of product descriptions and titles, removal of unnecessary text and code such as HTML or symbols, or ensuring that product attributes mirror product information provided on the merchant website. There is no exact science for content optimization, so it is best to try different combinations to find out what works best for your products based on your categories and competitors.
Ratings and reviews are an integral part of the comparison shopping engine algorithm. Google Product Search uses third-party ratings and reviews to determine the validity of your products and website. A company with more reviews (good or bad) will likely have their products show up higher in search results than a company with fewer reviews.
Data Feed Optimization For Fee-Based Shopping Engines
Fee-based shopping engines operate on cost-per-click or flat rate inclusion models, and rank products based on bid amount and relevancy. There are many paid engines, including NexTag, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, and BizRate. Paid shopping engines help businesses establish ratings and reviews, reach a more diverse audience, and can enhance product visibility in TheFind.com.
Optimization for paid search engines differs from algorithm based engines. Although relevancy is still important, bid amount dramatically influences the visibility of your products. Key components of optimizing data feeds for paid search engines include bid optimization and bid management, product optimization, and product selection. Comparison shopping engines evaluate these factors to determine the placement of products in search results. Competitive pricing is always a sure-fire way to have your long tail product keywords appear when sorted by price, in addition to maintaining solid product and store reviews for “sort by ratings” functions.
Many paid comparison shopping engines operate on a cost-per-click model meaning that there is a minimum bid amount for each category and merchants may choose to bid above the minimum to improve their product visibility.
Product optimization refers to optimization of titles and descriptions within a data feed. This can include enhancement of content in the feed, removal of HTML, or the use of relevant keywords. The product should be optimized with both consumer and search engine in mind. Product optimization also includes the use of all applicable attributes to provide search engines with as much relevant information as possible.
The removal of under-performing products in your data feed is also a crucial component of feed optimization for engines like NexTag, PriceGrabber or Shopzilla. This includes deleting products that are not producing sustainable conversion rates or sales. Seasonality is also a key component of product selection. Many products have high and low seasons and these changes should be reflected in the data feed optimization.
Determining Barriers In Data Feed Optimization
There are several common technical and procedural barriers that can disable shopping feeds or make them less effective. Conflicts may consist of formatting and product mapping errors, HTML code in the data feed, or in the case of Google Shopping data feed optimization - the use of prohibited verbiage such as “free shipping” within the attributes. It is advised to review the terms and conditions of the individual shopping engines to become familiar with prohibited language or products.
Procedural conflicts can also arise when there are multiple feeds being uploaded to the same comparison shopping engine. If your products are already listed through Amazon or Buy.com this can easily hinder or diminish the effectiveness of your primary store’s data feed. Shopping engines such as Google Shopping are continually making changes to their system. A good way to ensure that your feed stays up and productive is to be aware of the upcoming changes, such as the number of feeds a merchant can submit, or the importance of unique product identifiers such as UPC, ISBN or EAN codes.
The primary challenge is for merchants to keep up with the constantly changing comparison shopping engine field. The ever-improving competition combined with algorithmic changes and keyword discovery makes it essential for business owners to continuously improve their data feed optimization programs. The trend is for companies to optimize their product data feed once and leave it. However, without consistent modification and improvement, product data feeds become less effective. As more businesses discover DFO techniques, it is essential to find new ways to improve the visibility of your products in comparison shopping engines.
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