Google Shopping Campaign Management
Your products should be showing up when the right people search. I make sure they do.
Are your Shopping campaigns working as hard as they could?
If you sell products online, Shopping campaigns are almost certainly your biggest revenue driver. Those product images at the top of Google when someone searches for what you sell — that's Google Shopping. And getting it right is the difference between steady growth and leaving money on the table.
The problem is, most Shopping campaigns are set up once and left to run. Products show for the wrong searches. Budget gets spread across everything equally instead of flowing to what actually sells. And nobody notices, because the campaigns still generate some revenue — just far less than they should.
I'm Peter Empson. I've been managing Google Shopping campaigns for UK e-commerce businesses since 2010 — from luxury retailers to home goods to seasonal products, across catalogues of 100 to 50,000+ products. I work independently as a paid search consultant, which means you deal directly with me, not a junior account manager.
Before
Products showing for the wrong searches. Budget spread thin. Feed data incomplete. No idea which products are actually profitable.
After
Feed structured around what people search. Budget flowing to winners. Irrelevant traffic blocked weekly. Clear view of profitability by product — and someone who actually watches it.
The thing most people get wrong
Here's something that surprises most business owners I speak to: Google decides which searches trigger your products based entirely on your product data. Not your bids. Not your budget. Your product titles, descriptions, categories, and attributes.
If your product feed says “Blue Widget 500ml” and someone searches “reusable water bottle for gym”, Google won't make the connection. Your product won't show. You won't even know the opportunity existed.
Feed restructuring alone — without spending a penny more on ads — typically produces a significant increase in how often products appear. The titles are the biggest lever: rewrite them around what people actually search for and you enter more auctions immediately.
This is why I treat product feed quality as the foundation, not an afterthought.
Most agencies treat the feed as “the client's responsibility.” I don't. It's 70% of Shopping success, and I manage it directly — restructuring titles, filling in missing attributes, fixing categorisation, resolving Merchant Centre issues. If Google doesn't understand what you're selling, nothing else matters.
Beyond the feed: where the real gains come from
Feed quality gets your products into the right auctions. But there are three other things that determine whether those auctions turn into profitable sales.
Your budget should follow your margins
Not all products deserve the same investment. A high-margin bestseller and a low-margin accessory shouldn't be competing for the same budget with the same targets. I segment campaigns by profitability so that budget flows automatically to what makes you money — not just what gets clicks.
Irrelevant traffic needs blocking — every week
Shopping campaigns show your products for search queries, just like Search campaigns. Without active management, you pay for clicks from people searching for things you don't sell, or bargain hunters who were never going to buy at your price. I review search terms weekly and block the waste. Over time, this compounds significantly.
You need to know what your competitors are doing
Shopping is a competitive auction. I track which competitors you're up against, how often you're outranking them, and where your pricing sits relative to the market. That context shapes everything — when to bid more aggressively, when to pull back, and where you have genuine advantages worth exploiting.
Why an independent specialist for Shopping campaigns?
With me
- I personally review your product feed and campaign data every week
- I manage your Merchant Centre — disapprovals get fixed within 24 hours
- You can call me directly when you launch new products or run a promotion
- I know your business, your margins, and your competitive position
- Feed optimisation is included, not treated as “your responsibility”
With a typical agency
- Your account manager may not understand product feeds at all
- Merchant Centre issues sit for days before anyone notices
- Staff turnover means explaining your catalogue from scratch every year
- Feed quality is considered “your problem” or a separate charge
- Reporting shows top-line numbers without product-level detail
A word on results
You'll see plenty of agencies quoting “400% ROAS” as if that number means anything in isolation. It doesn't. A 400% return might sound impressive, but if your margins are tight you might need 500% or more just to break even on ad spend. Meanwhile a business with healthy margins might be thriving at 250%. The number that matters isn't ROAS — it's whether your Shopping campaigns generate profitable revenue relative to your margins.
What I can tell you is that Shopping campaigns are consistently the highest-performing campaign type across the e-commerce accounts I manage. Most clients see meaningful improvement within 4–6 weeks — usually from feed work and search term management — with peak performance after 8–12 weeks once the bidding has enough data.
I'll give you an honest assessment of what's achievable before we start. If I don't think I can significantly improve on what you're currently getting, I'll tell you that.
What clients say
“Peter has supported SevenYays since launch in 2021 and has added a great deal of value. He's extremely knowledgeable in the strategic and technical aspects of PPC, but also has significant real world experience of consumer/product/brand. The two together make for a really effective and commercially pragmatic business partner.”
Andrew Staal
Founder, SevenYays
“I ran my own Google Ads campaigns for 13 years and considered myself to be somewhat of an expert. I have also spent over £300,000 of my own money on Google Ads over the years. I started using Peter last year and have been delighted. He really knows what he is doing.”
Jeff Seymour
Owner, OTC Ltd
“Peter is truly an expert in his field and we have used him constantly on our Google Ads campaigns with fabulous results. In fact just don't hire him at all as that will mean he has less time for me!”
Michael Robinson
Owner, Clear Prospects Ltd
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Shopping campaigns and Performance Max?
Standard Shopping shows your products on Google Shopping and Search — with direct control over which products appear for which searches. Performance Max uses your product feed to show ads across all Google channels, including YouTube, Display, and Gmail. Shopping gives more control; PMax gives broader reach. Many of my clients run both, with a clear strategy for each.
How important is the product feed?
It's everything. Google uses your feed data to decide which searches trigger your products. A weak product title gets far fewer impressions than one structured around the terms people actually search for. I go into this in detail above — it's the first thing I work on with every new client.
What if my prices aren't the cheapest?
You don't need the lowest price. Product images, ratings, shipping speed, and brand recognition all influence whether someone clicks your ad. I focus on products where you have genuine advantages — whether that's uniqueness, better imagery, faster delivery, or brand strength — and bid accordingly.
Do you work with my e-commerce platform?
Yes — Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento, BigCommerce, and custom platforms. Product feeds can be generated via your platform or through custom integration. I'll advise on the best approach for your setup.
How long before I see results?
Feed and search term improvements typically show within 2–4 weeks. Significant performance gains come after 6–8 weeks once bidding strategies have enough data. I'll give you an honest timeline based on where your account is starting from.
Not sure if your Shopping campaigns are performing?
The fastest way to find out is a conversation. I'll take a look at your account and give you an honest assessment of where the opportunities are — no sales process, no obligation.