By ShoppingIQ
Google Shopping Ads: From Clicks to Brand Building
Too many retailers treat Google Shopping as nothing more than a last-click channel: throw in budget, expect instant sales, then pull the plug if ROAS looks weak. That mindset is short-sighted. It makes Google richer while your brand slips into commodity status.
The truth is, it is not purely about upper or lower-funnel. Real audiences don’t live in neat marketing boxes, only marketers do. Upper-funnel activity isn’t just for building brand awareness, and lower-funnel isn’t the only way to drive sales.
The nuance is this: some brands rely solely on performance marketing, others pour everything into brand campaigns, and both approaches leave money on the table.
What do those who succeed tend to have in common? They understand both sides and make them work together. Google Shopping itself can be a brand-building channel if you stop treating it as a last-click solution. By showing up for the right searches and making every impression count, you can transform Shopping from a short-term sales lever into a long-term growth engine.
Every Impression Builds Equity
Google Shopping only charges for clicks, yet impressions also matter. Every time your ad appears for the right search term, you’re building recognition. With smart targeting, even modest budgets can generate repeated exposure that sticks.
But here’s the catch:
- This works only if you stay consistent.
- If you pause and restart constantly because you’re chasing weekly ROAS swings, you’re risking killing momentum before it has a chance to pay off.
Make Every Impression Count Through Target Keywords
Google Shopping Ads are unique in the sense that you can directly respond to users based on the products they’re looking for. If you sell garden furniture, there would be a handful of keywords you would want to be present on, if not more. You can focus your efforts, rather than spreading yourself too thin.
For example, you could target a keyword such as “outdoor rugs” and own that term. Each time people search this, they will see your ad. Over time, your brand equity increases, and you’re more likely to become the natural choice.
If you’re going to benefit from these free impressions, you can further benefit from making your ads stand out (see next steps for further details):
- Sharp, distinctive images
- Branded visuals that are instantly recognisable
- No swapping strategy every two weeks because a spreadsheet says so, trust takes time
Consistency Builds Trust (and Protects Margin)
Typically, strong brands don’t get into endless discount wars. They are unlikely to train customers to wait for a sale. Instead, they earn repeat traffic, direct searches, and organic mentions. That’s how retailers can escape the race to the bottom on price.
Prepare Your Data (Because Google Won’t Do It for You)
Before you even launch Shopping campaigns:
- Make sure Google Ads, GA4, and Meta Pixel tracking are actually firing correctly.
- Upload customer lists to Google and Meta so you can target people who already know you.
- Set up campaigns to collect high-quality signals, because Google’s “AI magic” is only as good as the data you feed it.
Build a Brand Presence or Be Forgotten
During COVID, many start-ups with great ideas and products believed they could launch without branding, relying on Google Ads alone to drive growth. But post-COVID, countless promising eCommerce businesses vanished. Not because their products were poor, but because they seemed to lack branding and trust.
Today’s shoppers are more sceptical than ever. If you don’t look credible online, growth will rarely be sustainable.
The reality is:
- A great product without visibility goes nowhere.
- Reviews, social proof, and search presence aren’t “nice-to-haves”; they’re your licence to sell.
- Your brand’s first impression isn’t your website, it’s page one of Google. If that’s messy or unconvincing, you’re risking already losing the sale.
Practical fixes:
- Complete your Google Shopping profile with obsessive accuracy.
- Own your first page of Google with branded content, not random reseller listings or bad press.
- Get at least 50 Google reviews to unlock seller ratings (and stop wondering why your CTR is low).
- Run branded search ads to protect your name from competitors piggybacking on your brand.
Retargeting: Stop Letting Warm Leads Go Cold
The majority of shoppers won’t buy on their first visit. Retargeting can be the bridge between awareness and sales. Consider:
- Showing follow-up ads to anyone who viewed products or abandoned checkout.
- Using YouTube to tell your brand story, not just dumping product videos.
- Leveraging Meta to re-engage via Instagram and Facebook.
Key Takeaways for Retailers Who Want to Win
- Brand Strength > Bid Strategy – You can’t outbid a brand people actually want.
- Every Pound Should Work Twice – Once for immediate sales, again for long-term equity.
- Google Shopping Lives in the Messy Middle – Success in Google Shopping comes from owning the messy middle where visibility drives choice. Brands that treat it as purely upper or lower-funnel are already behind
- Price-Only Players Lose – Competing solely on cost is a slow death. Trust lets you sell on value.
The Simple Truth: Long-Term Thinking Produces Long-Term Results
Short-lived, reactive campaigns can burn through budgets, inflate Google’s profits, and affect meaningful equity in your brand. You might see short-term wins on a spreadsheet, but without consistency, you are likely renting attention instead of owning it.
The brands that win do not live from one flash sale to the next, nor do they panic-pause ads at the first sign of fluctuating ROAS. Instead, they often take a deliberate approach, blending performance marketing with sustained brand-building so that every click, impression, and customer interaction compounds over time.
They understand that Google Shopping should not be treated as a transactional “buy button” but as a channel that can nurture customers across the entire buying journey, turning first-time buyers into loyal advocates.
Next Steps: Turn Every Impression into an Advantage
ShoppingIQ’s unique, award-winning creative team and technology deliver this, helping your brand instantly stand out on a crowded page of results through proprietary features that are not available in Google Ads or Google Merchant Center. Contact us for sample visuals and to see how we can make each ad impression a valuable asset for your brand.
- See the Difference – Request sample visuals from ShoppingIQ’s award-winning creative team.
- Unlock Proprietary Targeting Features – Access tools and enhancements you won’t find in Google Ads or Merchant Center.
- Maximise Every Impression – Transform each ad placement into a valuable asset that builds your brand.
- Get Started Today – Reach out to our team and discover how your brand can visually stand out.
Published 19/09/25
