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Topic: Selling Topics
Frequently Asked Questions about Sending Items to Google
As of September 2nd, Google began a transition away from individual merchants submitting their items, and toward marketplaces submitting feeds on behalf of their merchants. This help document will discuss both the transition process underway, as well as the most commonly asked we hear about sending items to Google in general.
Questions Regarding the Transition
I keep getting error emails saying my Google feed failed. What should I do?How do I know that my items are being uploaded to Google?
Why doesn't my booth name show in Google Product search anymore?
Should I delete my Google Base account?
Will this transition in any way affect how Google Analytics works?
General Google Questions
My items aren't showing up on Google Product Search. What gives?How long after I first setup my booth will it take for my items to show up in Google Product search?
How often does Bonanzle send my items to Google?
How can I refresh my feed (after editing booth, deleting items, etc)?
What are the top two things I can do to get more buyers through Google Product search?
How can I track the performance (clicks, etc) of my Google items?
Tell me more about the changes Bonanzle may make to my item to get it compliant with Google Product search.
Will updating my items cause them to be taken out of search while they are reprocessed by Google?
I keep getting error emails saying my Google feed failed. What should I do?
Ignore (or unsubscribe from) them. Your items can no longer be submitted from your individual Google Base account, since Google has probably deactivated your account by now. But that's OK, because Bonanzle is already submitting all applicable items to Google on your behalf.
How do I know that my items are being uploaded to Google?
As of September 20th, all Bonanzle items are currently being uploaded to Google. However, about 10% of all booths are not being accepted by Google due to an error that their engineers are currently working with us to resolve. Because Bonanzle is one of the very first marketplaces to sign up using Google's new system, there will be some iteration required before all items process consistently smoothly, but Google's support team has been as helpful and responsive as we could hope, given the enormous volume of merchants vying to be listed in Google Base. And, remember, this search exposure is free! Prior to Google, you'd have to pay a site like Shopzilla or Nextag $0.20-$1.00 per click to get your items found by buyers. So your understanding & patience is appreciated.
If you're curious about the status of your upload, you can visit the "My Bonanzle" page. Under "Fast Facts" it will tell you the last time your booth was sent to Google. If the date is 9/18 or later, your booth has been successfully registered with Google.
Why doesn't my booth name show in Google Product search anymore?
Google has chosen to format listings in product search such that they are listed by marketplace, rather than by merchant. We do not have the ability to customize the name of the store that is displayed next to your items.
Should I delete my Google Base account?
No, it's not necessary to delete your account, as Google should have already deactivated your items. You can, however, log into your account and disable (under the "Settings" link) the sending of error emails from Google since these are no longer relevant to you.
Will this transition in any way affect how Google Analytics works?
No. Google Analytics is unaffected by the changes to Google Base.
General Google Questions
My items aren't showing up on Google Product Search. What gives?
The first possible reason is that your booth is amongst the 10% of booths that are affected by a bug that Google is currently working on. See above for more details. Otherwise, we list all of the known reasons on this page.
How often does Bonanzle send my items to Google?
We will send your items to Google within a day of any item being changed. If no items in your booth have changed, we will send your items to Google every two weeks. If you want to manually start the process of sending your items to Google, click the "Update Booth" button from the "Sell" page and we'll send your items shortly thereafter (usually within the hour, although Google usually takes at least a few hours on top of that to process changes).
How can I refresh my feed (after editing booth, deleting items, etc)?
Your items will automatically be refreshed on Google within 24 hours if any changes are made to your items or booth. However, if you want to expedite this process, you can click on your "Update Booth" button (on the main booth editing page).
What are the top two things I can do to get more buyers through Google Product search?
There are two keys to maximizing your results from Google Product search:
- Make sure you're signed up for Google Checkout. Google prioritizes items that are available to buy with Google Checkout, and any time a buyer reviews their purchase they made from you via Google Checkout, your credibility will increase and your items will become more highly rated. You can read more about signing up for Google Checkout here.
- Ensure you've filled out the traits for your items. Item traits reveal detailed information about your item, like it's color, material, and condition (new, used, etc). Items that have this information filled out correctly not only rank higher in Google, but they also get found more often in Bonanzle search when buyers start filtering for the traits they're looking for. You can read more about item traits here.
How can I track the performance (clicks, etc) of my Google items?
We are currently developing a system to allow you to monitor the performance of your Google items. We hope to have this launched by the end of October. In the meantime, if you're signed up for Google Analytics, you can see how much of your booth traffic is coming from Google through Analytics.
Tell me more about the changes Bonanzle may make to my item to get it compliant with Google Product search.
Sometimes, to make your item eligible for Google Product search, we may make minor changes to your title in order to get Google to accept your item. For example, if your title is in "ALL CAPS", we will change your item to use capital and lower-cased letters when it is sent to Google (so the item title would become "All Caps"). The item is not actually changed on Bonanzle -- we just send Google your item's title in a format they will accept (items with ALL CAPS titles are rejected by their server).
Also, if you have the words "free shipping" in your title, we will remove that, as it is also against Google's Program Policies.
You can read more about why certain items of yours might not be submitted to Google here.
Will updating my items cause them to be taken out of search while they are reprocessed by Google?
No, it won't. Your items will still be findable in Google Product Search while they are being processed by Google.
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