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Data feed optimization for the shopping comparison engines by SingleFeed
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I asked shopping comparison engines to submit the ONE data feed optimization tip they’d give merchants right now for the holiday shopping season and then explain why it matters. Here’s what Colin Murphy of Become.com had to say…
Data feed optimization for the comparison shopping engines hasn’t yet reached the level of ubiquity that SEM optimization has. Tons of large SEM firms are waiting to take over your search campaign and manage it down to every single letter of your creative, cent of your bid and color of your landing page. In the world of comparison engines, however, there are only a handful of third party feed management companies and, dare I say, their tactics are not yet at the level of sophistication required to do it right. There are throngs of self-proclaimed experts on SEM who are willing to offer up advice, whether in online forums, the office, or at tradeshows, but that community doesn’t quite exist yet for the shopping engines. At this stage, the person with the best insight into how to manage and optimize your data feed is probably right there at the shopping engine: your account manager! We know how our site works better than anyone else and are probably your most valuable resource when it comes to optimizing your campaign. Plus, it’s our job! For this reason, my one recommendation for optimizing your data feed this holiday season (and beyond) would be to pick up the phone and call your account manager.
Disclaimer: All optimization strategies are suggestions and do not guarantee success. These are data feed optimization tactics I have used or others have suggested which I think everyone should at least think about, if not test.
For those merchants that haven’t felt the pinch of the holiday increase in CPC pricing, it might be time to test product level bidding on Shopzilla. Most merchants don’t know anything about bidding on the shopping search engines, so increasing your bids by just a penny or two can actually make a difference.
Disclaimer: All optimization strategies are suggestions and do not guarantee success. These are data feed optimization tactics I have used for clients on SingleFeed or others have suggested which I think everyone should at least think about, if not test (test, test, test).
Most hosting providers allow you to easily syndicate your product feed to a number of comparison shopping sites. Shopping.com, Shopzilla, NexTag and others let you point to your XML feed on your ecommerce provider’s site and be done with it. I know it’s easy, but DON’T do it. Seriously.
It’s a simple way to get up on multiple comparison shopping sites, but the feed is not optimized for the individual sites. Again, your listings will not be optimized if you use the automated submission option; products will be in the wrong categories, titles and descriptions will be too long or too short, ancillary information – everything from special shipping deals to product details (new, refurbished, etc.) – will be left out. In other words, the details will be missing. It’s these details which make the difference on the comparison shopping sites.
I know it’s a pain in the ass to create separate feeds for NexTag, Yahoo! Product Submit, Shopping.com, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, and the 8 other shopping search engines you might be on, but if you’re looking for an edge on your competition, it’s worth it. Go ahead and take a risk; disengage the automatic submission feature immediately and create unique feeds for each comparison engine. (Or create just one with SingleFeed and we’ll send the perfect feed to each engine.)
Many comparison engines also allow you to submit another site’s feed. Again, DON’T do it…for all the reasons stated above. Each comparison engine has a unique set of feed requirements. Using your Shopping.com feed on NexTag is not taking advantage of all the information which NexTag allows you to submit.
There’s one caveat to this tip. Some sites have a delay between the time you disengage one submission option (automated XML feed from hosting provider, for instance) and engage a new submission option (self submission through FTP, for instance). As I don’t want you to miss out on holiday sales, check with the individual comparison engines to see how long this lag will be. In some cases, it might be smarter to make the change right around New Year’s Eve.
Disclaimer: All optimization strategies are suggestions and do not guarantee success (although I wouldn’t be writing these tips if I didn’t think they mattered). These are data feed optimization tactics I have used for clients on SingleFeed or others have suggested which I think everyone should at least think about, if not test (test, test, test). Use at your own risk (you can always go back to the old, boring, pedestrian way of doing things). Or don’t use the tips and write a comment telling me I’m insane.
I asked shopping comparison engines to submit the ONE data feed optimization tip they’d give merchants right now for the holiday shopping season and then explain why it matters. Here’s what Joanna Estacio, Sr. Account Manager at Smarter.com had to say…
Content is KEY!
Have you ever wondered why you couldn’t find your products through the comparison shopping engines search tool? Make some changes to your product description and expect to see some traffic!
Often times, merchants tend to leave the description field either blank or rather vague – which is a HUGE mistake. Comparison shopping engines use product descriptions to populate their search queries and that’s exactly where you come in. Comparison Shopping engines results are only as good at the data you send over so be sure to take full advantage of this often neglected field.
For example, here is a current description for a tie:
Enrich your look with a touch of paisley. A modern take on the classic look, this quality silk tie is rich in color and texture with a monotone paisley pattern allover.
Why not spruce it up with a little holiday cheer:
Looking for a Christmas present for Dad? Enrich his look with a touch of paisley. A modern take on the classic look, this quality silk tie is rich in color and texture with a monotone paisley pattern allover.
By adding this small blurb, your items will now become relevant for queries such as: Christmas Present, Christmas present for Dad, Present for Dad.
In addition, many comparison shopping sites allow you enter keywords, so it would be an excellent idea to integrate holiday terms into this field such as: Gift and Stocking Stuffer.
Here’s to a great Holiday Shopping Season!
Disclaimer: All optimization strategies are suggestions and do not guarantee success. These are data feed optimization tactics I have used or others have suggested which I think everyone should at least think about, if not test.
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