Working with Comparison Shopping Services

There are many CSSs, including Google Shopping. CSSs offer different areas of expertise, services and charging models.

You need to work with at least one CSS to place Shopping ads or free listings. You can work with several at the same time if you prefer. This article provides an overview of some of the different setups that we've seen CSSs offer, and information on how to work with a CSS. Learn more about advertising with Comparison Shopping Services.

On this page

• Finding a CSS
• CSS service models
• Using conversion reporting and auto-bidding
• Placing products beyond general search
• Using free product listings in Europe
• Placing products outside Europe
• Switching an account from one CSS to another

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Finding a CSS

You can find eligible CSS partners on Google's Comparison Shopping Partners portal. Filter by one or more countries, industries or supported languages to find CSSs that fit your specific needs. You can also set filters to search for partners that offer API feed technology or for premium partners that have additional technical certification and offer conversion tracking for merchants.

CSS service models

There are a number of different ways in which CSSs and merchants can agree to work together. Any given CSS might offer multiple service models or tailor services to your specific needs.

Some specialise in specific categories (clothing, for example). Some manage feeds and campaigns for you, while others provide tools for you to manage your product data and bidding strategies yourself. Hybrid models exist as well, and CSSs may offer a variety of additional services. Some CSSs charge a fee per click, while with others you might pay a commission when a click on an ad leads to a sale. Combining the strengths of several CSSs can increase the overall performance of your Shopping ads.

Using conversion reporting and auto-bidding

Whatever model they offer you, all CSSs have access to the same features, including conversion reporting and Google's auto-bidding tools.

If you'd like to use conversion reporting and auto-bidding with a CSS, there are several ways, including:

Placing products beyond general search

By default, a CSS can place products only in the Shopping unit on Google's general search results pages in CSS programme countries.

Some CSSs opt in to placing products also on the Display network and on other surfaces beyond Google's general search results pages (such as the Shopping tab, YouTube and more) in CSS programme countries. If you work with one of these CSSs, they can place products on your behalf on Google's general search results pages and these other surfaces, for any feature available on those surfaces.

Using free product listings in Europe

If you'd like to place products in free listings, you can do so through any CSS in Europe. You can select only one CSS to use for free-of-charge listings in Europe in your CSS dashboard.

Placing products outside Europe

You can choose only one CSS to place products for you in Shopping ads and free listings outside Europe. You can change this selection in your CSS dashboard.

Switching an account from one CSS to another

If you'd like to keep an existing Merchant Center account, but work with a different CSS, you can request to have your account switched from one CSS to another. Ask your new CSS to initiate the switch. After the CSS has initiated the switch, it can be approved or declined by a Merchant Center account admin. Note that a Merchant Center account can be associated with only one CSS at a time.

Google Ads accounts don't need to be switched. Your Merchant Center account determines which CSS your Shopping ads and free-of-charge listings are associated with. If you use product data from a Merchant Center account that is associated with a specific CSS for any campaign in any Google Ads account, that campaign is considered to belong to the associated CSS.

If you switch a Merchant Center account from one CSS to another, note the following:

Products shown on dynamic remarketing and surfaces beyond general search: If the CSS you switch to isn't opted in to serving ads on dynamic remarketing and surfaces beyond general search, your products will only appear on Google's general search results pages and will stop being served on other surfaces.

Placing products outside CSS programme countries: If the switched Merchant Center account contains product data for countries where the CSS programme isn't available, these ads and free listings will stop serving if the new CSS hasn't chosen to place Shopping ads and free listings in those countries. If you want to continue to place Shopping ads and free listings both in countries where the CSS programme is available and in countries where it's not, you have two options:

• Create a new Merchant Center account with your old CSS for your product data for countries where the CSS programme isn't available. Switch the existing Merchant Center account to the new CSS to place ads and free-of-charge listings in CSS programme countries.
• Ask the new CSS to create a new Merchant Center account for your product data for CSS programme countries. Keep the existing Merchant Center account with the old CSS to place ads and free listings in countries where the CSS programme isn't available.

Admins can review the access settings to your Merchant Center account for your CSS on the 'account access' page in Merchant Center to ensure that the settings reflect your and your CSS's needs.