Daisycon offers advertisers the opportunity to generate additional visibility, reach and revenue through product ads in the Google network by working with Google Comparison Shopping Services (CSS).
Within Daisycon, CSS publishers that run Product Listing Ads can usually be found under the media type PLA (Product Listing Ads). Advertisers can work with one or more of these media through their affiliate campaign.
CSS publishers can complement your existing Google Shopping activities or provide an additional way to promote your products through affiliate marketing.
Working with a Google CSS partner can offer the following benefits:
- Additional visibility for your products in Google Shopping.
- Access to additional Shopping strategies and expertise.
- No self-competition for the same offer in Google's Shopping auction.
- No duplicate display of the same offer within the same ad unit.
- Payment based on completed sales through Daisycon.
In this article
- How does working with a Google CSS partner work?
- How do I choose the right CSS partners?
- Where can I find CSS partners in Daisycon?
- What do we recommend?
- Some examples of Google CSS partners in our network
- How to join a CSS?
How does working with a Google CSS partner work?
A Google CSS partner promotes products from your product feed through Google Shopping. The CSS publisher manages its own Shopping campaigns and pays the associated click costs.
As an advertiser, you pay the applicable CPS commission through Daisycon when the CSS publisher generates a completed sale. The CSS publisher therefore carries the CPC investment, while your costs are based on the results generated through the affiliate campaign.
Working with multiple CSS partners
Google allows merchants to work with several CSS partners at the same time. Google also states that combining the strengths of several CSS partners can increase the overall performance of Shopping ads.
This does not mean that connecting as many CSS partners as possible will automatically produce better results. It is not uncommon for affiliate programmes to work with four, six or even more than ten CSS partners, but each additional publisher should have a clear purpose.
Every CSS partner operates its own Google Merchant Center and Google Ads environment. Product feed optimisation, campaign structure, bidding strategy and accumulated campaign data can therefore differ between partners. Google has not publicly documented that campaign-level historical performance, such as click-through rate or conversion history, is automatically shared between CSS partners.
Multiple CSS partners are most useful when they complement each other. A partner may, for example, focus on:
- A specific country or market.
- A particular product category or product range.
- A different bidding or campaign strategy.
- A specific product feed optimisation approach.
- Different search queries or customer segments.
- Product Listing Ads, Comparison Listing Ads or a combination of both.
When several CSS partners use broadly the same strategy for the same products and markets, the additional value may be limited. Adding more partners can then mainly create more reporting, evaluation and relationship management without delivering clearly differentiated results.
The number of CSS partners should therefore not be a goal in itself. Evaluate each medium based on its individual performance and only add another publisher when it offers a distinct strategy, audience, market or optimisation approach.
No self-competition in the Shopping auction
Multiple CSS partners can place bids for products from the same merchant. However, Google confirms that a merchant will never be second-priced against itself for the same offer, regardless of the number or identity of the CSS partners being used.
This means that an additional CSS partner does not increase the auction price simply by placing another bid for the same product from your webshop.
No duplicate display of the same offer
When Google identifies that several CSS partners have uploaded the same product from the same merchant, Google only displays that offer once within the ad unit. Working with multiple CSS partners therefore does not cause the same product offer to be repeated.
Google also confirms that having several CSS partners place ads on your behalf does not mean that your offers are repeated or that Google charges more for a click on them.
Different products from the same webshop may still be displayed alongside each other when they are relevant to the same search. Multiple CSS partners can therefore contribute to broader product visibility, but they do not create duplicate coverage for an identical offer.
Product Listing Ads and Comparison Listing Ads
A CSS partner can use different advertising formats for the same advertiser. Standard Product Listing Ads direct users from the Shopping ad to the advertiser's webshop.
Some CSS partners also use Comparison Listing Ads. These ads group products on the CSS partner's own comparison website and can appear in Google's comparison section. The visitor is directed to the comparison website before continuing to the advertiser's webshop.
The auction for Comparison Listing Ads operates independently from the auction for standard Product Listing Ads. Comparison Listing Ads therefore do not directly compete with standard Product Listing Ads for the same advertising positions. More information is available in Daisycon's article about Google Comparison Listing Ads.
Within Daisycon, publishers that primarily use Comparison Listing Ads are most often registered under the media type Comparison websites. The same CSS publisher may operate both PLA media and comparison website media when it uses both advertising formats.
How do I choose the right CSS partners?
Choosing the right CSS partners is more important than simply connecting a large number of CSS media. Focus on publishers that match your products, markets and campaign objectives.
Product feed and query-matching quality
A high-quality product feed forms the foundation of successful Google Shopping campaigns. Complete, accurate and well-structured product data helps CSS partners optimise Shopping ads and match products to relevant search queries.
For best results, ensure that your product feed is complete, accurate and regularly updated. Read our article about submitting and optimising your product feed for practical requirements and optimisation tips.
Google uses factors such as expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience when determining Ad Rank. A CSS partner that actively optimises product titles, attributes and query matching may therefore perform differently from a partner that applies limited optimisation. More information about these factors is available in Google's explanation of Ad Rank.
Evaluate CSS partners individually
Every CSS partner manages and optimises its own Shopping campaigns. As a result, different partners may achieve different results even when they promote the same products.
Monitor each publisher's traffic, transactions, conversion rate and overall contribution to your campaign. Focus on CSS partners that demonstrate added value through strong results, relevant traffic, effective optimisation or a complementary strategy.
Where can I find CSS partners in Daisycon?
CSS publishers that run Product Listing Ads can usually be found in Daisycon under the media type PLA (Product Listing Ads).
Publishers that primarily operate Comparison Listing Ads through their own comparison platform are typically registered under the media type Comparison websites.
A CSS publisher may have multiple media in Daisycon. For example, one PLA medium may be used for ads that link directly to your webshop, while a comparison website medium may be used for traffic generated through the publisher's own comparison website.
These media can request access to your affiliate campaign in the same way as other publishers. Before approving a medium, review its media profile, media type, target markets, campaign approach and any applicable programme conditions.
After approval, the CSS publisher can use the product feed made available through Daisycon and promote eligible products in accordance with your campaign conditions, brand guidelines and commission model.
What do we recommend?
Working with multiple CSS partners can be beneficial, but only when the partners have a clear and complementary role.
We recommend starting with a carefully selected group of CSS publishers, measuring their individual performance and only adding additional publishers when they contribute a distinct strategy, audience, market or optimisation approach.
Some examples of Google CSS partners in our network
In addition to the CSS partners above, other PLA and comparison website media may be available within the Daisycon network. Contact your Daisycon contact person to discuss which CSS partners suit your product range and Shopping strategy.
How to join a CSS?
Contact your Daisycon contact person or the publisher management department. They will make sure that the right CSS is contacted and assist you with the onboarding process.
Publisher Management Daisycon
T: +31 (0) 36 548 37 80
E: support@daisycon.com
Need advice or support on setting up a Google Shopping campaign or optimizing your product feed, please contact:
Vincent Weening (Product Owner E-commerce)
T: +31 (0) 36 548 37 72
E: v.weening@daisycon.com