On the Web: 14 Things You Should Know About Google Shopping

7. Pictures are critical. One of the best ways to better your Google Shopping campaign is to improve the quality of your photos. Take your top items and search for them on Google Shopping. See what type of photographs your competitors are using, then figure out how you could outsell them. Remember, it's not just other e-commerce companies you're competing with; you're also competing with folks who are selling on eBay, Buy.com and some of the other engines.

8. Google only requires you to use two of its three unique identifiers (universal product code, manufacturer's part number and brand), but use all three if you can. Many folks choose to send Google the first two but not include brand. You should definitely include brand, as it's one of the categories used in display ads in traditional search results. (Search for "telescopes" to see an example.)

9. Send Google frequent updates. For most retailers, this is a big deal and shouldn't be underestimated. Google makes no secret that it likes up-to-date and accurate information. To give it what it wants, it's likely that you'll need to update your data feeds frequently — more often than you probably thought, in fact.

Merchants who have been most successful using comparison search engines (Google and otherwise) know that you should send updates whenever your information changes, especially during your busy season. For example, it's not uncommon to see some retailers submitting hourly updates during the holidays. Also, be sure to test your data feeds before you send them. It's worth it because it will keep you from getting Google-spanked, which often takes time and effort to undo.

10. Add an identifier to your URLs for tracking purposes. Separate your Google Shopping results from your other SEO results — and be sure to put them in different tracking buckets. Need help? Use Google Analytics URL Builder.

11. Your new Google Shopping ads will likely be seen at the top of the page or on the right-hand side of the page, replacing some of the AdWords' listings. This could impact your PPC results if you're in a competitive product category, so be sure to coordinate the two programs for maximum efficiency.

12. Position is determined by bid rate and relevance. When you first start out using Google Shopping, make sure to keep your relevancy factor as high as you can. Folks are saying they can't compete on Google Shopping because it's heavily biased toward brick-and-mortar retailers. That's not the case. Yes, Google Shopping does allow you to locate in-stock items nearby (based on a mile radius), but there's also a section for online stores as well. It's important to note that when Google Shopping says "113 stores," it doesn't just mean brick-and-mortar stores; it also includes online retailers.

13. Google Wallet — a virtual wallet that stores your payment cards, offers and more on your phone and online — is a refinement choice you're offered when using Google Shopping (new items and free shipping are the others). This is something to look into, especially if you get a lot of mobile traffic.

14. There's an expectation that Google Shopping will be heavily promoted on smartphones and tablets. This is just another reason why you should make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices and your abandoned cart program is ready to go. The number of abandons from mobile devices is a lot greater than the number of abandons from desktops, so all types of abandoned cart programs are key (as is collecting mobile phone numbers for text messaging and profiling purposes).

Amy Africa is chief imagination officer at e-commerce marketing firm Eight by Eight. Amy can be reached at amy@amyafrica.com.