It’s no secret that in the world of search engines, Google wears the crown. However, there are still plenty of Bing users, and you could be missing out on a substantial amount of business if you’re only managing your product feeds on Google Merchant Center.
Importing your Google feeds to Bing Merchant Center allows you to reach a smaller niche market, giving you the competitive edge over other businesses that are stuck in a Google-centric mindset.
A Simple Solution
In the past, importing your product feeds to Bing was a tedious process. Recently, Bing made an exciting move, allowing users to sign into their Google accounts so they can pull their product feeds directly into Bing.
Instead of being forced to go through two separate importing processes, you can now integrate the two accounts together. You can also schedule imports to occur daily, weekly, monthly, or immediately.
The Process
The first step before starting the importing process is creating your Bing Merchant Center store. You can only use Bing’s Google Merchant Center Import tool once your store is up and running.
Here’s how to import your Google Merchant Center product feed using the Google Import tool:
- Go to your Bing Ads page
- Click Tools at the top of the menu and then click Bing Merchant Center
- Select your Bing store
- Click the tab that says Import
- Sign in to your Google account
- Click Create New Catalog
- Enter the name of your catalog, your target country, and your market/language
- Click Create
- Choose which Google Merchant Center feeds you want to import
- Click Continue
At this point, you can select the frequency at which your Google feeds are imported. If you just want to import these specific feeds at this moment in time, click Now. You can also choose to schedule your feeds on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. If you choose to schedule your imports, you will need to create a schedule name.
The scheduling approach can be useful if you prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach, rather than going through this process on Bing merchant Center every time.
The next step is to set your preferred notification settings. You can choose to receive emails every time an import occurs, or only if an issue arises. You can also choose not to receive emails at all, and simply let the tool do its work. If you do decide to receive emails, make sure the email address in your store’s settings are current and accurate.
Next, you’re going to want to replace your Google tracking metadata with Bing tracking metadata. To accomplish this, click Find and Replace String in URL, and replace instances of “Google” with “Bing.” Click Continue.
The final step in importing Google Merchant Center feeds to Bing Merchant Center — or scheduling future imports — is to click Import (or Save if you’re scheduling future imports).
The Benefits
If you’re assuming that the majority of consumers use Google, you’re right. However, a larger market isn’t always a good thing. Sure, you want to be competitive, but you also want to stand out from the competition, and sometimes targeting a narrower market is the way to do that.
For example. Say 1,000 people shop on Google and 100 people use Bing. On paper, 1,000 potential customers sounds ideal, right? The problem is that there are also — hypothetically, of course — 100 relevant businesses on Google Merchant Center and a mere three on Bing Merchant Center.
Suddenly you’re only competing with three businesses. Let’s say your customers are divided equally. You’re averaging ~33 customers from Bing and 20 from Google.
Of course, these numbers are purely hypothetical, but the point remains true. Narrowing your focus may mean that you’re reaching a smaller market, but at the same time you’re dealing with much less competition too. Covering your bases by using both outlets is the key to reaching as many potential customers as possible.
Contact Us for Assistance
Our expert team can help you take your ecommerce site to the next level. Whether you need assistance with importing your Google Merchant Center feed to Bing Merchant Center, ranking higher in search engine results pages, or building a brand new web store from scratch, we have the skills, resources, and experience to grow your audience, boost sales, and increase your bottom line.
Our long list of clients are consistently thrilled with our work, and our prices can’t be beat. We encourage you to get in touch today so we can explain exactly how we can create a custom-tailored plan that fits your company’s needs. In addition to a free consultation and quote, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have so you can proceed with full confidence.
Call (310) 827-3890 now to speak with one of our friendly team members, or feel free to message us online with any questions you have, and we’ll respond quickly with answers. Taking advantage of Bing Merchant Center is just one way to grow your business. Get in touch now to learn about the many methods and strategies we can use to help your business thrive.
