Advertisers can now further optimize their product titles in the Google Merchant Center.
Google recently added a new, optional feature to Merchant Center called “Shortline.” This update allows you to be more concise and direct about your products.
Where will the short title property be displayed?
Compared to the required “title” attribute, the short title attribute is optional.
The main difference between title and short title attribute is as follows:
- Title attribute: More accurately matches the product landing page, as well as the customer’s search.
- Short title attributeBrief and concise definition of your product
Since the short title attribute is an optional feature, it will not always be displayed on all networks.
Currently, the short title attribute will be shown in places where users typically do a lot of browsing, including Discovery campaigns and Shopping ads in Gmail.
What are the minimum requirements for the short title?
The current character limit for this attribute is 1 to 150 characters. However, Google recommends keeping the character limit between 5-65 characters.
Google warns that if you don’t follow the minimum requirements, they will reject your product. Some of the main requirements include:
- Use professional and grammatically correct language.
- Do not use words in a foreign language, unless they are well understood.
- More specifically, do not use foreign characters for catchy purposes.
- Don’t include promotions in your short title.
- Avoid excessive capitalization.
Another requirement for using short titles is the product description on your landing page. While it doesn’t need to match the exact title on the landing page, it should at least refer to the same product.
In terms of using capital letters in your short titles, it is still appropriate for abbreviations, phone numbers, countries, and currency.
Best practices for using short title attributes
There are multiple ways to improve your short titles in your product feed. Key recommendations for improving your short title include:
- Stay under 65 characters
- List the most important details first
- Add the brand name (if it is a differentiating factor)
The character limit is very important in more browsing contexts. Since users are more likely to scroll in these contexts (such as Discovery and Gmail Ads), keeping the short title to a minimum is best. After 65 characters, the title may get truncated, making the user experience less engaging.
summary
In heavy scrolling networks like the Discovery tab or Gmail, less is more when it comes to showing your ads.
By providing a more concise title, you have the opportunity to quickly capture a picture of the user.
It would be useful to test the use of the short title in your product feed and compare the increase in traffic from those metrics. Make sure you follow Google’s minimum guidelines and best practices so that your ads don’t get disapproved in the process.
Source: Google Merchant Center Help
Featured image: Screenshot from google.com/merchants, February 2022.
