Where it all starts
The same budget, stronger ads
For every ad in Google Shopping, Google charges a commission. That reduces the power of your budget before the ad even competes for a customer. With CSS, that commission is gone. It doesn't mean you pay less. Quite simply, the same money works harder. And everything else follows from that.
When Google decides
You pay the same, you sell more
When Google sets the bids automatically, you won't see lower costs in your account. Google sees that your ad performs better, so it shows it more often. You pay the same and get more sales. It works the same way in Performance Max campaigns.
When you decide
When you set the bids yourself
If you set bids manually, you have a choice. You can lower them and pay less for the same spot. Or leave them as they are and, for the same budget, get more clicks and a higher position. You decide: lower costs or more traffic.
A simple start
Turn it on and it works
You don't have to rebuild anything on your side. You leave your campaigns and Merchant Center just as they are. CSS simply switches on, usually within a day or two. From that moment, your budget works harder.
Where the customer goes
A click on "By" stays with you, not back to Google
Under every ad in Google Shopping there is a small label "By…". By default it says "By Google" and clicking it goes back to Google, next to your competitors' ads. With CSS you put your own sign there: "By Sembot" (and an agency its own name, for example "By Your Agency"). The click then leads to the Sembot comparison site, where the customer sees products matching their search, yours among them, and goes through to your store. This traffic is free.
