About linking Search Ads 360 to Google Merchant Center
With Google Merchant Center and Search Ads 360, your product data can be used to drive impactful shopping campaigns and informative conversion reporting. You also gain the ability to scale and manage your search campaigns with Templates.
When you approve a link between your Search Ads 360 and Google Merchant Center accounts, you allow your product data to flow from Google Merchant Center to Search Ads 360 for use in advertising campaigns.
When you link Google Merchant Center and Search Ads 360, you can use your product data to:
- Create Google Ads Shopping campaigns (requires linking Google Ads and Google Merchant Center)
- Create Microsoft Shopping campaigns (requires adding the Microsoft Merchant Center store ID to the same inventory feed as the Google Merchant Center account)
- Support automated campaign management with Templates
- Report on Conversions with Cart Data
Create links
Required permissions
To create and manage links between Search Ads 360 and Google Merchant Center, you need to have Admin access for both products.
Where you can create links
You can link Search Ads 360 to Google Merchant Center at the following levels:
- Link a Search Ads 360 sub-manager account to a Google Merchant Center account
- Link a Search Ads 360 Microsoft Ads client account to a Google Merchant Center account
Unlinking
From Search Ads 360 sub-manager account: If you unlink a Google Merchant Center account from a Search Ads 360 sub-manager account, you prevent the feed from the Google Merchant Center account from being used by Templates and being used for "Conversions with cart data" reporting.
From Microsoft Ads client: If you unlink a Google Merchant Center account from a Microsoft Ads client account, you prevent Microsoft shopping campaigns from syncing and trafficking appropriately. You can also impact the conversions for the Search Ads 360 sub-manager account. All campaigns served through the Google Merchant Center account are stopped and conversion data for the related sub-manager account may be interrupted.
Google Ads Shopping campaigns
When you link a Google Ads client account to Search Ads 360, Search Ads 360 inherits any existing links between the Google Ads client account and Google Merchant Center accounts.
If you link new Google Merchant Center accounts to that Google Ads client account, Search Ads 360 inherits those Google Merchant Center account links as well.
Via any of those inherited links, you can enable and report on Google Ads shopping campaigns.
If you unlink a Google Merchant Center account from that Google Ads account, that Google Merchant Center account link is no longer available to Search Ads 360.
Within a Google Ads client in Search Ads 360, you have read-only access to the link between the Google Ads account and the Google Merchant Center account. You can manage the link between them from either Google Ads or Google Merchant Center.
Microsoft Shopping campaigns
You can create and report on Microsoft Shopping campaigns for Search Ads 360 Microsoft client accounts that are linked to Google Merchant Center and have an associated Microsoft Merchant center store ID.
To manage Microsoft Shopping campaigns, link your Search Ads 360 Microsoft Ads client and your Google Merchant Center account.
You can associate multiple Microsoft Store IDs with each Google Merchant Center account link that exists at the Search Ads 360 > Microsoft Ads client account level, but you have to make the associations one at a time.
A Microsoft Store ID can be associated with only one Google Merchant Center account link across all Microsoft Ads client accounts within a single Search Ads 360 sub-manager.
Conversions with Cart Data
You can report on Conversions with Cart Data for Google Merchant Center accounts that are linked to Search Ads 360 sub-managers. Conversions with Cart Data include purchase details for Search and Shopping campaigns. Learn more about reporting on Cart Data.
Templates
Templates are based on feed data and can be used to dynamically create and update campaign structure, targeting, and creatives. Templates allow you to:
- Generate new campaign structure, targeting and creatives. Templates can be configured to generate new campaigns and their associated structure, targeting, and creatives.
- (Coming soon) Update existing campaign structure by generating new ad groups, targeting, and creatives. Templates can be configured to use campaign and ad group data (and associated custom dimensions data) to define what the template generates.
How to link a sub-manager and Google Merchant Center
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to a sub-manager account. (the one you want to link to Google Merchant Center).
- Click Tools and settings > Linked accounts.
- In the "Google Merchant Center" card, click Details.
- Click New Link at the top of the table.
- The menu will list accounts for which you have Admin access. Select the Google Merchant Center account you want to link.
- Click Next.
- Review the link details, then click Submit.
How to unlink a sub-manager and Google Merchant Center
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to a sub-manager account. (the one you want to unlink from Google Merchant Center).
- Click Tools and settings > Linked accounts.
- In the "Google Merchant Center" card, click Details.
- In the row for the Google Merchant Center account you want to unlink, click the account name.
- At the top of the "Linked account details" page, click Unlink.
How to link a Search Ads 360 Microsoft Ads client account and Google Merchant Center
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to the Microsoft Advertising client account that you want to link to Google Merchant Center.
- Click Tools and settings , and then click Linked accounts.
- In the "Google Merchant Center" card, click Details.
- Click New Link at the top of the table.
- The menu will list accounts for which you have Admin access. Select the Google Merchant Center account you want to link.
- Click Next.
- Optional: Enter a Microsoft Store ID to include it in the link.
Note: While it is optional to include the Microsoft Store ID, the ID has to be associated with the linked Google Merchant Center account so you can use the linked account to configure Microsoft Shopping campaigns. - Click Next.
- Review the link details, then click Submit.
How to add an additional Microsoft Store to the Google Merchant Center link
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to the Microsoft Advertising client account that you want to link to Google Merchant Center.
- Click Tools and settings > Linked accounts.
- In the "Google Merchant Center" card, click Details.
- In the row for the link you want to add a Microsoft store to, click Manage.
- Under "Microsoft Store links", enter the ID for the new store you want to include in the link.
- Click Link Microsoft Store.
- Close the panel.
You have to repeat this process for each store you want to add.
How to unlink a Microsoft Ads client and Google Merchant Center
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to the Microsoft Advertising client you want to unlink from Google Merchant Center.
- Click Tools and settings > Linked accounts.
- In the "Google Merchant Center" card, click Details.
- In the row for the Google Merchant Center account you want to unlink, click the account name.
- At the top of the "Linked account details" page, click Unlink.