A Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) is a price comparison website. In other words, it is a website that collects prices from different webshops, with the intention to help its visitors navigate to these webshops. As these visitors already compared the prices, it’s likely that they will convert at the webshop. Google Shopping is Google’s CSS that advertises shopping ads on the Google search results page.
After Google started advertising with shopping ads on their search results page, comparison shopping sites lost their chance to compete fairly for their online webshops. The European Commission decided to fine Google for this and decided to create the Comparison Shopping Services program. CSS-partners are comparison websites that can advertise for a Merchant (webshop) in Google’s Product Listing Ads.
Similarities between Google CSS and Google CSS partners
Just like Google CSS, partners are able to show product listing ads for products that are available on their comparison website. Besides Google’s CSS, there are many other Google CSS Partners such as Producthero.com.
A shopping ad from a CSS Partner looks the same to those of Google CSS. The only visual difference is that instead of a link beneath the ad stating “By Google”, there is a link with “By [CSS name]”.
Some benefits of working with a CSS-partner:
Comparison shopping services pay 20% less in the ad auction.
Comparison shopping services provide more visibility for products.
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