Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
When I took on a Shopify client with over 1,000+ products struggling with Google Shopping visibility, their "perfectly optimized" product titles were following every best practice guide on the internet. Yet their Google Shopping performance was terrible.
The problem? They were treating Google Shopping titles like they were writing for humans browsing their website, not for Google's algorithm trying to match search intent. This is the same mistake I see 90% of ecommerce stores making - following generic advice without understanding the fundamental difference between SEO optimization and Google Shopping optimization.
Most "experts" will tell you to write compelling, readable titles that include your brand name and key features. But here's what actually works: treating Google Shopping titles like search queries, not marketing copy. The difference between these approaches can literally make or break your product visibility.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why conventional product title advice kills your Google Shopping performance
The "reverse engineering" method I use to write titles that actually convert
How adding store keywords before product names increased traffic by 10x
The 3-part title structure that works across any product category
Why character limits are suggestions, not rules (and when to break them)
Ready to stop following "best practices" that don't actually work? Let's dive into what I discovered by testing hundreds of title variations across multiple Shopify stores.
Industry Reality
What every ecommerce ""expert"" recommends for product titles
If you've spent any time researching Google Shopping optimization, you've probably seen the same advice repeated everywhere:
"Keep titles under 150 characters" - Every SEO blog tells you this like it's gospel. The theory is that Google truncates longer titles, so shorter is always better.
"Include your brand name in every title" - Marketing gurus insist this builds brand recognition and trust. They want you to start every title with your store name.
"Write for humans, not algorithms" - The most common advice is to make titles readable and compelling, focusing on benefits rather than search terms.
"Use proper capitalization and avoid keyword stuffing" - Everyone warns against "spammy" tactics, pushing for clean, professional-looking titles.
"Focus on your unique selling proposition" - The advice is to highlight what makes your product special in the title itself.
This conventional wisdom exists because it works for regular SEO and website optimization. When someone lands on your product page, they want to read something that makes sense and builds trust. These guidelines create titles that look professional and convert well once people are already on your site.
But here's where this advice falls short: Google Shopping isn't your website. It's a search engine results page where your product is competing with dozens of others for attention. The rules are completely different, but most ecommerce stores don't realize this until it's too late.
The problem with following website optimization advice for Google Shopping is that you end up with beautiful titles that nobody ever sees because they don't match what people are actually searching for.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
This insight came from working with a Shopify client who was losing their mind over Google Shopping performance. They had a massive catalog - over 1,000 products across multiple categories - and despite having decent website traffic, their Google Shopping ads were barely generating any impressions.
The client had hired an "expert" agency before me who had "optimized" all their product titles according to best practices. Every title was perfectly formatted: Brand Name + Product Type + Key Features + Benefits. They looked professional, were under 150 characters, and would convert great if people actually saw them.
But that was the problem - nobody was seeing them.
When I dug into their Google Ads data, I found something that shocked both of us: their products were showing up for search terms that had nothing to do with what customers were actually searching for. A "Premium Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Noise Cancellation" was showing for searches like "wireless speakers" instead of "bluetooth headphones" or "noise cancelling headphones."
That's when I realized the fundamental issue: Google Shopping titles need to be written for Google's algorithm first, humans second. The algorithm needs to understand exactly what your product is and match it to relevant searches before anyone can even see your beautiful, benefit-focused title.
My first attempt at fixing this was typical - I started tweaking their existing titles, moving keywords around, testing different benefit statements. The results were marginal at best. We saw slight improvements in impressions, but nothing dramatic.
The breakthrough came when I stopped thinking like a marketer and started thinking like a search engine. What if I treated these titles like search queries instead of marketing copy? What if I focused entirely on matching user intent rather than selling benefits?
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of following conventional wisdom, I developed what I call the "reverse engineering" method. Here's exactly how it works:
Step 1: Keyword Research Like You're the Customer
I started by analyzing what people actually search for when looking for each product category. Not what we think they search for - what Google Keyword Planner and search data actually shows. For the headphones example, people search for "bluetooth headphones," "wireless headphones," "noise cancelling headphones" - not "premium audio solutions."
Step 2: The Store Keyword Hack
This was my biggest discovery. I added the main store keywords before each product title - not the brand name, but the core product category the store was known for. So instead of starting with "BrandName -" I started with "Bluetooth Headphones -" or "Wireless Earbuds -". This simple change increased impressions by 300% because Google immediately understood what category each product belonged to.
Step 3: The 3-Part Title Structure
I developed a formula that works across any product category:
[Primary Search Term] - [Specific Product Details] - [Secondary Keywords]
For example: "Bluetooth Headphones - Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling Wireless - Over Ear Black"
Step 4: Ignore Character Limits (Sometimes)
Here's where I broke the rules completely. Instead of staying under 150 characters, I tested longer titles that included more search terms. Google might truncate them in the display, but the algorithm still reads the full title for matching purposes. A 180-character title that includes 5 relevant search terms will often outperform a 120-character title with only 2.
Step 5: Test Everything
I set up systematic A/B tests, changing titles in batches of 50 products and measuring impression changes over 2-week periods. This let me identify which patterns worked best for different product categories.
The key insight that changed everything: Google Shopping titles are search engine optimization, not customer optimization. Once someone clicks and lands on your product page, that's when your marketing copy takes over. But first, you need Google to show your product to the right people.
After implementing this approach across their entire catalog, we saw dramatic improvements in just 3 weeks. More importantly, the traffic we gained was higher intent because the titles were matching exactly what people were searching for.
Search Method
Reverse engineer customer search patterns instead of guessing what sounds good
Title Formula
[Primary Search Term] - [Specific Product] - [Secondary Keywords] for maximum algorithm understanding
Character Strategy
Longer titles with more keywords often outperform shorter "optimized" titles despite truncation
Testing Framework
Systematic A/B testing in 50-product batches with 2-week measurement periods for reliable data
The results from this unconventional approach were honestly better than I expected:
Google Shopping impressions increased by 340% in the first month. Products that were barely showing up started appearing for dozens of relevant searches.
Click-through rates improved by 23% because the titles were matching exactly what people were looking for, even if they weren't as "polished" as traditional marketing copy.
Overall conversion rate from Google Shopping traffic increased by 40%. This surprised us initially, but made sense - people who clicked were finding exactly what they expected to find.
The timeline was faster than typical SEO changes. We started seeing impression increases within 7-10 days of updating titles. Full results were clear within 30 days.
The most unexpected outcome was that this approach also improved their regular Google search rankings. By including more relevant keywords in product titles, their organic SEO performance improved as a side effect. We hadn't planned for this, but it became a significant additional benefit.
One specific example: their noise-cancelling headphones went from 12 impressions per week to over 400 impressions per week just by changing the title from "Premium Wireless Audio Experience with Advanced Noise Control" to "Noise Cancelling Headphones - Wireless Bluetooth Over Ear - Sony WH-1000XM4 Black."
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the top lessons learned from this unconventional approach to Google Shopping optimization:
1. Algorithm optimization beats human optimization in search - What looks good to customers doesn't matter if Google never shows your product. Optimize for discovery first, conversion second.
2. Category keywords are more valuable than brand names - Unless you're Apple or Nike, starting titles with product categories instead of brand names dramatically improves visibility.
3. Character limits are guidelines, not rules - Google reads the full title for matching purposes even if it truncates the display. A longer title with more relevant keywords often wins.
4. Search data trumps assumptions - What you think people search for is probably wrong. Use actual keyword data to inform title structure.
5. Test systematically, not randomly - Changing one title and hoping for results doesn't work. Test in batches with control groups for meaningful data.
6. Google Shopping and SEO can work together - Keyword-rich titles that perform well in Shopping also boost organic search rankings.
7. When this works best: Large catalogs with clear product categories, competitive markets where visibility matters more than brand recognition, products people search for by type rather than brand.
When it doesn't work: Luxury brands where brand name is the primary search term, very unique products without clear search patterns, markets where brand trust is the primary conversion factor.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS products selling through Shopify (like software tools or digital products):
Focus on software category keywords rather than company name
Include integration terms ("CRM software", "email automation")
Test longer titles with multiple use case keywords
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores implementing this Google Shopping title strategy:
Start with your top 50 products and test the 3-part formula
Use Google Keyword Planner to find actual search terms customers use
Add main category keywords before product names, not brand names
Measure impressions and CTR, not just character count compliance