Google Shopping - address question

[xylene122]

Hi guys,

Sorry in advance if this is a silly question, but thinking I am surely not the only one in the same boat.

I'm wanting to set up Google Shopping on my store, and I understand that Google requires full contact information to be displayed on the site - email, phone and address.

I run my business from home, so I would have to put up my personal home address and I don't love that idea, although I'm sure it would be fine.

If you have a similar setup, what did you do? I can't see any way around it.

Many thanks.

[Victor]

Hi @xylene122,

Thank you for getting in touch and this is not a silly question at all! Lots of merchants run their businesses from home and this is something they'll all need to consider when listing contact information publicly.

The most common solution I have come across in terms of an address is getting a PO Box set up at a local post office. This will allow you to list a legitimate address that is not your own personal address, and will also be something you can provide to customers who may need to return or exchange items in future. For a phone number, listing your own personal number is perhaps less invasive than your address, but you could also consider looking into getting a second number for business purposes only.

In terms of Google Shopping specifically, our understanding is that you only need two pieces of contact information listed on the store:

This screenshot is taken from our help documentation for setting up the Google Shopping channel. I'd recommend having a business email listed on your store's contact page, and you can then decide between having a physical address or phone number listed alongside it. You could, of course, list all three - more contact options will make your business seem more professional and trustworthy.

I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any further questions!

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Geezrs]

I have an about page set up that has my contact info in the text. It doesn't seem to be working, is there another way to do it?

[Geezrs]

okay, scratch that, it was as simple as telling the set up that I had it.....

However, it seems like if I continue that I will be allowing Google to set up my ad campaigns instead of doing it myself. How can I be sure that I can set the parameters... specifically, I just want to do shopping ads right now, no Youtube or banner ads etc. Also, do I need to set up and/or sync a google ads acct or just the merchant account to make it work?

thanks,

Geezrs

[Josh_Uebergang]

@Geezrs Google wants to see 2 of 3 different forms of contact. A web form does not count. The three most popular types include a physical address, email address, and phone number. I have seen Google Merchant Center accounts suspended if this isn't followed. Google support:

Insufficient contact information: Make sure your site provides users with at least two of the following types of contact information: physical business address, phone number or email. Note that a contact form does not suffice.

[Geezrs]

This information is on my about page, does that suffice?

[Victor]

Hi @Geezrs,

Yes, that should be fine, but I'd recommend having a dedicated contact page either way - this'll make things clearer for customers and your contact information more accessible, which promotes trust and transparency. We have a blog post on making the most of your contact page which you may also find useful.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care