Google Shopping Auction Insights Explained

Anirban Sen
Apr 23
3 min read

Updated: Apr 25

Google Shopping's auction system helps you compare your ads with competitors and improve your campaign performance. Here's what you'll learn:

Auction Insights Metrics: Key stats like impression share, overlap rate, and position above rate show how your ads perform against competitors.
Using Auction Data: Adjust bids, refine product feeds, and track competitor trends to boost ROI.
Finding the Report: Access Auction Insights in Google Ads to uncover trends over time (daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal).

Quick Tip: Focus on metrics like impression share and outranking share to identify performance gaps and make data-driven decisions for better ad placement.

Key Auction Insights Metrics

Main Performance Metrics

To address performance gaps, keep an eye on these key metrics:

Impression Share: The percentage of impressions you received compared to the total eligible impressions.
Overlap Rate: How often your competitors' ads appear alongside yours.
Position Above Rate: How frequently competitors rank higher than you when both ads are shown.
Top of Page Rate: The percentage of your impressions that appear at the top of the page.
Absolute Top Rate: The percentage of your impressions that appear in the very top slot.
Outranking Share: The percentage of times your ad outranks a competitor's or appears when theirs does not.

These metrics can help you identify where you're falling short and provide direction for improving your campaigns.

Google Ads Auction Insights Report: Everything You Need to ...

Finding and Reading Auction Data

Once you've tracked your key metrics, dive into auction data to uncover patterns you can act on.

Locating Your Report

Head over to Google Ads, open your Shopping campaign, and click on Auction Insights. Review at least 30 days of data to identify dependable trends.

Using Report Features

Make the most of the report by using its segmentation tools, custom views, and export options to dig deeper into performance:

Segment data by time (daily, weekly, monthly), device (desktop, mobile, tablet), product group, or location.
Create custom views for specific needs like high-value categories, regional trends, seasonal shifts, or competitor groups.
Export reports as CSV or PDF files, or set up email schedules to stay updated.

U.S. Market Analysis

Monitor impression share and competitive activity by state or metro area.
Adjust your bids to align with key U.S. shopping seasons, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other holidays.
Compare pricing in USD and factor in regional shipping costs to stay competitive.

Performance Tracking Periods

Track performance over different timeframes to get a clear picture:

Daily: Keep an eye on impression share and position above rate.
Weekly: Look at overlap rate and outranking share.
Monthly: Evaluate the absolute top rate and overall performance.
Seasonal: Compare historical data to understand market share shifts.

These insights can help you fine-tune your bids and targeting strategies as you move forward.

Improving Campaigns with Auction Data

Use Auction Insights metrics to fine-tune your bids, budgets, and product feeds for better campaign performance.

Tracking Competitor Performance

Keep an eye on metrics like impression share, overlap rate, and position above rate. These can help you spot new competitors or shifts in strategies that might affect your campaigns.

Making Campaign Adjustments

Here are ways to adjust your campaigns based on Auction Insights data:

Increase bids on products where overlap rates are climbing.
Reallocate budget to product groups losing impression share or position above rate.

Senwired's Optimization Tactics

Senwired takes a data-driven approach to optimize campaigns at scale. Their methods include:

Strategic Bid ManagementAdjust bids and budgets based on competitor trends and seasonal changes.
Product Feed RefinementFine-tune feed attributes for products facing high competition.
Defensive BiddingPrevent competitors from gaining ground by maintaining key ad placements.

Conclusion

Key Takeaways

Using Auction Insights helps pinpoint gaps in your Shopping auctions, providing clear direction for improving performance. Metrics like impression share, overlap rate, and position above rate are essential for making informed decisions about bidding and feed adjustments, ultimately enhancing your Shopping campaign's ROI.

Advantages of Professional Management

Professional management can transform raw data into actionable strategies for growth. For example, Senwired uses product-level ROAS management, advanced analytics, and competitive pricing strategies to turn Auction Insights into measurable results. In one instance, their approach boosted a retailer's U.S. Shopping ROI by over 30%.

Apply these strategies to fine-tune your bids, improve your product feeds, and gain a competitive edge in Google Shopping.