What is the Google CSS program and how does it work?

The Google Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) program is a program from Google that allows online shops to list their products on Google Shopping. Google works with so-called Comparison Shopping Services (CSS). Using these CSS providers, online retailers can advertise their products on Google Shopping to increase their visibility. The Google CSS program was launched after the EU Commission fined Google €2.42 billion in 2017 for violating EU competition law. The court ruling said that Google had placed its own price comparison (Google Shopping) on Google more prominently than other price comparisons and now had to ensure fair competition. As a result, Google Shopping Europe (GSE) was spun off as an independent company and acts as the standard CSS provider for all merchants who have not decided on any other CSS. In order to have an economic raison d’être, GSE must generate profits. It does this by retaining around 20% of all CPC bids that go through GSE, according to popular belief. This means that only 80% of the CPCs are used as a bid for shopping ads. If an online shop chooses another CSS partner like ads4seo, this fee does not apply. As a result, CPCs are up to 25% higher than when using GSE. In order to use a CSS, one must register with a CSS provider who then sends a CSS switch request to the respective Merchant Center. Once accepted, the Shopping Ads will benefit from the CPC benefit and the CSS provider’s name will appear at the bottom of the Shopping Ads.