With the onset of Google’s AI Search (SGE), the way that search results are displayed is changing. Many content websites and SEO publishers have seen a drop in traffic as generative AI often replaces traditional links with its own responses.
What does this mean for e-shops?
Traditional organic promotion methods (content articles, reviews, SEO projects) may lose effectiveness in the coming months and years. Of course, they will still play an important role in affiliate marketing. But today, it’s crucial to explore new ways to drive traffic through affiliate campaigns.
Why are CSS publishers the answer to this shift?
- CSS ads stay visible in the Shopping box — safely outside the reach of AI-generated answer snippets.
- Paid formats get priority — Google doesn’t bypass them even in AI-driven results.
- Performance-based model ensures ROI — while other channels lose reliability, CSS remains measurable, controllable, and performance-guaranteed.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the CSS affiliate channel stands as a steady anchor in your marketing ecosystem. It covers not only Google Shopping but also Microsoft Ads (Shopping), which powers some ChatGPT search results.
1. Your products appear more than once in Google Shopping, without competing against your own campaigns.
CSS partners participate in the auction independently through their own Merchant Centers and campaigns, so they don’t compete with your internal e-shop campaigns. Instead, they complement them and increase your presence in search results, boosting your chances of product visibility without raising your own CPC. The result? You become more visible in search results than your competitors.
Google itself provides more insights on this topic.
Affiliate campaigns (like those through CSS) don’t directly affect your e-shop’s CPC, and the campaigns don’t compete with each other. Google shows the offer that’s most relevant to the user, so thanks to affiliate partners, your e-shop can gain more visibility without increasing your own budget. Barbora Kučerová, Account manager, Winnero.Shopping s.r.o.
Affiliate CSS isn’t your competition, but an extension of your marketing efforts. We focus on different products, different audiences, and different bidding strategies. Plus, Google ensures there’s no price war between partners within the same auction. So your CPC won’t increase. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
2. Zero Risk, Pay Only for Results
Affiliate CSS partners operate on a performance-based model, the e-shop pays only for real conversions. There are no fixed fees, and partners cover their own budgets. Advertisers pay solely for actual sales. Traffic that doesn’t convert is completely free.
You only pay commissions on completed orders. No upfront risks, no unnecessary costs. If a partner doesn’t generate sales, you pay nothing. Barbora Kučerová, Account manager, Winnero.Shopping s.r.o.
In the affiliate model, you pay only for real results, i.e. actual sales. If no conversion happens, you don’t pay a cent. You can also set limits like Target ROAS or Cost of Sales to keep your ROI in check. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
There’s no need to worry about hidden fees or commitments. Plus, you can end your cooperation with CSS partners at any time. It’s quick and easy without any complicated processes. This gives you full freedom and flexibility. However, we recommend planning such changes carefully and discussing them with your CSS partner to avoid unwanted performance fluctuations. Martin Bětík, Yield Manager, Expandeo
3. Doesn’t Drive Up Your Own Google Shopping Campaign Costs
All CSS partners (including your own campaigns) enter the same auction. However, Google never shows more than one ad for the same product from the same e-shop. This means affiliate CSS partners won’t increase your own CPC but can boost performance where your campaigns aren’t currently competitive. They don’t link to their own sites, only to the advertiser’s site. So Google doesn’t see them as competition. Within a single auction, Google will never show multiple ads for the same product from the same merchant, even if advertised through different CSS partners.
However, if your e-shop has multiple relevant products, you can appear multiple times in Google Shopping results, with each ad potentially coming from a different CSS partner.
This way, you gain more exposure for your e-shop without competing against yourself on a single product.
Learn more about this topic directly from Google
Video from Google Ads — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyQpbjQLu6Y
The concern is understandable, but in practice, it doesn’t happen. Our campaigns run from a different account, a different Merchant Center, with their own bidding strategy. However, since we use your product feed and promote the same domain, Google never pits us directly against each other in the auction. This means we don’t drive up each other’s cost-per-click. Instead of competing, we complement your performance where your campaign no longer reaches. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
4. Expand Your Reach and Test New Strategies
Each CSS partner uses their own bidding, segmentation, and targeting style. This allows them to reach different audiences, test fresh approaches, and boost performance where your internal campaigns don’t reach. It’s a great way to compare and optimize the effectiveness of various strategies.
We work with Google CSS partners (like ShopForward) because it is an effective way to improve our clients’ performance. During key campaigns, this approach helps increase product visibility, attract more relevant traffic, and ultimately drive better results. ShopForward adds value through incremental sales, in addition to the Google Shopping campaign that we run. Our collaboration brings value not only in the short term but also contributes to long-term growth. In addition, we appreciate the transparent and constructive advice we receive, which supports us in delivering the best possible outcomes for our clients. Srod Fathulla, Performance Marketer, i0
5. No Technical Interventions or Account Access Needed
CSS partners do not require access to the advertiser’s Google Ads or Google Merchant Center accounts. They work solely with the product feed (e.g., via an affiliate network), setting up everything independently. This eliminates any risks related to security or loss of control over accounts.
The partner doesn’t need access to your GMC. Campaigns run from their own CSS account, completely separate from the advertiser. Barbora Kučerová, Account manager, Winnero.Shopping s.r.o.
CSS partners have no access to any of the advertiser’s services. Each CSS partner must create their own Google Merchant account for every e-shop and promote products through their own Google Ads account. The only data visible to the CSS partner are the product data, typically an XML feed provided by the e-shop via the affiliate network for promotion. Miroslav Zpěvák, Midovo
We use our own Merchant Center and CSS account. The only thing we need is consent to process the feed and product data. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
6. CSS partners leverage insights from thousands of campaigns to fill performance gaps
CSS partners manage campaigns for dozens to hundreds of e-shops across various segments, markets, and seasons. This broad experience enables them to quickly spot opportunities your internal team or agency might miss, such as untapped time slots, performance gaps in specific categories, or audience segments. Their expertise helps boost campaign performance exactly where your e-shop is currently losing potential.
More CSS partners don’t automatically mean competition. In the affiliate model, we target differently, use our own strategies, and don’t have insight into other partners’ campaigns. This allows us to bring a different type of customer who might not have reached you otherwise. At the same time, you gain the opportunity to test the performance of your current CSS partner. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
7. Easy Start and Opportunity to Test the Partnership
You can onboard a CSS partner on a trial basis, for example, targeting a specific segment or product category. A test campaign can be launched within 48 hours, with a recommended evaluation period of 2–3 months. This way, advertisers get real performance data without any long-term commitment.
Test periods are flexible and come with clear conditions and evaluations. Barbora Kučerová, Account manager, Winnero.Shopping s.r.o.
For CSS partners, all that’s needed is a product feed and permission. They handle the rest, and the campaign can realistically launch within 48 hours (subject to Google’s product approval process, which may cause some delay). To gather meaningful results, we recommend running the test for at least 2–3 months. Miroslav Zpěvák, Midovo
We run tests on a regular basis. It’s possible to start with a specific category or segment, limit the budget or target ROAS, and evaluate the results after 30–60 days. Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
8. Reduce Dependency Risk by Diversifying Channels and Partners
Working with multiple CSS partners is like having several sales representatives, each reaches different customer groups. This also allows your e-shop to compare partner performance and decide whom to keep or reward with higher commissions.
9. A Great Addition for Agency-Managed Campaigns
Affiliate CSS doesn’t interfere with agency work; it’s a complementary channel running independently. In fact, it can “free up” your agency by taking responsibility for part of the performance campaign without increasing your budget.
Some agencies may lack experience with affiliate or even see it as competition. In practice, affiliate CSS can complement your existing campaigns, driving extra results without interfering with their performance. Barbora Kučerová, Account manager, Winnero.Shopping s.r.o.
Although we work closely with the e-shop as one team, other CSS partners or agencies are technically competitors to us. From the e-shop’s perspective, it can be more advantageous to “bet on multiple horses.” Two identical campaigns that are run on two separate accounts can yield different results. The size of the e-shop also matters, for smaller shops, one CSS partner may cover all segments, while for larger ones, having multiple CSS partners can be far more beneficial. Miroslav Zpěvák, Midovo
This situation often arises from a lack of knowledge or fear of losing control. However, we frequently collaborate with agencies by setting clear rules (ROAS, budgets, segmentation) and operate completely independently. In fact, this can free up agencies to focus on other activities. Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
10. Expand Internationally with Expert Support
Many CSS partners operate across multiple EU countries and leverage localized expertise, language skills, and experience with local markets to support campaigns beyond Slovakia or the Czech Republic. This enables them to help you reach new customers abroad more effectively.
Currently, we have active CSS campaigns in over 20 European countries, which allows us to monitor campaign performance across markets, create relevant benchmarks, and identify what works and what doesn’t. This expertise helps us anticipate challenges in expansion and spot weak points in individual markets. We are an excellent partner for e-shops aiming to grow internationally. We assist with preparation, localization, and campaign optimization for specific markets. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
We promote e-shops across all of Europe as well as in the USA, where we run active campaigns through Bing. Every market has its own dynamics, competition, and shopping habits. We leverage local knowledge and experience to understand what works in Poland, what’s effective in Germany, and how to adjust strategies for Hungary or Romania. We help clients achieve results as quickly as possible, whether they want to test a single market or plan long-term growth across Europe. That said, it’s crucial to understand that affiliate partners won’t establish your brand in a new market on your behalf. However, they can help you pave the way. Martin Bětík, Yield Manager, Expandeo
11. Using Their Own Technology
CSS partners use their own bidding systems, automated scripts, and optimization tools that e-shops or agencies often don’t have access to. Thanks to these proprietary technologies, they can quickly respond to market changes and manage campaigns more efficiently.
When managing campaigns, we work with large volumes of data, such as product performance, customer behaviour, competitor offers, and seasonal fluctuations. We utilize proprietary optimization systems and AI-driven bidding algorithms to dynamically adjust campaigns in real time.Martin Bětík, Yield Manager, Expandeo
12. Handling High-Pressure Periods (Black Friday, Christmas, etc.)
During peak periods with intense competition, CSS partners can quickly launch parallel campaigns that adapt to changes in customer behaviour, without needing to alter your original campaign settings. This flexibility allows for scalable performance when it’s needed most.
13. Comparability of Results
The collaboration runs through an affiliate network, allowing you to transparently track conversions, revenue, ROAS (return on ad spend), and each partner’s performance. This gives you a clear overview of the contribution from CSS campaigns. Within the admin panel, you can compare the cost-per-click from your own Google Shopping campaigns with those from affiliate publishers.
In fact, you can think of CSS publishers as small, efficient agencies that can deliver the desired performance without additional demands. You can start using their services immediately, just have an active affiliate program with a reasonable commission and a valid XML feed. Martin Bětík, Yield Manager, Expandeo
14. No Conversions from Branded Search
As part of the affiliate partnership, CSS partners are prohibited from using keywords that contain your brand name. These keywords are included in the negative keyword list. This prevents any “cannibalization” of branded search traffic, ensuring the partner focuses exclusively on acquisition (new) traffic. This also helps reach customers who might otherwise never hear about your brand.
Brand protection is not just a technical matter but a key element of trust between us and the client. Excluding branded keywords also allows us to better evaluate the true acquisition value of the campaign. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
15. Support for Remarketing Campaigns
Customers brought in by a CSS partner often don’t purchase immediately. Typically, 15–20% of conversions happen with some delay. These visitors enter your remarketing audiences, which you can then target with your own remarketing campaigns (either internal or through an agency). Even though the subsequent conversion might not be directly attributed to the CSS partner, they still contribute to sales growth in the later stages of the buying process.
By bringing in new visitors, CSS partners play a role beyond immediate conversions, they engage in a broader purchase cycle. These users become part of remarketing audiences that the e-shop can strategically leverage across multiple channels. Thus, CSS naturally fits into an omnichannel approach, where it delivers long-term value by generating new leads and strengthening other marketing efforts, rather than just providing one-time results. Kristýna Gröbnerová, Affiliate & Partnership Manager, Selltoro
CSS campaigns can effectively complement your marketing ecosystem and help you get more out of Google or Microsoft Ads. And you can give it a trial run. Feel free to reach out, we’re here to help.
