Wrong image on Google+ page

-- url of the page with the problem -- : www.artlantismedia.com
-- HikaShop version -- : 2.3.0
-- Joomla version -- : 2.5

When I want to promote products on my Google+ businesspage the post always shows the wrong image.
It does work correct on my Facebook Business page but not on Google+.
The Google+ post always shows the header image of my website and not the image of the product I want to promote.
Anyone having the same problem?
Any advise how to solve this?

Best regards

Sjaak Boer

Hi,

Thanks to edit the view "product / show" and add the following code at the top of the file between php tags:

$doc = JFactory::getDocument();
$image = hikashop_get('helper.image');
$height = (int)$this->config->get('product_image_y');
$width = (int)$this->config->get('product_image_x');
$image_options = array('default' => true,'forcesize'=>$this->config->get('image_force_size',true),'scale'=>$this->config->get('image_scale_mode','inside'));
$imgPath = isset($this->element->images[0]->file_path)?$this->element->images[0]->file_path:$image->file_path;
$img = $this->image->getThumbnail(@$imgPath, array('width' => $width, 'height' => $height), $image_options);
$imgPath = HIKASHOP_MEDIA.'upload'.DS.$img->path;
$doc->addCustomTag( '<meta itemprop="name" content="'.$this->element->product_name.'">' );
$doc->addCustomTag( '<meta itemprop="description" content="'.$this->element->product_description.'">' );
$doc->addCustomTag( '<meta itemprop="image" content="'.$imgPath.'">' );

Hi Xavier,

Thank you, I edited the view as you suggested and indeed another image showed. Only not the image I need. Now an image coming from the product description is added to the Google+ post and not the product image.

Do I need to change something?

Sjaak

Thanks Nicolas,

That did the trick.
If one only could know what every feature in hikashop is about.

Sjaak

HI,

The microdata plugin did the trick for about 6 months.
With the plugin enabled I can't get the product image shown in my Google+ promotions anymore.

Any idea How to solve this?

Thanks

SJak

Hi,

mmmh strange. The robots.txt file hasn't been changed for over 6 months. I followed your advice and removed the line. Still no change.

Sjaak

HI Nicolas,

Thank you for your efforts.

Some observations. I disabled the Facebook module to see if it was the cause. After that I tried to create a Google+ snippet. .....Same effect. The product image was not shown.
If, as you say, my Facebook module messes up the open graph meta tags te n I am open to use another one. Can you recommend one that does not mess up things?

(Almost all) My productimages are at least 400x400px. Square. I have set my thumbnail images to 80x80px. Would that be the cause? I can hardly imagine this because I can choose between all the other thumbnails of products on the page except the thumbnail of the product I want to show.

Besides that.....I was able to place products on my Google+ account without problems until nov 5. I didnt change anything in the layout of the website nor did I change settings of Hikashop.
One thing was changed about 2 weeks ago. I installed an app that was created by Jerome to add a feature to my shop. (TOPIC: availability subsctiption products) I tested if that could have been the cause. Well, with the plugin disabled I still cannot share productimages on Google+.

Are there any changes in the Google Ivory towers that can cause this? It is becoming a real puzzle now.

Sjaak

Well, I waited som time to give Google a chance to re-index.
Still no improvement. Now I have the same problem with facebook as well.

About Asking Google webmaster support for help. I don't know anything about coding or how google sets their searchengine. So what question would I ask?? I have no idea. Next to that....Google has a very doubtful reputation when it comes to answering questions.

All I know is that I was able to post products in my shop on my Facebook wall and on my Google+ page and from one day to another I can't. without changing anything.

Sjaak

I updated Hikashop to 2.3.4 about a month ago (nov 12 2014)
This problem appeared after that.
Reading this forum I discovered that a new Social plugin with the update to 2.3.4has been added while the old plugin still exists.

Can there be a conflict with the new plugin?

Sjaak

Hi Nicolas,

I tried both types of the plugin. No visible changes.
Currently I have the new plugin activated.

I also tried to get some help with Google+. I couldn't find something like 'support department'. Lucky enough I found a forum where I could ask my question and some visitors where kind enough to give me some answers.
But the answers really where too technical for me since I really am a noob when it comes to coding and all the fancy terms web developers use.

Is it possible for you to get some valuable info from their answers?
Here is my topic in the Google forum: groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums....gleproductforums.com .

Thanks

Sjaak

Hi Nicolas,

Thanks for all your efforts.
No I never uploaded products to Google merchant.
I may investigate in doing so in the future but currently that is not the case.

Coming back on the issue. Previously in this topic I got the impression that the hikashop social plugin was meant to use it for posting products in social media. I was happy with that because it really helped in promoting products. Now it seems to turn out differently. As it is now I am not able to promote products on social media as I was used to. The effect is a dropdown in visitors/sales.

Please explain what the purpose of the hikashop social plugin really is?
What alternative do we have to effectively promote hikashop products on social media?

Thanks

Sjaak

Hi Nicolas,

Thanks.
We're on the same boat then

I also spend the most time on creating the products I sell. I hoped to find a way to promote the products directly via social media. There are quiet some Facebook and Google+ groups that target the users of the software I am aiming at. For those groups it would be great to post new products and gain visitors. I used it successfully until images didn't show anymore in the links I want to show.

Well, it seems I need to go write interesting content to gain more visitors.

Sjaak