A product feed sends store catalogue information to Google Merchant Center. It provides product names, photos, prices, availability and other attributes. Incorrect or outdated data can limit impressions even when campaigns are configured well.

Feed preparation is a shared task for the store owner, developer and advertising specialist. Agree on data sources, who updates them and how errors are corrected.

Organise your catalogue

Start with the product database on your website. If a model has several colours or sizes, clearly separate variants, their stock levels and links. Check discontinued items, duplicates and pages missing specifications.

Stable internal identifiers help match records during updates. Clear categories and consistent naming also help the team. An organised catalogue makes both the feed and landing pages easier to check.

Check the main attributes

Google publishes a product data specification. Requirements depend on the product and target country. For a typical physical product, check the identifier, title, description, link, main image, price and availability. Brand and product identifiers also matter where applicable.

Price and availability must match the website and checkout. If the manufacturer assigned a GTIN, send the correct code. Do not invent GTINs or MPNs to fill empty fields. For variants, check grouping and distinguishing attributes.

Google provides separate structured attributes for AI-generated titles and descriptions. If you use such copy, review the relevant specification section before exporting the catalogue.

Make titles useful for choosing products

A title should explain what is being sold. For a hypothetical product, “Luma desk lamp, LED, white” is more informative than “Lamp 17”. Include actual distinguishing features: type, brand, size, material or colour.

Do not turn titles into repetitive keyword lists. Buyers should recognise the product after arriving on the website. Handle promotional wording through appropriate advertising features rather than mixing it with model descriptions.

Prepare quality product photos

Check every main photo: does it show the right model, the correct colour and the right variant? Open image links without being logged into the admin panel as a separate check.

Catalogue photos should represent the specific product. Buyers need to understand what is included and what is only shown to demonstrate use. Additional website photos can explain details, scale and how the product is used.

Align the feed with shipping and store terms

Buyers should find contacts, payment, shipping and return information on the website. Check whether the store can fulfil orders in the advertised regions. If shipping has exceptions or depends on dimensions, reflect that in settings and explanations for customers.

Owners should test several scenarios: one product, several products, different payment methods and a discounted product. This can uncover differences between what Google sees and what the buyer sees.

Set up updates and error monitoring

Determine how quickly price and stock changes reach the feed from the store. Manually correcting one record will not last if the next automated export restores the old value.

After importing, review product diagnostics in Merchant Center. Fix the error at its data source and check the next update. Approved products do not guarantee sales: demand, competition, budget and economics still matter after catalogue preparation.

Before launch, spot-check pages from different categories, promotional products and variants with limited stock. Record who is responsible for the catalogue, technical export and advertising setup.

Bei Agency helps prepare your catalogue for advertising and set up campaigns. Explore our Google Ads or contact us.