Foundation · 3 min
What you need to know
Why use a feed?
The feed tells a shopping service which of your products you want to list and where buyers can open each product page. Google also uses product information from the website and can compare it with submitted data. A feed is a separate channel from ordinary search indexing; having an indexed product page does not automatically mean every Merchant Center listing is approved.
Choose which products to submit and check whether each linked page can be opened and purchased in the intended market.
Which details should it contain?
Check the shopping service’s current list of required fields for your country. You may need a unique product identifier, a title, description, page link, photo link, price, and stock status for each product. Some categories and programs need additional attributes.
Use the same name and correct version details across your product page and feed. Do not submit a placeholder price and hope the shopping service will read the real one later.
Why might a product be missing or rejected?
Open the reported issue for the exact product in Merchant Center. If the price or stock status differs from your product page, fix that item instead of changing every product. A missing required field, inaccessible product link, disallowed item, or mismatch in price or availability may be involved. Fix the reported problem and then wait for the service to reprocess the item; do not assume that editing a page makes the warning disappear instantly.
The rules and reasons can change. Read the current policy and product data specification for the market where the item is shown.
How often should the feed update?
Update the feed whenever your prices or stock change enough that a listing could mislead a buyer. For example, if you restock a product and update the count in your store, check that the feed receives that change before it continues advertising an old count. The appropriate schedule depends on how often prices and stock change and how the integration works.
Check the live product page, structured data and feed together after a sale or stock change.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Does Google need a feed to find my product page?
No. Search can discover pages through links and sitemaps. A feed is useful for submitting product information to Merchant Center and shopping experiences.
Will a submitted product appear automatically in Shopping?
No. Submission and eligibility are different. Check diagnostics, policies and the product’s status in Merchant Center.