Product feed basics that win more Shopping clicks
Titles, attributes and images: the feed fixes with the biggest impact on visibility.
- Your feed decides which searches your products can appear for.
- Titles and attributes matter most, then images.
- Accurate prices and stock keep products eligible and shoppers confident.
Why the feed matters
Shopping ads have no keywords. Google, comparison sites and AI assistants match searches to your products using the data in your feed. If a detail isn’t in the feed, it can’t help you appear.
- DEFINITION Product feed
- A file or connection that lists every product you sell, with its title, description, price, availability, images and attributes. Merchant Center and comparison sites use it to build your listings.
The seven required attributes
| Attribute | What it holds | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| id | Your unique product ID | Never change it, or performance history resets |
| title | Product name | Max 150 characters |
| description | What the product is | Max 5.000 characters, no promotional text |
| link | Product page URL | On your verified domain |
| image_link | Main image URL | At least 100 × 100 px (250 × 250 px for apparel); 500 × 500 px for all products from 31 January 2027 |
| price | Price and currency | Must match the product page |
| availability | Stock status | Must match the product page |
Missing or invalid required attributes stop a product from showing at all. Depending on the product and country, others are required too, such as brand, GTIN or size. Everything after that is about showing for more searches and winning more clicks.
Start with titles
The title is the most important field. Google allows up to 150 characters, but shoppers usually see only the first 70 or so, depending on the screen. Put the words shoppers search for first: brand, product type, then the attributes that matter for the category, such as size, colour or capacity.
| Weak title | Strong title | |
|---|---|---|
| Running shoes | Air Runner | Acme Air Runner men’s running shoes, white, size 42 |
| Headphones | Wireless headphones | Sono Q5 wireless noise-cancelling headphones, beige |
| Perfume | Eau de parfum 100 ml | Maison Lune Ambre eau de parfum, 100 ml |
| Category | Suggested title order |
|---|---|
| Apparel | Brand + gender + product type + colour + size |
| Electronics | Brand + model + product type + key spec |
| Beauty | Brand + product line + product type + size |
| Home | Brand + product type + material + dimensions |
- Avoid promotional text such as “free shipping” or “sale”.
- Avoid all capitals and decorative characters.
- Match the title on your product page.
- For variants, include the colour or size that makes each one different.
Fill every attribute
- GTIN, brand and MPN help match your product to the right searches and listings.
- Colour, size, material and gender let your products appear in filtered results.
- Product category and product type help place you in the right section.
- Item group ID links variants so shoppers can switch between them.
GTINs deserve special attention. They let Google and comparison sites recognise your product as the same item other stores sell, so it can be shown in comparisons and matched to reviews.
Use clean images
Use a clear image of the product on a plain background, without watermarks or promotional text. The product should fill most of the frame. Add extra images for other angles and for each variant, so shoppers see the exact colour they will receive.
Keep prices and stock in sync
A price in the feed that doesn’t match your site can get a product disapproved. Out-of-stock products shown as available frustrate shoppers and waste clicks. Update the feed at least daily, and more often during peaks.
A quick feed checklist
- Check Merchant Center diagnostics. Fix disapprovals and warnings first, starting with your best sellers.
- Rewrite your top 100 titles. Your best sellers bring most of the traffic, so start there.
- Add missing GTINs. Prioritise products sold by other stores too.
- Review images. Replace images with text, watermarks or busy backgrounds.
- Set the update frequency. Daily at minimum, hourly if prices or stock change often.
Descriptions that help
Descriptions can be up to 5.000 characters, but the first lines matter most. Use them to state what the product is, who it is for and what makes it different, in plain sentences.
- Lead with the key facts: material, size, compatibility, what is included.
- Use the words shoppers use, not internal product codes.
- Leave out promotions, shipping offers and comparisons with other stores.
- Write a local version for each market’s language.
Custom labels for smarter campaigns
Merchant Center lets you add up to five custom labels per product. They don’t affect what shoppers see, but they let you group products in campaigns by what matters to your business.
| Label | Example values | Use |
|---|---|---|
| custom_label_0 | High, medium, low margin | Bid more on profitable products |
| custom_label_1 | Bestseller, new, clearance | Treat proven products differently |
| custom_label_2 | Summer, winter, all year | Switch seasonal products on and off |
| custom_label_3 | Under 50€, 50–150€, over 150€ | Set targets by price band |
Common disapprovals and fixes
| Issue | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Price mismatch | Feed updated less often than the site | Update the feed more often |
| Availability mismatch | Stock changes not synced | Sync stock with every update |
| Missing identifiers | No GTIN or brand | Add GTIN, or brand and MPN |
| Image too small | Thumbnails used as main image | Use the full-size image |
| Promotional text | “Sale” or “free shipping” in titles or images | Remove it from titles and images |
Variants done right
Each colour or size should be its own product in the feed, linked by the same item group ID. That lets shoppers land on the exact variant they searched for.
| Attribute | Variant A | Variant B |
|---|---|---|
| item_group_id | AR-100 | AR-100 |
| id | AR-100-WHT-42 | AR-100-BLK-43 |
| color | White | Black |
| size | 42 | 43 |
| link | Page with white, size 42 selected | Page with black, size 43 selected |
Feeds for several markets
- Use a separate feed or data source per language and currency.
- Translate titles and descriptions properly, not word by word.
- Check local sizes, units and price formats.
- Make sure the link goes to the right country version of the page.
Your feed is your Shopping campaign. Every fix in it reaches every channel.
Quick answers
How often should I update my feed?
At least once a day. Hourly updates help if prices or stock change often.
Do I need a separate feed per country?
For different languages, currencies or prices, yes. Otherwise one feed can serve several markets.
Can Komparoo use my Merchant Center feed?
Yes. We work from the feed you already have.
What if my products have no GTIN?
Products you make yourself may not have one. Then brand and MPN help identify them.
Can I use AI to write titles?
Yes, but Google asks that AI-generated titles are submitted through the structured title attribute and marked as such.
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Sources: Google Merchant Center Help (product data specification), Google Merchant Center Help (title attribute), Google Merchant Center Help (image link attribute), Google Merchant Center Help (How to fix: Image too small).
