Google Merchant Center Product Feed Best Practices for Shopify

Your product feed is everything. It's how Google understands what you're selling, who should see it, and whether your products deserve to show up in Shopping results.

A poorly optimized feed means disapproved products, wasted ad spend, and missed sales — and serious issues can lead to account suspension. A well-optimized feed means higher visibility, better click-through rates, and more conversions.

Here's how to get your Shopify product feed right.

Product Titles

Your product title is the most important field in your feed. It's the first thing shoppers see and a major factor in how Google matches your products to search queries.

Title Structure

Follow this formula for most products:

Brand + Product Type + Key Attributes (Color, Size, Material)

Examples:

"Nike Air Max 90 Men's Running Shoes - White/Black - Size 10"
"KitchenAid Stand Mixer 5-Quart - Empire Red - Tilt-Head"
"Levi's 501 Original Fit Jeans - Men's - Dark Wash - 32x30"

Title Best Practices

Do:

Put the most important information first
Include brand name (if applicable)
Add key attributes that shoppers search for
Keep titles under 150 characters (Google truncates after this)
Use proper capitalization (Title Case or Sentence case)

Don't:

Use ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation
Stuff keywords unnaturally
Include promotional text ("Best Price!" or "Free Shipping!")
Add store name unless it's the brand
Use symbols or special characters unnecessarily

Category-Specific Tips

Apparel: Include gender, size, color, material, and style Electronics: Include brand, model number, storage capacity, and key specs Home goods: Include brand, material, dimensions, and color Beauty: Include brand, product type, size/volume, and scent/shade

Product Descriptions

Descriptions help Google understand your products and give shoppers the information they need to buy.

Writing Effective Descriptions

Include:

What the product is and what it does
Key features and benefits
Materials, dimensions, and specifications
Who the product is for
How to use it (if relevant)

Avoid:

Copying manufacturer descriptions word-for-word (duplicate content)
Promotional language ("Best deal!" or "Limited time offer!")
Including links or HTML formatting
Keyword stuffing
Comparing to competitors by name

Description Structure

Start with the most important information. Many shoppers only read the first sentence or two.

Good structure:

Opening sentence that summarizes the product
Key features and benefits (2-3 sentences)
Specifications and details
Use case or ideal customer

Length Guidelines

Minimum: 100 characters (Google may flag shorter descriptions)
Optimal: 500-1000 characters
Maximum: 5000 characters (but longer isn't always better)

Product Images

Images are your visual storefront. They're often the deciding factor between a click and a scroll.

Google's Image Requirements

Technical requirements:

Minimum 100x100 pixels (250x250 for apparel)
Recommended 800x800 pixels or larger
Maximum 64 megapixels
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF

Content requirements:

Product must fill 75-90% of the image frame
White or transparent background for main image
No watermarks, logos, or promotional text
No placeholder or generic images
Image must accurately represent the product

Image Best Practices

Main image:

Use a clean, professional product shot
White background strongly preferred
Product centered and well-lit
No props or lifestyle elements

Additional images:

Show different angles
Include lifestyle shots
Display scale/size context
Show product in use

Common Image Mistakes

Watermarks or store logos on images
Promotional banners or sale tags
Low resolution or blurry images
Multiple products in one image (unless a bundle)
Stock photos instead of actual product images

Pricing and Availability

Price mismatches are one of the most common reasons for product disapprovals. Getting this right is critical.

Price Accuracy

Your feed price must exactly match your website price:

Same base price
Same currency
Same sale price (if applicable)
Including any automatic discounts

Handling Sales and Discounts

When running promotions:

Update your feed sale price when the sale starts
Remove the sale price when it ends
Ensure the "sale effective date" matches your actual promotion
Don't show perpetual "sales" with fake original prices

Availability Sync

In stock: Product can be purchased and shipped immediately Out of stock: Product exists but isn't available Preorder: Product can be ordered before release

Sync availability in real-time when possible. Products marked "in stock" that are actually unavailable will hurt your account.

Currency and Tax

Use the correct currency for your target market
Configure tax settings in Merchant Center (not in the feed)
Ensure prices include/exclude tax as appropriate for your region

Product Categories

Google uses product categories to understand what you're selling and match it to relevant searches.

Google Product Category

Use Google's taxonomy for the most accurate categorization:

Be as specific as possible
Example: Use "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops > T-Shirts" instead of just "Clothing"
Check Google's full taxonomy for your product type

Product Type

This is your own categorization from Shopify:

Use your store's collection structure
Be consistent across similar products
Include the full category path

Why Categories Matter

Good categorization:

Improves search relevance
Enables category-specific attributes
Helps with competitive pricing benchmarks
Required for certain product types (apparel, electronics)

GTINs and Product Identifiers

Product identifiers help Google match your products to its catalog and enable features like ratings and price comparisons.

Types of Identifiers

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number):

UPC (12 digits) - North America
EAN (13 digits) - Europe
ISBN (13 digits) - Books
JAN (8 or 13 digits) - Japan

MPN (Manufacturer Part Number):

Assigned by the manufacturer
Use when GTIN isn't available

Brand:

Required for all branded products
Must be the actual brand, not your store name

When Identifiers Are Required

Required:

Products from major brands with barcodes
Books, music, movies
Electronics with model numbers

Not required:

Custom or handmade items
Vintage or antique products
Products without manufacturer barcodes
Your own branded products (if you don't have GTINs)

Setting Identifier Exists

If your product doesn't have a GTIN or MPN:

Set identifier_exists to false
Still include the brand if applicable
Be prepared for potentially lower visibility

Custom Labels

Custom labels let you organize products for bidding and reporting in Google Ads. They don't affect organic listings.

Custom Label Strategies

You get 5 custom labels (0-4). Use them strategically:

Custom Label 0 - Margin:

High margin
Medium margin
Low margin

Custom Label 1 - Season:

Spring/Summer
Fall/Winter
Evergreen

Custom Label 2 - Performance:

Best seller
New arrival
Clearance

Custom Label 3 - Price Range:

Under $25
$25-$100
Over $100

Custom Label 4 - Promotion Status:

On sale
Full price
BOGO

Implementation in Shopify

Use product tags or metafields to populate custom labels:

Create consistent naming conventions
Apply tags systematically to products
Use your feed app to map tags to custom labels

Feed Quality Monitoring

Submitting your feed isn't the end—it's the beginning. Regular monitoring keeps your products approved and performing. Our GMC compliance checklist covers the full set of requirements to review alongside your feed.

Key Metrics to Watch

In Merchant Center:

Total approved products
Disapproved products (and reasons)
Products pending review
Feed processing errors

Performance metrics:

Impressions
Clicks
Click-through rate
Conversion rate (if tracking)

Common Feed Errors

Item disapprovals:

Missing required attributes
Invalid values
Policy violations
Image issues

Feed-level issues:

Processing errors
File format problems
Encoding issues
Missing products

Creating a Monitoring Routine

Daily:

Check for new disapprovals
Monitor feed processing status

Weekly:

Review product performance
Check for policy warnings
Audit a sample of product pages

Monthly:

Full feed audit
Competitive analysis
Category optimization review

Feed Optimization Checklist

Use this checklist to audit your feed:

Titles

Include brand, product type, key attributes
Under 150 characters
No promotional text or ALL CAPS

Descriptions

Unique content (not copied from manufacturer)
500+ characters
No links or promotional language

Images

800x800 pixels or larger
White background for main image
No watermarks or promotional text

Pricing

Matches website exactly
Correct currency
Sale prices current

Availability

Synced with actual inventory
No "in stock" items that are unavailable

Identifiers

GTINs for branded products
Brand name included
identifier_exists set correctly

Categories

Google product category assigned
As specific as possible

Key Takeaways

Your product feed is the foundation of your Google Shopping success. Optimizing it takes time, but the payoff is worth it.

Focus on these priorities:

Titles first — They have the biggest impact on visibility and clicks
Keep data accurate — Price and availability mismatches hurt your account
Use quality images — They're your first impression with shoppers
Include identifiers — GTINs and brands improve matching and features
Monitor regularly — Catch issues before they become problems

A well-optimized feed isn't a one-time task. It's an ongoing process of refinement and maintenance.

Ensure Your Feed Is Compliant

Before optimizing for performance, make sure your feed meets Google's basic requirements.

ClearCheck scans your Shopify store for Google Merchant Center compliance issues—including product data problems that can get your feed disapproved. Find and fix issues before Google flags them.