Google Merchant Center: A Complete

Guide

Follow Merchant Center guidelines to keep your account approved 3

What Is Google Merchant Center? 3
Who Should Use Google Merchant Center? 4
Why Is Google Merchant Center Important? 5
How To Set Up Google Merchant Center? 6
Step 1: Create A Google Merchant Center Account 6
Step 2: Add Business Information & Contact Details 8
Step 3: Verify Your Store’s Website 9
Step 4: Setting Up Shipping And Sales Tax 11
Step 5: Add Products To Google Merchant Center 13
1. Adding Products Individually 13
2. Creating Or Uploading Product Feed 14
Adding Primary Feed: 14
Adding Supplemental Feed 15
Step 6: Go Through Google’s Policies 15
Step 7: Submit Your Merchant Center For Review 15
Comply With Google Merchant Center’s Guidelines 16
Follow Shopping Ads Policies: 16
Promote Only Products Available For Direct Purchase 16
Use A Supported Language 16
Collect User Information Responsibly And Securely 17
Sign Into Your Merchant Center Account Regularly 17
How To Revert To Google Merchant Center Classic? 17
How To Connect Google Merchant Center To Shopify? 18
What’s Next After Setting Up Google Merchant Center? 19
Create Google Shopping Campaigns 19
Product Feed Optimization 19
Implement Retargeting 19
Use Inventory Ads And Promotions 20
Explore Additional Merchant Center Features 20
FAQs 20
What is Google Merchant Center and why is it important? 20
How do I create a Google Merchant Center account? 20
Is Google Merchant Center free? 21

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 How do I get approved for Google Merchant Center? 21
What information is required to verify my website in Google Merchant Center? 21
How do I link my Google Merchant Center account to Google Ads? 21
What are the requirements for product data feeds in Google Merchant Center? 21
What are common errors to avoid when setting up Google Merchant Center? 22
How do I handle disapproved products in Google Merchant Center? 22
How can I track the performance of my products in Google Merchant Center? 22
Product data specification 22
What is Google Merchant Center used for? 23
Google Shopping 23
Local inventory ads 24
Shopping Actions 24
What is a Google Merchant Center feed? 25
Product Title 26
Product image 27
Product category 27
How do I add products to Google Merchant Center? 28
How do I set up shipping in Google Merchant Center? 29
What are Google Merchant Center promotions? 30
1. Your Google Merchant Center promotion should align with your broader goals 31
2. You need to offer free electronic gift cards for the holiday season 31
3. You can find ways to get around Google’s restrictions on promotions 32
What if my Google Merchant Center account gets suspended? 33

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According to Google Merchant Center

Follow Merchant Center guidelines to keep your account

approved

1. Follow the Shopping ads policies

2. Promote only products available for direct purchase
3. Use a supported language
4. Tell customers about your return and refund policy
5. Collect user information responsibly and securely
6. Follow website-level requirements
7. Make sure your data meets the product data specification
8. Sign in to your Merchant Center account regularly

What Is Google Merchant Center?

Picture this; you’re looking for a new pair of shoes. You open up Google, type in what
you’re looking for, and hit enter. In 0.48 seconds, Google delivers over 11 billion results
(of course, we’re talking about the internet, so that number is subject to change). But
how on earth are you supposed to find what you’re looking for in a sea of options?

Enter; Google Shopping.

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Google Shopping is a shopping search engine that allows users to browse through
millions of products from thousands of online retailers, all in one place.

And Google Merchant Center?

Well, it’s the cheese to your mac, the peanut butter to your jelly, the… you get the
point. Google Merchant Center is what allows retailers to upload their product
information to Google Shopping, making it possible for customers to find them in the
first place.

Google Merchant Center is what’s known as a product feed. A product feed is a file
that contains all of the necessary data for each of your products, such as titles,
descriptions, images, price, and more. This data is what Google Shopping uses to
populate its search results with your products, which then allows Google to show your
products in Google Shopping searches. All of this makes it possible for customers to
find and purchase your products, without you having to lift a finger.

Do you now understand why it’s so easy to instantly find what you’re looking for?
Google Shopping is the perfect example of Google’s commitment to user experience.
Rather than make customers sift through billions of results, they narrow it down to only
the most relevant and useful options. And Google Merchant Center is what makes all
of this possible. Like Spiderman and his trusty web, Google Merchant Center is the
hidden hero that’s always there to save the day.

Who Should Use Google Merchant Center?

Google Merchant Center is designed for any business with an online store that wants
to list its products on Google Shopping. If you’re thinking, “I don’t want my products on
Google Shopping,” then…you’re crazy. There’s absolutely no reason not to list your
products on Google Shopping. It’s an entirely free service with the potential to reach
millions of new customers.

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To break it down, more customers means more traffic to your website, which means
more sales and, ultimately, more money in your pocket. Google Shopping is one of the
most effective marketing channels available, so if you’re not using it, you’re missing out
on a huge opportunity.

Google Merchant Center is perfect for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from small
mom-and-pop shops to large enterprise retailers. If you’re an online vendor, then
Google Merchant Center is a no-brainer.

Why Is Google Merchant Center Important?

Google Merchant Center is important because it’s the key to unlocking the power of
Google Shopping. It opens doors to new customers, generates sales, and scales your
business. It’s truly one of the most effective marketing channels available and, best of
all, it’s free.

Here are just a few of the benefits of using Google Merchant Center:

● Reach millions of new potential customers: Over 1 billion people actively use
Google and its products. You know there are approx 7 billion people in the
world…right? This means that Google has the potential to reach over 14% of
the world’s population. Crazy!
● Free listing: Google Shopping is an entirely free service. You don’t have to pay
anything to list your products on Google Shopping. All you need is a Google
Merchant Center account and a product feed.
● Google Analytics support: Users may add a Custom Segment for Google
Merchant Center hits, which keeps its data distinct from other transactions.
● Generate more traffic: With so much potential reach, Google Shopping is a
great way to generate more traffic to your website. The more traffic you have,
the more sales you’ll make.
● Edit ads in real-time: Google Shopping allows you to edit your ads in real-time,
so you can always be sure that your products are being shown in the best light.

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 ● Google AdWords integration: Google Merchant Center is integrated with Google
AdWords, so you can easily create and manage your Google Shopping
campaigns directly from your AdWords account.
Learn More: The Ultimate Google Merchant Center Guide | Adcore Blog

How To Set Up Google Merchant Center?

Now that you’re up-to-date with the guidelines and have a Google account, let’s create
your Merchant Center. Note that the steps explained below are for Google Merchant
Center Next, the latest version. While setting up, you will be automatically taken to
Merchant Center’s Next version.

Did you know that you can enable automatic item updates on your Google Merchant
center Next account.

Let’s start with the creation process:

Step 1: Create A Google Merchant Center Account

Sign in or Sign up to your Google Merchant Center account.

Note: Ensure that the account you’re using is for your business use only.

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 🗒️Note: Google Merchant Center Next is the latest version with new upgrades.
If you wish to continue using the older version, Google Merchant Center Classic,
you can revert to this version.

Your business information and the Merchant Center ID are at the top right of your
screen.

Now, on the left side, you’ll see a panel. This is where you’ll be adding all the data about
your online store.

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Step 2: Add Business Information & Contact Details
The specific business information you need to input will vary based on the type of
business you are establishing. You must follow Google’s instructions closely to ensure
you include all necessary details.

Follow these steps to fill in business information:

● On the left side panel, click ‘Business Info.’ In that, click Details > Business
details > Edit business details.
● Provide your business name, business address, contact information for
verification, and customer service contact for Shopping ads.

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 ● Go to Stores and add a Profile to create a Google Business Profile.
● Next, go to ‘Countries’ and add all the countries where you sell your products.

Step 3: Verify Your Store’s Website

Google will request verification of ownership and the claiming of your website URL to
connect it with the merchant account.

This can be done in four ways:

● Using a code sent to you by Google

● Utilizing an e-commerce platform like Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.

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 ● Using HTML tags or uploading an HTML file.
● Using Google Tag Manager.

Before you claim your website, ensure it meets the following requirements:

Accurate contact information: Include contact options such as a contact form,

links to social media profiles, or visible email addresses and phone numbers.
Also, mention the time of availability so that you can respond to customers.

Secure checkout process: Conduct payment transactions securely using

SSL-protected servers with a valid SSL certificate ([Link] If you are
experiencing issues with Shopify SSL pending, ensure this is resolved to avoid
potential checkout problems.

Payment methods: Offer at least one conventional payment method, such as

credit card, debit card, invoicing, or payment on delivery.

Refund policy: Provide a clear return and refund policy outlining procedures,
requirements, and timelines for returns and refunds. If you do not accept returns
or refunds, clearly state this on your site.

Billing terms and conditions: Disclose all terms related to billing both before
and after purchase, including payment models and total costs incurred by the
user.

Complete checkout process: Ensure users can easily add products to their
cart and complete the entire checkout process on your website.

To verify, navigate to Business Info, go to Details > Your Online Store > Confirm online
store.

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Enter the store’s URL and select a verification method.

Step 4: Setting Up Shipping And Sales Tax

It’s time to set up shipping & returns and sales tax. To do so, follow the steps below:

● In the left panel, go to Shipping & Returns > Shipping Policies. For return
policies, click the Return Policies tab and feed the information.

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Follow the prompts and add accurate data about your online store and business.

Your Returns & Refund Policy should explain exactly how you handle returns and
refunds, including:

● What the user is required to do.

● Under what circumstances you offer returns and refunds.
● Timeframe in which you accept returns.
● When your user can expect a refund.

Also, it’s important to mention the shipping information, charges, and how long it takes
to ship products.

● For Sales Tax, Google will propose a tax configuration based on your business
location. You can allow Google to calculate the sales tax automatically or set it up
manually.

Go to Products > Sales Tax.

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 🗒️Note: You can decide whether shipping and handling charges should be
subject to taxation.

Step 5: Add Products To Google Merchant Center

There are five ways to add your products to the Merchant Center:

● Connecting Shopify
● Using Google Sheets template
● One-by-one individually
● Creating or uploading a product data feed
● Using API

Before uploading your products via the Merchant Center, ensure your product data
adheres to the product data specification set by Google.

Now, let’s see the different ways you can add products:

Firstly, go to Products > All Products > Add Products.

We’ll now discuss two common ways to upload products on the platform:

1. Adding Products Individually

You can opt to add every product on your online store individually to the Merchant
Center. Here’s how you can do it:

​ Go to the ‘Products’ section in the left navigation panel and click on ‘All
products.’
​ Next, click the “Add products” button and choose to add products
individually.
​ Fill in all necessary fields with the product information.

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 ​ Optional – If your products include variations such as color, size, gender, or
other attributes, navigate to the “Detailed product description” section and
select “I have apparel or variant products.”

Here, you can specify variant colors, genders, age groups, sizes, materials,
and patterns for your product. Choose the attributes and their respective
values that differentiate each variant item.
​ Finally, click save.

2. Creating Or Uploading Product Feed

A product feed is a file that consists of a list of products or services as well as product
attributes and product information. You can add two types of feeds to the Merchant
Center: a primary feed and a supplemental feed.

Adding Primary Feed:

Primary feeds serve as the primary data sources for your inventory. If all products added
to your primary feed meet Merchant Center’s data and eligibility criteria, additional feeds
may not be necessary.

To add a primary feed, follow the steps below:

● Go to Products > All Products > Add Product.

● Then, select ‘Add Products from a file.’
● Add the feed URL or upload the file from your computer. Edit the schedule and
add authentication information.
● Next, select a country and language. Tick all the networks you wish to display
your products on. Then, click Continue.
● Add the name of your feed and select the type of fetching.
● Next, enter the name of your feed file and start uploading the file. Once done,
click Create Feed.

And your primary product feed is ready.

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Adding Supplemental Feed
Supplemental feeds are exclusively used to modify existing product data found in one or
more primary feeds. You can have several supplemental feeds, each capable of
updating data across any number of primary feeds.

You will be asked to enter the supplemental feed’s name and the method to fetch it. Add
necessary information about the feed and create it.

Step 6: Go Through Google’s Policies

Read the policies thoroughly and understand Google’s expectations of merchants.
These policies are necessary to provide a safe and positive shopping experience to
your customers.

Complying with Google’s policies will not only provide a good shopping experience but
also help prevent your product from receiving disapproval, misrepresentation, or ban.

Step 7: Submit Your Merchant Center For Review

Once you’re done creating your account, adding products and complying with Google’s
policies, you can submit it for review. If you’ve thoroughly gone through the policies,
your Merchant Center’s chances of disapproval will be low to zero.

You will encounter a prompt directing you to submit your account for review. Select it,
and Google will assess and approve your account.

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Your Google Merchant Center is finally set! You can now easily sell your products
across the Google Display Network.

Comply With Google Merchant Center’s Guidelines

Merchants must comply with Google Merchant Center’s guidelines to use the platform
and Google Shopping for listings and ads. These guidelines prohibit dangerous content
and products and ensure a safe advertising ecosystem and a positive customer
experience.

These guidelines include:

Follow Shopping Ads Policies:

Ensure you don’t advertise prohibited content, such as counterfeit goods, dangerous
products, products that enable dishonest behavior, inappropriate/unsupported shopping
ads, or might end in account suspension.

Avoid prohibited practices such as abuse of the ad network, irresponsible data

collection & use, and misrepresentation in ads that can mislead customers.

Refrain from selling restricted products like alcohol, adult-oriented content, copyrighted
content, gambling-related content, healthcare-related content, trademarks, political
content, and high fat sugar salt food & beverages.

Promote Only Products Available For Direct Purchase

The items featured in Shopping ads and free product listings should be directly
purchased through your store. You cannot utilize these ads to promote affiliate or
pay-per-click links to products unless you are involved in a Comparison Shopping
Service (CSS) program in a CSS program country.

Links used in Shopping ads and free listings must direct users straight to a page where
they can purchase the product that was advertised.

Use A Supported Language

Ensure you use languages that are compatible with Merchant Center, especially while
listing your products. You also have the option to list your products in multiple official

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languages. Just ensure that you provide distinct product data for each language and
that the product data corresponds to landing pages in the respective language. Use the
same language for:

● Your website
● The product data that you submit
● The language you select when registering your product data

Collect User Information Responsibly And Securely

Google asks merchants to follow these rules:

1. Ensure the payment gateways are secure such as credit card numbers,
account details, etc. The payment gateway must be secured on an
SSL-protected page
2. Don’t sell your users’ contact info
3. Don’t use users’ personal information or images in ads without their
consent
4. Your site’s primary purpose shouldn’t be to collect users’ personal
information
5. Don’t offer free items or incentives except in certain circumstances:
6. With the purchase of a product
7. As part of a marketing campaign
8. When the primary purpose is not to collect personal information from
users

Sign Into Your Merchant Center Account Regularly

Log in to your Merchant Center account at least once every 14 months to keep it active.
Regular sign-ins help ensure that your product data remains current and up to date.

How To Revert To Google Merchant Center Classic?

The steps outlined above are for setting up Google Merchant Center Next, a new and
upgraded version that replaces the previous version, Google Merchant Center Classic.

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Some merchants may prefer to continue using Classic because they are accustomed to
its user interface and navigation. If you wish to revert to the Classic version, follow the
steps below:

● Log in to your Google Merchant Center account.

● Click on the “Help and feedback (?)” icon located at the top of the page.
● When you click, a menu of options will appear. Choose the “Use classic
Merchant Center” option from this list.
● A confirmation message will pop up. Click on “Use classic Merchant Center”
again to confirm your selection.
● After confirming, a feedback box will appear asking why you are switching back
to the classic version of GMC. Provide your feedback and then click on “Submit.”
● Another confirmation message will appear. Check the box to confirm your
decision, and then click “Switch now.”

This way, you’ll successfully revert to Google Merchant Center Classic.

🗒️Note: Once you revert to the Classic version, you cannot switch to Next
unless Google updates its account out of its own will.

Additionally, it may take some time before the account gets reverted.

How To Connect Google Merchant Center To Shopify?

Google Merchant Center can easily be integrated with Shopify. This integration
streamlines the process of syncing product feeds across the two platforms, making it
easier to run Google Ads, YouTube Ads, etc.

Here’s how you can connect Shopify to Google Merchant Center:

1. Go to your Merchant Center account and click ‘Go to the Google & Youtube app in
Shopify.’

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The Google & YouTube app is the sales channel that can help sync products from
Shopify to GMC, helps drive Performance Max ads across Search YouTube, Display,
and offers access to all the Google tools you need for generating sales.

2. Next, link the app to your Shopify account and set it up.

3. On the Shopify admin, read the prompt and click ‘Install.’

4. Next, click ‘Connect Google Account.’

5. Finally, you’ll be automatically taken to the app setup. Finish the setup and easily run
ads on Search, Images, Display, YouTube, etc.

You can now directly upload your Shopify product feed!

What’s Next After Setting Up Google Merchant Center?

When you create a Google Merchant Center account, you unlock various avenues, such
as Google Shopping, YouTube ads, Shopping campaigns, etc., which will help build
brand awareness and conversions!

Here’s what ensues after setting it up:

Create Google Shopping Campaigns

Link your Merchant Center to Google Ads. With the accounts linked, create Shopping
campaigns and organize your products into ad groups and product groups for better
management and optimization.

Product Feed Optimization

Ensure your product feed is accurate, complete, and updated regularly. An optimized
feed improves your products’ visibility in searches and enhances the shopping
experience.

Implement Retargeting

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It’s easier to retarget ads to customers who have shown interest in your brand in the
past. Retargeting is also effective when a customer abandons their cart and needs a
reminder to complete purchasing it. Also, Google offers dynamic remarketing ads, which
help increase the likelihood of conversion and improve sales performance.

Use Inventory Ads And Promotions

Set up promotions in the Merchant Center to attract customers with special offers. If you
have physical stores, use Local Inventory Ads to show nearby shoppers that your
products are available in-store.

Explore Additional Merchant Center Features

Use supplemental feeds for additional product data and leverage Merchant Center
insights to better understand product performance. Additionally, you can leverage
Performance Max assets to better optimize your product ad [Link] advanced
features can enhance your listings and campaigns, providing a competitive edge.

FAQs

What is Google Merchant Center and why is it important?

Google Merchant Center is a tool that allows businesses to upload their product data to
Google and make it available for Google Shopping and other Google services. It is
important because it helps increase product visibility, drive more traffic, and potentially
boost sales through Google Shopping ads.

How do I create a Google Merchant Center account?

To create a Google Merchant Center account, visit the Google Merchant Center
website, click “Get Started,” and follow the prompts to set up your account. You will
need a Google account to sign in. Once registered, provide your business information
and verify your website.

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Is Google Merchant Center free?

Yes, Google Merchant Center is free. With a Google Merchant Center account, you can
upload and manage your product data and display your products across Google for
free.

How do I get approved for Google Merchant Center?

Ensure you adhere to Google Merchant Center guidelines. Follow Shopping ads
policies, use supported language, have returns and refunds policy, collect user
information responsibly, and stick to website-level requirements.

What information is required to verify my website in Google

Merchant Center?

To verify your website, you will need to provide its URL. You can verify it by adding a
meta tag or HTML file to your website. For this, you can use Google Analytics [in
Classic], an e-commerce platform like Shopify, or Google Tag Manager. Next, follow the
specific instructions provided by the Google Merchant Center during the verification
process.

How do I link my Google Merchant Center account to Google

Ads?

To link your Google Merchant Center account to Google Ads, go to the “Linked
Accounts” section in Google Merchant Center, find Google Ads, and click “Link
Account.” You will need to enter your Google Ads Customer ID to complete the linking
process.

What are the requirements for product data feeds in Google

Merchant Center?

Product data feeds must include essential information such as product ID, title,
description, link, image link, price, and availability. Additional attributes like brand, GTIN,

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and MPN may also be required depending on the product category. Ensure that all
information is accurate and up to date to comply with Google’s feed specifications.

What are common errors to avoid when setting up Google

Merchant Center?

Common errors include incorrect product data, outdated information, and failing to
comply with Google’s policies. To avoid these, double-check your product details for
accuracy, keep your feed updated, and review Google Merchant Center’s guidelines
and policies regularly.

How do I handle disapproved products in Google Merchant

Center?

If products are disapproved, Google Merchant Center will provide specific reasons for
disapproval. Review these reasons, correct any issues, and resubmit your products for
review. Common reasons for disapproval include incorrect product data, policy
violations, and poor image quality.

How can I track the performance of my products in Google

Merchant Center?

You can track the performance of your products using the reporting tools in Google
Merchant Center. These tools provide insights into impressions, clicks, and conversions.
Use this data to analyze the effectiveness of your listings and make necessary
adjustments to improve performance.

Learn More: How To Set Up Google Merchant Center? A Complete Guide

According to Google Merchant Center

Product data specification

In this article
​ Before you begin

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 ​ Definitions

Product data attributes:

● Basic product data
● Price and availability
● Product category
● Product identifiers
● Detailed product description
● Shopping campaigns and other configurations
● Marketplaces
● Destinations
● Shipping
● Tax

According to WordStream

What is Google Merchant Center used for?

In short, Google Merchant Center is used to power your Google Shopping campaigns,
your local inventory ads, and your Shopping Actions promotions.

Google Shopping
As I alluded to in the introduction, Google Merchant Center is most commonly known for
its connection to Google Shopping: The retail marketing platform that falls under the
broader Google Ads umbrella. Without up-to-date and optimized product information
stored in Google Merchant Center, you’re not eligible to run Google Shopping
campaigns. Don’t worry if all this terminology is a bit confusing; we’ll go into more detail
in the following section.

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Local inventory ads
Your Google Merchant Center account is for more than just Shopping campaigns,
however; it can also be used to power local inventory ads. With a local inventory ad,
you can let eager shoppers know that you have the products they’re looking for in a
nearby brick-and-mortar store. Whereas Google Shopping ads allow you to promote
products you’re selling both online and offline, local inventory ads are used strictly for
offline sales.

Shopping Actions
The final use of Google Merchant Center I want to mention is Shopping Actions. To
borrow Google’s words, Shopping Actions is a shopping program that “allows retailers
to surface their products across different Google platforms … and enables a frictionless
experience [for consumers] by using a shareable list, universal shopping cart, and
instant checkout.” Basically, by joining the Shopping Actions program, you have the

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power to sell products across Google Shopping, Google Images, YouTube, and voice
search.

Of course, none of this is possible without—you guessed it—a well-kept Google

Merchant Center account. There’s a lot more to say about Shopping Actions, but we’ll
save that for another guide.

Because it’s the most common use of Google Merchant Center, we’ll focus on Google
Shopping for the remainder of the tour.

What is a Google Merchant Center feed?

A Google Merchant Center feed—also known as a Google Shopping feed or a product
data feed—is a spreadsheet that organizes key information about your products in a
way that Google can easily understand.

Your feed is the single most important part of your Google Merchant Center account: It’s
the primary source of the information Google needs to create Shopping ads for your
products.

That’s right—Google creates Shopping ads for you. You don’t select keywords; you
don’t write traditional ad copy. Instead, you populate the various fields in your Google
Merchant Center feed and let Google use this information to automatically generate
Shopping ads on your behalf.

Each field in your Google Merchant Center feed gives Google a piece of information
that they can use to determine when your product is relevant to a shopper’s query

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and what the shopper needs to know about your product. This raises a crucial
question: What are these magical fields of information? Let’s go over some of the most
important ones: product title, product image, and product category.

Product Title
Your product title is the blue hyperlinked text that appears at the top of your Shopping
ad.

When it comes to optimizing your Google Merchant Center feed, your product title
should be your top priority. Why? Because it’s the first piece of information Google looks
at when determining which products are most relevant to a shopper’s search query.
Without an optimized product title, you don’t have much of a chance of getting your
product in front of the people who want to buy it.

So—how do you optimize your product title? By using a keyword research tool to find
out how your prospects are searching for your product and targeting high-volume
keywords in your product title. Sounds a lot like search engine optimization, right?
Exactly! Basically, optimizing your product title means using the language of your
customers to show Google that your product is relevant—and, therefore, worthy of a top
Shopping ad position.

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Product image
Your product image is the—go figure—image of your product that appears to the left of
your product title.

Your product image is a crucial part of your Google Merchant Center feed for a pretty
obvious reason: Nobody clicks on an ad with a low-quality image. After all, winning
a new customer means winning the trust of another human being—something you won’t
accomplish if you greet them with a bad, unprofessional image.

If you need help getting started, I recommend checking out these 14 product
photography tips. As you browse them, keep in mind that Google has some rules: no
watermarks, no additional text, and no logos.

Product category
Unlike your product title and image, your product category is a piece of your Google
Merchant Center feed that only Google sees; it’s strictly a backend attribute that they
take into consideration when determining which products are most relevant to a user’s
query. Your prospective customers won’t ever see it!

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In order to make your product eligible for advertisement in the Shopping results, you
need to select a category from the Google Product Taxonomy (GPT). Available to
download for free, the GPT is complete with over 6,000 categories and subcategories.

As I’ve already alluded to, your product category is extremely important when it comes
to demonstrating the relevance of your product. The more targeted you can get with
your subcategories, the better off you’ll be. As such, you need to narrow it down.

For example, let’s say you sell bicycle shorts. Technically, you could categorize them
like this:

Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear

But you’ll see much better results if you categorize them like this:

Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Bicycle Activewear > Bicycle Shorts &
Briefs

See what I mean? The narrower, the better!

How do I add products to Google Merchant Center?

When you decide to expand the catalog you’re promoting with Shopping ads, there’s a
number of ways to add products to Google Merchant Center. We don’t recommend it,
but technically speaking, you can manually update your feed and then upload it to the
platform. A less tedious solution, however, is to set up scheduled fetches. Basically, if
you give Google the URL of your feed and tell them how often you’d like to add new

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products, they’ll take care of it for you. Simply head to the Products tab, select the feed
you’d like to automate, click Schedule, and you can take care of the details from there.

How do I set up shipping in Google Merchant Center?

In order to promote your products with Shopping ads, you have to let prospective
customers know how much you charge for shipping. According to Google, shipping cost
is the most common explanation for shoppers abandoning their purchases. Suffice it to
say that your shipping settings are a crucial part of your Google Merchant Center
account.

Important note: The shipping costs you submit to Google Merchant Center must be
equal to or greater than the shipping costs outlined on your website. Obviously,
deceiving Shopping users with inaccurately low shipping costs will get you in trouble.

One of the many cool things about Google Merchant Center is that there’s a range of
shipping options for you to choose from based on how you charge for shipping. Whether
you charge a fixed rate, base it on the overall price of the order, or use the rates of
third-party carriers, Google Merchant Center is fully supportive. You can even set up
customized shipping tables that calculate the cost of shipping for a particular product
based on its dimensions or destination!

We won’t bore you with step-by-step instructions for setting up your Google Merchant
Center shipping settings; Google’s already taken care of that in detail. Instead, we want
to discuss something seemingly obvious yet incredibly important: Your choice of
shipping option should be based on your broader business goals.

When setting up your shipping information in Google Merchant Center, think about why
you’re using Shopping ads in the first place. Are you simply trying to drive more
conversions? Or are you aiming to achieve something more nuanced, like a higher
average order value?

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The point is that different shipping options make sense for different goals. If you’re
simply trying to drive more overall conversions, offering free shipping makes sense.
Alternatively, if your goal is to increase average order value (AOV), you may want to
offer free shipping exclusively to shoppers who cross a certain price threshold. It’s a
small difference, but it matters.

What are Google Merchant Center promotions?

Google Merchant Center promotions allow you to use your Shopping ads to offer
special deals to your prospects—discounted prices, free shipping, etc. Once a
promotion has been applied to your ad, shoppers will either see it at the bottom of the
ad or they’ll have to click on a “special offer” link (also shown at the bottom of the ad).
Either way, using Google Merchant Center promotions is a great way to make your
Shopping ads more attractive and secure more orders.

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Important note: Google Merchant Center promotions are only available to advertisers
in the US, Britain, Germany, France, India, and Australia. If you’re based in one of these
countries and interested in running promotions, you can apply to do so here.

Once you’ve created a product data feed and Google has approved it, you’re eligible to
set up promotions (which also need approval before going live). Below are the three
types of promotions you can submit for approval through Google Merchant Center:

● Discounts: 10% price drop, BOGO, etc.

● Shipping: Free shipping, 50% off shipping, etc.
● Free gifts: Free product, free electronic gift card, etc.

Again, we don’t see the point in redundantly drudging through the long list of policies
you need to abide by in order to run Google Merchant Center promotions. Instead, let’s
talk about some best practices you can use to get the most out of the promotions
program.

1. Your Google Merchant Center promotion should align with

your broader goals
If you’re trying to get rid of some inventory by a particular deadline, run a BOGO
promotion. If you’re trying to establish brand affinity and win more loyal customers, run a
free gift promotion. And if you’re trying to boost your AOV, run a discount promotion for
orders over a certain price.

2. You need to offer free electronic gift cards for the holiday
season
Look—nobody’s perfect. Sometimes, even the most thoughtful people procrastinate
buying gifts for their friends and family members. In fact, some shoppers wait so long
that their orders can’t be shipped to them in time for whatever holiday they’re
celebrating. Good news: You can use a Google Merchant Center promotion to save the

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day! By offering a free gift card to every procrastinator who places an order, you provide
something they can give to their loved ones in lieu of the yet-to-arrive gift.

3. You can find ways to get around Google’s restrictions on

promotions
You’ll notice that one of the policies for Google Merchant Center promotions is that you
can’t use them to offer discounts exclusively to first-time customers—allegedly. The
not-so-secret workaround, of course, is creating a similar audience. Here’s how it
works: First, create a remarketing list of people who’ve bought a particular
product—let’s say it’s a bike helmet—from your store. Next, use that list to create a
similar audience: a group of users who haven’t yet bought anything from your store but
whose search behavior indicates that they’re interested in doing so. Finally, apply that
audience to a Shopping campaign and offer an irresistible discount!

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What if my Google Merchant Center account gets
suspended?
Whew! We’ve thrown a ton of information at you in this guide. This is the last section
you need to worry about—I promise.

In order to ensure that every user has the best experience possible, Google employees
review your Google Merchant Center account regularly. If, for whatever reason, some of
your products are in violation of Google Shopping policy, you’ll be emailed a warning
message and given a week to correct the issues. During this week-long warning period,
your Shopping ads will continue to run as usual (unless there’s something extremely
offensive about them).

If you fix all the violations by the end of the warning period, you’re good. If any of them
are left unfixed, your Google Merchant Center will be suspended and none of your
products—not even the ones unrelated to the violations—will be eligible for Shopping
ads. Make sure to note, however, that the suspension of your Google Merchant Center

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account does not mean you’re suspended from all Google advertising networks; the
suspension only applies to Shopping ads.

If you find yourself in this not-so-uncommon situation, don’t stress—it’s not the end of
the world! Getting your Google Merchant Center account reactivated is a fairly
straightforward process.

First things first: Fix the issues that have gotten your account suspended. There’s
no getting around this; until each and every issue is resolved, you can’t advertise on
Google Shopping. Once that’s done, manually request a review from the team at
Google. If they review your account and find no issues, you’ll be back in business. If
you’re still in violation, you’ll have one more opportunity to request a review before
entering the cool-down period—a week-long stretch during which your ads are inactive
and the “Request Review” button is disabled.

As you can see, you have ample opportunity to right the ship when your Google
Merchant Center account gets suspended. As long as you’re diligent about fixing
violations as soon as you’re alerted about them, your Shopping ads will remain active
and your ecommerce business will continue to thrive.

Learn More: Your Comprehensive, Go-To Guide to Google Merchant Center

Learn More: Google Merchant Center Setup Guide

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