A complete guide to setting up Google Merchant Center: creating, activating and managing a product feed

Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center — is a platform by Google that allows businesses to upload and manage information about their products to make it available on Google services, such as Google Shopping, Google Search, and other advertising tools. With Google Merchant Center, you can make your products available to potential buyers, set up ads, and ensure the accuracy of product information such as prices, availability, descriptions, and images.

Main Features of Google Merchant Center

• Product catalog upload: Businesses can import their products using various data formats (such as XML or CSV) or integrate with their website via API.

• Real-time data updates: The platform allows you to automatically update product information to reflect current prices, stock, and more.

• Campaign management: You can create and optimize campaigns to display products in Google Shopping and ads on Google Search and YouTube.

• Reports and analytics: Merchant Center provides information on the effectiveness of product ads, helping businesses analyze demand and improve their offers.

This tool is particularly useful for retail companies that want to expand their online presence and ensure easy access to their products for a large Google audience.

How to Create and Add a Feed in Google Merchant Center?

To create a feed, you need to go through a few preparation steps. Below is a step-by-step guide for creating and activating a feed for Google Merchant Center.

Creating and Activating a Feed for Google Merchant Center

First, create a feed for Google Merchant in the TOM Control Panel:

• Go to the TOM Control Panel: Content Manager > Torgsoft Online Market Settings > Feeds and Sitemap

• Next, add an entry in the Google Merchant Feed section by selecting Active > Yes.

Checking the Formation Report

Before uploading the feed file, you need to check the formation report. It will highlight any nuances that might arise during its creation.

• Click Download Google Merchant Formation Report and open the downloaded file in your web browser.

• The page will display how many products are included in the feed and how many were not included due to missing important parameters, such as Manufacturer, Product Description, Product Photos.

Here is an example of the Google Merchant formation report:

Important Parameters for Feed Formation

Manufacturer

To ensure the correct formation of the feed, you must specify the manufacturer in the product card.

Next, you need to add the Manufacturer parameter with the _dp suffix to the synchronization file. To do this, go to the Torgsoft program:

• Stock > Synchronization with Online Store > Synchronization Object > Synchronization File.

After creating the parameters, perform synchronization with TOM, then go to the TOM Control Panel:

• Content Manager > Product Features > All Features

• On this page, find and open the Manufacturer_dp feature. Then, in the Filter field, select Manufacturer, as shown in the image.

Product Description

The product description is also critically important as it affects SEO and search queries. To create a dynamic product description feature, you should familiarize yourself with materials on the topic:
How to Create a Dynamic Product Description Feature in Torgsoft

Product Photos

Make sure that the products you need have photos. Without images, these products will not be included in the feed. Having high-quality photos is an important criterion for successful publication of products in Google Merchant Center, as it increases their attractiveness for potential buyers and helps avoid rejection during verification.

Uploading the Feed to Google Merchant Center

After checking the report and confirming that all products meet the requirements, you can upload the feed to Google Merchant Center. Be sure to carefully monitor the accuracy of all data as this will determine the successful activation of your feed.

Log in to Google Merchant Center

• Go to the Google Merchant Center website and log into your account.

• Click the Products menu item in the left sidebar.

• Click Add Product Data Source and select the Link to File option.

• To get the link, open the Google Merchant Feed item.

• On the opened page, copy the URL address of this page and add it to the specified field. The file link example should look like https://**Your Domain**/feed/merchant.xml

• After adding the link, click Continue.

Google Merchant Center will begin analyzing your products to check compliance with platform requirements. This process may take some time. If everything meets the standards, your products will become available in the search system for potential buyers. Monitor notifications from Google Merchant Center as they may contain information about the feed status and possible errors that need to be corrected.

 You can also download the Feed file to your computer and then upload it to Google Merchant Center. However, this option is not optimal since you will need to repeat this process each time you update your products. It is better to set up automatic updates. TOM ensures automatic updates of data with each new synchronization, saving time and effort, and guaranteeing that your Feed always contains the latest product information.