Google Merchant Center feed optimisation - the basics most retailers skip
Most retailers I work with focus their optimisation effort on campaign structure and bidding. The product feed - the actual data that tells Google what you are selling - gets far less attention. That is a significant missed opportunity.
Google Shopping campaigns do not work like search campaigns. You do not choose keywords - Google matches your products to relevant search queries based on the information in your product feed. That means the quality, accuracy, and completeness of your feed data directly determines which searches your products appear for and how competitive your listings are. Spend an hour on feed quality and you often get more performance improvement than weeks of campaign optimisation.
Product titles are the most important feed element
Google uses your product title as a primary signal for query matching. A title like "Blue running shoes" is less informative than "Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 Men's Running Shoes Blue UK 10". The more specific and descriptive your title, the more accurately Google can match your product to relevant searches - and the more competitive your listing looks in results.
The formula that generally works for most product categories: Brand + Product Type + Key Attributes (colour, size, material, gender where relevant) + Model Number. Not every product needs all of these but the more relevant attributes you include, the better the matching. Check your current titles against this framework and identify the gaps.
GTINs and product identifiers
Global Trade Item Numbers - barcodes - are required for branded products in Google Merchant Center. Products without GTINs are penalised in Shopping ad auctions because Google cannot verify them against its product database. If you sell branded products, include GTINs for every item. If you sell own-brand or custom products, use the identifier_exists attribute correctly to tell Google these do not have standard identifiers. Products submitted without GTINs where Google expects them will typically show limited or no visibility.
Product categories
Google's product taxonomy has thousands of categories and choosing the most specific applicable one improves how Google understands your product. Using a broad category like "Apparel" when "Apparel > Women's > Dresses > Casual Dresses" is available reduces the precision of matching and can result in your ads appearing for less relevant queries.
Custom labels for campaign segmentation
Custom labels are feed attributes you define yourself - Google does not use them for matching but you can use them for campaign segmentation. Apply custom labels to segment products by margin, by season, by performance category, or by price tier. This lets you set different bids or ROAS targets for high-margin versus low-margin products within the same campaign structure. Most retailers leave custom labels completely blank - that is a missed optimisation opportunity.
Feed hygiene
Check your Merchant Center diagnostics weekly. Disapproved products - due to price mismatches, missing required attributes, or policy violations - generate zero impressions. Even a small percentage of disapprovals in a large catalogue can represent significant lost revenue. Set up automatic item updates where possible to keep prices and availability in sync with your website in real time. Outdated feed data is one of the most common causes of Shopping campaign underperformance.
Found this useful?
Start a conversation - no pitch, no pressure.