How To Export Products to Google Merchant Center for Google Shopping

How To Export Products to Google Merchant Center for Google Shopping

There are many methods for connecting your products to Google Shopping. I will cover all the techniques in this article and explain what is involved.

The following methods are available to you for importing products to Google Merchant Center:

TXT Text Delimiter

You can upload a Text file to Google Merchant Center by using a CSV format. To do this:

  1. Create your spreadsheet and ensure you include a header row. The header identifies the purpose of each column.
  2. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file on your computer.
  3. Rename the file extension from “.csv” to “.txt” to create a text-delimited file.
  4. This file is now ready for upload to Google Merchant Center.

Below you can find an example:

 ABCDEFGH
1idtitledescriptionpriceconditionlinkavailabilityimage_link
2123-ukToy BearA yellow teddy bear12newhttp://www.example1.comin stockhttp://www.example.com/image1.jpg
31246Blender12-speed, black blender24.99usedhttp://www.example2.comin stockhttp://www.example.com/image2.jpg

Make sure that you follow Google’s requirements and recommendations.

Remember, every time you want to make updates. You must upload the entire file. This approach is suitable if you have a limited number of products. However, it might not be efficient for a large inventory or if you wish to automate updates and data entries.

You can also auto-generate these files from a database if you can programmatically generate the data, similar to the XML method below.

Pros

  1. If you know how to create Spreadsheets than creating a TXT file is easy, limited knowledge required.
  2. It is easy to manage at small scale.

Cons

  1. You need to manually update and upload your file whenever you make a change
  2. You need to update the file whenever you make a change for the price or availability on your website
  3. CSV files need to be uploaded within every 30 days, or your products are removed.
  4. Not suitable when you have many products
  5. You need to study up on Google’s Policy
  6. You need to study up on Product Feed Specifications

Here is an article on how to add a spreadsheet to Google Merchant.

Google Sheets

Very similar when creating a text-delimited file. This method will require less work in re-uploading data as you can fetch the data straight from your Google Sheets URL.

Pros

  1. Easy to manage at small scale

Cons

  1. You need to update the file whenever you make a change for the price or availability on your website
  2. Not suitable when you have many products
  3. You need to study up on Google’s Policy
  4. You need to study up on Product Feed Specifications

XML

If you know how to create XML files, this method would be easy. You could even generate it using your favorite language and your database data. The XML method is helpful when you have many products prolonging you generate the data automatically from a database. Using XML as your method will allow you to update Google Shopping automatically.

An example of a well-formatted XML file.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">
<channel>
<title>The name of your data feed</title>
<link>http://www.example.com</link>
<description>A description of your content</description>
<item>
<title>Red wool sweater</title>
<link> http://www.example.com/item1-info-page.html</link>
<description>Comfortable and soft, this sweater will keep you warm on those cold winter nights.</description>
<g:image_link>http://www.example.com/image1.jpg</g:image_link>
<g:price>25</g:price>
<g:condition>new</g:condition>
<g:id>1a</g:id>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>

Pros

  1. Good for large product quantities (Connected to database)
  2. You can automate the updating process
  3. You can have custom data attributes

Cons

  1. Knowledge of XML and or another language is required
  2. Not suitable when you have many products (If not connected to a database)
  3. You need to study up on Google’s Policy
  4. You need to study up on Product Feed Specifications

eCommerce Apps / Plugins / Extensions

For those using an eCommerce platform, you can employ apps, plugins, or extensions to fill in your data feed automatically. It’s important to note that these plugins may also require updates whenever the main platform is updated. If not properly maintained, these plugins can malfunction or become unusable.

This is less of a problem when for example using Shopify apps.

Pros

  1. No knowledge required
  2. Use automation to improve your data, such as feed rules
  3. Automated system

Cons

  1. Most if not all, are paid subscriptions

Managed Services

Managed services are typically specialized and are maintained by dedicated professionals who continuously enhance and update your data feed information. These services often come with robust support and receive regular updates.

They will typically use any of the methods explained above, but you don’t need to know all the little details in this case. You are leaving room to spend your time on other business-related tasks.
FeedArmy offers this service.

Pros

  1. A better choice for serious merchants
  2. Always have a professional at hand
  3. Pro-active improvements for your advertising performance

Cons

  1. These services are not free

Web Crawler

The web crawler feature for Google Merchant Center has significant limitations that users should know.

Firstly, one of the most notable drawbacks is its speed. The web crawler is known to be relatively slow, often requiring weeks to update or refresh product details. This lag can be detrimental to businesses relying on timely product updates.

Additionally, there’s an issue regarding data generation. The web crawler autonomously creates certain pieces of data, such as product IDs. This automatic generation can be problematic, especially if you consider transitioning to another platform or solution. Migrating without sacrificing performance (due to not being able to match product IDs) becomes challenging due to this auto-generated data.

Another requirement to remember is the need for structured data on your product landing pages. For the web crawler to function efficiently, these pages must be well-organized and contain the needed structured data.

However, even with all these conditions met, there remains the risk of incomplete imports. Some products are not uncommon to be entirely left out of the import process. This inconsistency can be problematic for merchants aiming for a complete product listing.

Lastly, there’s a significant limitation concerning variant products. If your offerings come with variations that customers can select via a dropdown menu, the web crawler isn’t equipped to support them.

Given these challenges and limitations, I’d strongly recommend considering alternatives to the web crawler feature for Google Merchant Center.

The option to use a web crawler will become visible when you have no feed connected and if you have valid structured data on your product landing page.

Conclusion

Merchants vary in their needs and budgets. Google Shopping can be complex, and it’s often recommended to use specialized tools or services. Consider this: Are you fully versed in its policies and file formats? If not, opting for a serviced solution is likely your best bet.

Need Help?
Do you have a question or need specialist support? Get in touch!

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