Hey Sage · Free Shopping feed doctor · Google Merchant Center
Fix the
product data
Google Shopping feed and product title doctor
Your feed does more targeting work than a Shopping keyword list. Check one product for eligibility risks, title clarity and missing commercial detail—then leave with three cleaner title directions.
A title can help matching. It cannot rescue bad product data.
The score separates the listing into six visible parts: title 30 points, identifier 15, category and variant detail 15, feed-to-page price match 20, image 15 and useful custom-label segmentation 5.
Price or product mismatches, a missing title and a wrong primary image are treated as fix-first risks. The score is Hey Sage triage logic—not a Google quality score and not a prediction of impressions, clicks or approval.
Suggested titles are assembled only from the fields you enter. Review every claim, preserve the exact variant and edit for natural language before publishing.
Put the product type, model and attributes a shopper uses to identify the item before secondary detail.
Include colour, size, flavour or another real variant attribute when it helps the shopper land on the right product.
Remove sale language, delivery claims, repeated punctuation, all caps and attention-grabbing symbols from the title.
The destination must show the same product or variant with consistent price, availability and a working purchase path.
Submit the assigned GTIN and brand when they exist. Do not invent a barcode for a custom product.
Use custom labels for commercial groupings such as margin, season, bestseller status or sale tier—not customer-facing copy.
Official guidance reviewed 14 July 2026: Google Merchant Center title and structured title, product data specification, product data optimisation, image requirements and product groups and custom labels. Check live diagnostics before changing a production feed.
The useful title is specific, not stuffed.
Use the full field intelligently
Google accepts up to 150 characters, while the shopper may see only the first 70 or fewer. Put the identifying information first; do not pad a good title with repeated synonyms.
Treat variants as different listings
If the feed row is for a blue medium shirt, the title, colour and size attributes, image, link and selected landing-page variant should agree.
Handle AI-generated title text correctly
Google’s current specification says AI-generated title text should use structured_title with the digital source type set to trained_algorithmic_media. Review the exact implementation requirement in the official specification.
Fix diagnostics before polishing
A beautifully written title does not override a price mismatch, unavailable destination, unsupported identifier or policy issue. Work through Merchant Center’s Needs attention view first.
Google Shopping feed FAQ
How long should a Google Shopping product title be?
Google accepts 1–150 characters for the title attribute. Because displayed titles are commonly truncated, place the product and its most useful distinguishing attributes in the first 70 characters.
What should I put first in a Shopping title?
Lead with the terms that identify the product: product type, model or product name, then the attributes shoppers use to distinguish it. The best order changes by category.
Can I put sale text or free shipping in a product title?
No. Google’s title requirements prohibit promotional text and gimmicky formatting. Keep promotion data in the supported promotion and price fields rather than the product title.
Do product titles need to match the landing page exactly?
They do not always need to be word-for-word identical, but they must describe the same product. The selected variant, price and availability should be consistent across feed and destination.
Do I need a GTIN for Google Shopping?
Submit a valid assigned GTIN when the product has one. If a custom product genuinely has no GTIN, follow Google’s identifier rules; never make one up.
What image size should I use for Shopping ads?
Use a clean, high-quality image that clearly shows the correct product and variant. Google’s current guidance is moving listings toward at least 500 × 500 pixels, so check the latest image requirement and account warnings.
What are custom labels used for?
Custom labels let you group products for campaign management using internal commercial attributes such as margin, season, bestseller, price band or sale status. Shoppers do not see those values.
Should AI-written titles use the normal title field?
Google’s current specification directs AI-generated title text to the structured title attribute with its digital source type declared. Human-reviewed titles may have different treatment, so follow the live specification.
Want the full feed and campaign opened up?
Hey Sage can review Merchant Center diagnostics, product segmentation, Shopping structure, search terms and the landing-page path together.
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