Google Shopping feed optimisation: a practical guide

Step 1

How to optimise Google Shopping product titles

Lead with what the customer calls the product. Add the attributes that narrow their choice, then the remaining variant details. A name like “The Everyday” tells a new customer very little. “Women's Organic Cotton T-Shirt” tells them what it is.

1. Find the words buyers use. Read Google Ads search terms, your store's internal search and customer questions. Look for product types, materials, sizes and uses that lead to relevant visits and sales.
2. Choose one main product phrase. Use “linen sheet set”, not a string of alternatives such as “bedding sheets bed linen doona covers”. Include a use case only when the product actually suits it.
3. Add the deciding details. Colour, size, capacity, material, compatibility, model and pack quantity can qualify the click. Use the details relevant to that category.
4. Move the strongest information forward. Lead with a recognised brand and model when buyers search for them. For a lesser-known own brand, start with the product type and defining attribute.

Google allows up to 150 characters. Put the essential information within roughly the first 70 because displayed length varies. Do not pad a clear title to hit the limit. Keep promotional wording, prices, “free shipping”, repeated keywords and attention-grabbing capitals out of it. Your feed title can differ from your website heading, provided both describe the same product. See Google's title requirements.

Our recommendation: write a title pattern for each category. Apply it with a feed rule, then check individual products for missing fields, repeated brand names and awkward wording.

Step 2

Choose product images that work at thumbnail size

Start with a sharp, uncluttered image of the exact variant being sold. View it at the size of a Shopping result. The product should be recognisable without zooming.

• Use a high-quality source image of at least 1500 × 1500 pixels where available. Do not enlarge a blurry thumbnail.
• Make the product fill roughly 75 to 90% of the frame without cutting off important features.
• Match the colour, pattern and included quantity to the listing. Do not show a set when the price buys one item.
• Use a white or simple background as the starting point. Test an appropriate lifestyle image when the product remains clear; show apparel on a person where useful.
• Remove promotional text, price badges, added watermarks and borders.
• Add close-ups, alternate angles, scale and in-use shots through additional_image_link. Google supports up to 10 additional images.

These recommendations follow Google's main image requirements and additional image guidance. Adding more images does not guarantee Google will display every view.

For an image test, keep the title unchanged. Compare two accurate presentations: a clearer front view against a three-quarter view, or a clean product shot against a suitable in-use shot. A prettier image is only useful if it attracts buyers for the product you actually sell.

Step 3

Write product descriptions with useful detail

Say what it is, who or what it fits, and what the buyer receives. Use the main product phrase naturally in the opening sentence, then explain the features, material, size and relevant limitations. Put the important details first.

Google allows up to 5,000 characters, but recommends about 500 to 1,000 for useful detail. Stop when the product is properly explained. Remove your company story, delivery promotions, competitor comparisons, links and keyword lists. Keep the feed description consistent with the landing page. See Google's description specification and description optimisation guidance.

Step 4

Fix the attributes that cause poor matches and rejected products

Open Merchant Center's product issues before editing copy. Fix disapprovals first, then missing or incorrect data on your priority products. Use Google's product data specification to check requirements for your category and country.

Step 5

Test different product angles without duplicate listings

The duplication tactic creates multiple feed entries for the same product, each with a different ID, title or image. For example, the same backpack might appear as a laptop backpack, commuter backpack and travel backpack.

We recommend testing those angles on the same product ID instead. Google lists duplicate listings under its unfair advantage policy. Its GTIN rules also prohibit multiple products with the same GTIN and variant values for the same country and language. A different title, photo or landing-page URL does not turn the same offer into a different product.

Save the original, replace the title, let the data process, and measure the result. Test the image in a separate round. Keep the same stable ID to retain product history, following Google's ID guidance.

Real variants are different. A backpack sold in separate colours or sizes can have distinct variant listings with unique IDs, accurate variant images and the appropriate shared item_group_id. Changing the marketing angle alone is not a variant.

Step 6

Choose Google Sheets, DataFeedWatch or Feedonomics

Choose the simplest option that keeps product data accurate and makes updates repeatable.

Keep one clearly defined owner for each attribute. Conflicting edits in your store app, spreadsheet and feed tool make changes hard to trace. Confirm which source supplies the final value in Merchant Center.

Step 7

Use a supplemental Google Sheet for simple feed edits

Keep your existing store integration for live price and stock. Add a supplemental Sheet for the fields you want to improve. A supplemental source updates existing products; it cannot add or remove them.

1. Export the exact IDs for your test products from Merchant Center. Treat them as text so leading zeros stay intact.
2. Create a Sheet with id plus only the attributes you intend to change, such as title, description, image_link and an available custom label.
3. In Merchant Center, enable Advanced data source management under Settings and Add-ons if needed.
4. Open Settings → Data sources → Supplemental sources → Add supplemental product data. Choose Google Sheets and connect the file.
5. Link the correct primary source. Match IDs exactly and use the matching language and feed label.
6. Check the attribute rules. Configure intended replacements to use the Sheet's value, rather than only filling empty fields.
7. Process the source, open several individual products and confirm the final title, image, description and status. Check again after the next store sync.

Use Google's supplemental source instructions and attribute rule guidance. A primary Google Sheets source can supply a simple catalogue, but you then own keeping prices, availability and required fields current.

Using AI to write feed copy? Google requires AI-generated titles and descriptions to use structured_title and structured_description with digital_source_type set to trained_algorithmic_media. Check your tool supports these fields. Preserve required AI metadata in generated images too. See the product data specification.

Step 8

Measure whether feed changes attract better buyers

Change one variable at a time on a manageable product group. Keep a similar unchanged group for comparison where possible. Save the previous values, product IDs, change date and reason for the test.

• First, check eligibility. Did the update process correctly? Did disapprovals or warnings appear?
• Then check relevance. Read the available search-term data. More impressions from unsuitable searches are not an improvement.
• Check the click. Compare impressions, click-through rate and cost per click by product or test group.
• Check the sale. Compare conversion rate, cost per purchase, conversion value and margin. A stronger click-through rate can still produce worse sales.

Wait until Google has processed the change and your usual conversion delay has passed. Cover comparable trading periods and enough purchases to make a useful decision. Record promotions, stock changes and campaign changes that could explain the result. Sequential tests show direction; they do not isolate every cause.

In Performance Max, also check whether the channel mix changed. Whole-campaign results can move for reasons unrelated to product titles. Use our Shopify profit calculator to set a return target your margins can support.