Google Shopping Feed Optimization: The Checklist We Use on Every E-commerce Account

By Jacob Thyssen, Founder of Thyssen Ads

10 Nov 2026

Short answer: Google Shopping doesn't use keywords. It uses your product feed. Feed optimization means making every product easy for Google to match and easy for shoppers to choose: titles that start with what people search for, correct GTINs and brand, specific product types and Google categories, clean images, prices and shipping that match the site, and custom labels that let you segment by margin and performance. Then monitor disapprovals daily. A better feed improves relevance, click-through rate and control, which is often the cheapest performance gain in the account.

When Shopping or Performance Max underperforms, most brands change bids or budgets. In our experience the problem is usually further up: in the feed. We treat feed quality as infrastructure. Our Head of Tracking & Merchant Center owns feed and Merchant Center hygiene across all accounts, because without it, nothing downstream scales properly.

Here's the checklist.

Part 1: Titles

Titles do the work that keywords do in Search.

• Lead with what people search for. Typical structure: brand + product type + key attribute + variant (size, colour, flavour, model).
• Most important words in the first ~70 characters. Merchant Center allows 150, but the start is what shows.
• Use search language, not internal names. "Hoodie Aurora" says nothing. "Organic cotton hoodie women black M" matches searches.
• Add compatibility where it matters. People don't search "brake disc". They search "brake disc BMW 3 series 2018". For Becker.dk we expanded titles with brand and model compatibility so 800,000+ products matched real search behaviour. Google Ads revenue went from €100K to €400K+ per month, with ROAS from 6.0 to 9.35. Read the Becker case study.
• No promotional text. "Free shipping" or "SALE!!!" in titles risks disapproval and wastes space.
• Test changes on a segment first. Change titles for one product group, compare impressions and CTR, then roll out.

Part 2: Identifiers and core attributes

• GTIN for every product that has one. Missing or wrong GTINs limit visibility and cause disapprovals.
• Brand filled correctly, consistent across variants.
• MPN where there's no GTIN.
• identifier_exists = no only for products that genuinely have no identifiers (custom or handmade goods).
• item_group_id for variants so size and colour versions are grouped.
• Condition, colour, size, gender, age_group where required for the category (apparel in particular).

Google's product data specification lists every attribute and which are required for each category.

Part 3: Categorisation

• google_product_category set as specifically as possible. See Google's product category documentation.
• product_type using your own category path (for example "Supplements > Protein > Whey"). Useful for both matching and campaign structure.
• Consistent categories across markets so the same structure works in every country.

Part 4: Custom labels for segmentation

Custom labels are where the feed stops being a data file and becomes a bidding tool. You have five (custom_label_0 to custom_label_4). A setup we often use:

• Labels update automatically, ideally daily. A best-seller label set by hand once a quarter is out of date within weeks.
• Campaigns built on labels, so each segment gets its own target. That's what we mean by Shopping first, feed segmented: products split by margin, price and performance index, so budget follows profit.

For Hundlands, a daily script analyses each product's performance and labels it, so budget goes behind the products that perform. Read the Hundlands case study. The bidding side is covered in POAS vs ROAS and Performance Max for e-commerce.

Part 5: Images

• Main image shows the product clearly on a plain background, without overlays, watermarks or promotional text.
• High resolution, product filling most of the frame.
• Additional images (additional_image_link) for angles, in-use shots and details.
• Variant-correct images. The black hoodie should show the black hoodie.

Part 6: Price, availability and shipping

• Price and availability match the landing page exactly, including currency and VAT where required.
• sale_price used for discounts rather than changing the main price.
• Shipping costs and delivery times set per country, in Merchant Center or the feed.
• Return policy configured. Clear return and contact information also reduces misrepresentation risk.
• Feed refresh frequency fast enough that price and stock changes reach Google before shoppers notice a mismatch.

Part 7: Descriptions and extra detail

• Descriptions that describe the product: materials, sizes, use, compatibility. Up to 5,000 characters are allowed. The first sentences matter most.
• product_highlight and product_detail for key specs where relevant.
• No claims you can't back up. In supplements and health this is a policy issue, not a style issue. See Google Ads for supplement and fitness brands.

Part 8: Disapprovals and diagnostics

• Check Merchant Center diagnostics daily, not monthly.
• Fix the cause, not just the product. If 300 products are disapproved for a GTIN issue, fix the source data.
• Resubmit quickly after fixes.
• Keep policy-sensitive products in their own segment so a problem doesn't drag down best-sellers.

Our Octopus AI catches disapproved products and resubmits them as part of its daily routine, with a specialist watching every account.

Part 9: Multi-market feeds

Scandinavian brands rarely sell in one country. Every new market needs more than a translated feed.

• One feed per country and language, with local currency and shipping.
• Localised titles, not machine-translated ones. "Hundefôr" (Norwegian), "hundfoder" (Swedish) and "hundefoder" (Danish) are close, but search behaviour and phrasing aren't identical.
• Local sizing and units where relevant.
• Start with best-sellers in a new market, then expand.

For Hundlands, localised feeds and optimised titles improved performance in Germany, which grew into a larger non-brand market than the main market. Read the case study.

Part 10: Auction infrastructure (CSS)

Feed quality decides which searches you match. Your Comparison Shopping Service decides how efficiently your bid competes in Europe. Most advertisers use Google's default CSS without knowing alternatives exist. With Thyssen CSS, Shopping CPCs can be up to 20% more efficient, with up to 3% additional free Shopping traffic. The product feed is optimised daily, and campaigns, feed and tracking stay the same.

The bottom line

The feed is the targeting in Google Shopping. Get titles, identifiers, categories, images, prices and custom labels right, check diagnostics daily, localise for every market and segment by margin and performance. Most accounts see more from fixing the feed than from any bid change.

Want a second pair of eyes on your feed? Get your free Google Ads audit.

FAQ

What is Google Shopping feed optimization?

Improving the product data you send to Google Merchant Center, mainly titles, descriptions, identifiers, categories, images, prices and custom labels, so products show for the right searches, get approved and can be segmented for bidding.

What is the most important attribute in a Google Shopping feed?

The title. It has the biggest influence on which searches a product matches and whether people click. Put the words people search for first: brand, product type and the key attribute such as size, model or flavour.

How long can Google Shopping titles be?

Merchant Center accepts up to 150 characters, but only the first part is usually visible. Put the most important words in the first 70 characters.

What are custom labels used for?

Custom labels (custom_label_0 to custom_label_4) let you group products by your own criteria, such as margin band, best-seller status, price band or season, so you can give each group its own campaign or target.

Why are my products disapproved in Merchant Center?

Common reasons are missing or wrong GTINs, price or availability mismatches between feed and landing page, policy issues in titles or images, and missing shipping or return information. Check diagnostics daily and fix the cause, not only the product.

Do I need a separate feed for each country?

For each language and currency, yes. Translate and localise titles, descriptions, prices and shipping, and don't just machine-translate the source feed. Search behaviour differs between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany.

Sources

• Google Merchant Center Help: Product data specification
• Google Merchant Center Help: Google product category