How to set up Google Merchant Center for your business

There’s no denying that online shopping has become the norm and is probably a weekly occurrence for a lot of us. ECommerce is booming and new online shops are popping up every day.

Google Merchant Center is Google’s innovation to help business owners sell online. You may be wondering, “What is Google Merchant Center and why do I need it?”, well we’re here to guide you through it all.

Google Merchant Center can become overwhelming and confusing as a business owner. You just want to focus on your business and not waste a ton of time researching and learning Google’s systems. We get it. That’s why we’ve created this article to break it down for you all in one place.

What is Google Merchant Center?

Google Merchant Center is the bridge between your online store and Google Shopping, which is where your products appear to your potential buyers.

Have you ever seen the products at the top of the search results or the Shopping tab? That’s Google Shopping.

It’s basically another search engine within Google just for products. Google Merchant Center is the backend of this system where sellers like you can upload their products and view analytics.

Who should use Google Merchant Center?

Everyone selling products online should use Google Merchant Center. There’s no reason not to use it. It’s an entirely free service that gives you the opportunity to reach millions of customers!

Google Shopping is one of the most effective ways to reach your customers online. If you’re not using it, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity.

Google Merchant Center (GMC for short) is essential for all businesses ranging from small one-man bands to large enterprise retailers. If you’re an online shop, Google Merchant Center is a no-brainer.

Getting started with Google Merchant Center

Now that you know what GMC is, it’s time to get started. The good news is, setting up a Google Merchant Center account is actually pretty quick and easy.

With our guide below, you’ll be up and running in no time!

How to set up a Google Merchant Center account

To set up your account, head to the Google Merchant Centre Sign Up page and fill out your information. Make sure you have a Google account first. If you don’t have one, create a Google account here.

The form starts with a few simple questions like your business name and country. As you scroll down, it will ask a few more in-depth questions like “What other tools do you use?”.

Answer these questions as honestly as you can. The more information you give Google, the better it can serve you.

Once you’ve answered all the questions, it will give you a terms of service agreement. Read through this and tick the box when you’re ready.

Next, you’ll be directed to an overview page where you can see all your account information in one place.

What is a Google Merchant Center feed?

The next step is to create your first GMC data feed. This is how you upload all of your products instead of entering them all one by one.

A data feed is a file that includes a list of all your products and their information. Google Shopping uses the information to match your products to the right searches.

Setting up your first data feed

The first step is to set up a Primary Feed. To do this, click “Get Started” on your dashboard.

The Primary Feed is the main data source Google uses to gather information about your product and display your products correctly. Here’s how you do it:

1. Find the “Products” section in the left-hand menu.
2. Click the “+” button (or “Add Feed”) to create your first feed.
3. Select your target country and the language.
4. Click on Primary Feed and name your feed.
5. Select the method of submitting your feed. We suggest choosing File Upload and manually uploading the file so you can more easily control how your product information is shown in Google. This is more reliable if you regularly update your product info and pricing compared to choosing the Scheduled Fetch option which is when Google periodically scrape the data from a specific URL.
6. Make sure that your product data is in the correct format and includes all required attributes (e.g. product ID, title, description, price). You can read more about Google’s data feed specifications here.
7. Upload your file.
8. Once your feed is free of errors, click “Submit” to finalise the setup.
9. Your products will then be reviewed and processed by Google, which may take some time.

You’re all done!

Supplemental and Regional Product Inventory Feeds

After creating your Primary Feed, you may need to set up other feeds depending on your business and products.

Supplemental feeds are used to add extra information or make updates to your product listings without changing your main data. For example, if you regularly update sales prices or special offers, a supplemental feed makes it easier. This is useful because instead of constantly editing your primary feed, you can add only the changes while keeping the rest intact. You can read how to set up supplemental feed here.

Regional product inventory feeds are helpful if you sell in different areas, as they let you show specific details for each region, like local stock levels, pricing, or shipping costs. This is especially important if you operate in multiple countries or cities, as it allows you to give customers the most relevant and accurate information based on where they are shopping. You can read how to set up regional product feeds here.

Need a hand setting up your Google Merchant Center Feed?

How do I set up shipping in Google Merchant Center?

According to Google, shipping costs is one of the main reasons shoppers abandon their carts, so it’s important to get it right!

Google Merchant Center offers a range of shipping options to choose from based on how you charge shipping. GMC has your back no matter how you set up your shipping.

Whether you’re charging a flat fee, basing it on the total order price, or using third-party rates, it all works smoothly. You can even create customised shipping tables that calculate the cost based on a product’s size or destination.

Here’s how to set up shipping in Google Merchant Center:

Shipping Label: Add the shipping label attribute to group products that share the same shipping conditions. This is optional but useful if you want to apply different shipping policies to different groups. Make sure to add this label before setting up your shipping settings in Merchant Center.

Shipping Weight: Include the shipping weight attribute so that shipping costs can be calculated based on the product’s weight. This is especially important if your shipping costs depend on weight or if you’re using carrier-calculated shipping rates.

Shipping Dimensions: If your shipping costs are affected by the size of the package, add the following attributes:

1. Shipping length
2. Shipping width
3. Shipping height

These details help ensure that shipping charges are accurately computed, particularly when using carriers that calculate rates based on package dimensions.

Paid Shipping: There are a number of ways you can set up paid shipping, whether it’s flat rate, based on what third party carriers charge you, based on destination or determined based on the number of items. You can read more about these methods of charging shipping costs in the table here.

Create a Shipping Policy: Sign in to your Merchant Center account, click on “Shipping and Returns”, and then select “Add shipping policy”. You can set up to 20 policies per country.

Choose Shipping Countries: Select either “All products” or “specific products”. If you choose “specific products”, select from the list of shipping labels detected with your product data that you added in step 1.

Assign Products to Your Policy: Choose whether the policy should apply to all your products or only to specific groups (using the shipping labels you’ve added).

Add Shipping Speed: Enter specific shipping speed manually. You can learn more about shipping speeds here.

Calculate Your Shipping Costs: Choose your currency, then choose either:

1. Offer free shipping when an order exceeds a specific amount.
2. Charge shipping only when an order is below a specific value.
3. Free shipping on all orders
4. Paid shipping, whether it’s flat rate, based on what third party carriers charge you, based on destination or determined based on the number of items. You can read more about these methods of charging shipping costs in the table here.

Choose the option that mirrors the way you charge for shipping on your site.

Need help setting up shipping for your products?

How to link Google Merchant Center to Google Ads

Linking Google Merchant Center with Google Ads lets you run dynamic Shopping campaigns that automatically display the most up-to-date product information. This integration means you can manage both your product listings and ad campaigns in one place, saving time and reducing errors.

Plus, any updates you make in Merchant Center, whether it’s a new price or a special offer, are instantly reflected in your ads, making promotions much easier to manage.

Here’s how to link Google Merchant Center to Google Ads:

1. In GMC, click the Settings & tools icon
2. Click Apps and services
3. Under “Google services”, click Add service
4. In the pop up window, click the Google Ads account you want to link
5. Click “Link to Merchant Center”

That’s it! You’re all done setting up your Google Merchant Center and linking it to Google Ads.

Google Merchant Center SEO best practices

Optimising your Google Merchant Center feed for SEO is all about making your product data clear, complete, and appealing. Start by writing engaging product titles and descriptions that naturally include the right keywords without overdoing it. Always put the most important keywords towards the start of the product title.

Good quality images go a long way too, so be sure to use sharp, eye-catching photos that really show your products off.

On the technical side, make sure you fill in all the essential details like price, availability, and product identifiers (such as GTIN, MPN, and brand). Keeping your shipping and returns information up-to-date is just as important, as it helps avoid disapprovals and ensures customers have all the info they need.

Regularly check your feed for errors using Merchant Center’s diagnostics and tidy things up when needed, a well-maintained feed can really boost your product’s visibility in search results.

How to fix common Google Merchant Center problems

When you run into issues with Google Merchant Center, start by checking the diagnostics page for specific error messages. Often, problems arise from missing or incorrect product information like incomplete titles, descriptions, prices, or images, so double-check that your feed contains all the required details and adheres to Google’s specifications.

If your products are being disapproved, review the policies to ensure you’re not inadvertently listing restricted items or breaching guidelines.

Shipping issues can be resolved by verifying that your shipping settings and data (such as dimensions and weights) are accurate and match your site’s details.

Lastly, if you’re encountering feed formatting errors, confirm that your file is correctly structured, whether you’re using CSV, XML, or Google Sheets. Regularly updating your feed and quickly addressing any flagged errors can help keep your listings in good shape.

Get help from the pros

We understand that setting up your Google Merchant Center can be confusing. If you need extra help and want the peace of mind of knowing everything is set up properly, the team at White Chalk Road are here to help!

We’ll make sure your feed is optimised, your settings are spot on, and your online presence grows without a hitch.

Get in touch today, and let us handle the stress for you!