Google Merchant Center

The identifier for each item has to be unique within your account, and cannot be re-used between feeds. If you have multiple feeds, ids of items within different feeds must still be unique. You can use any sequence of letters and digits for the item id.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• Once an item is submitted, the id must not change when you update your data feed or be used for a different product at a later point in time.
• For Switzerland only: If your website is in multiple languages, submit one feed per language. You may re-use the same id for the same item in each version of the feed for each language.

This is the name of your item which is required. We recommend you include characteristics such as color or brand in the title which differentiates the item from other products.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• Follow our Editorial guidelines closely. For example, do not include any promotional text such as "Free shipping", and do not use BLOCK CAPITALS.
• For variant products, you are required to include the common title of the variant items. For example if “Mens Pique Polo Shirt” is available in red and blue colors, you can have one of the following titles:
  • Mens Pique Polo Shirt (Can be used for both variants)
  • Mens Pique Polo Shirt - Red (For the red shirt)
  • Mens Pique Polo Shirt - Blue (For the blue shirt)

Include only information relevant to the item, but be comprehensive since we use this text to find your item. We recommend you submit around 500 to 1000 characters, but you can submit up to 10000 characters.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• Make sure to follow our Editorial guidelines closely. For example, do not include any promotional text such as "Free shipping", do not use BLOCK CAPITALS, and do not include a description of your store.

The 'Google product category' attribute indicates the category of the product being submitted, according to the Google product taxonomy. This attribute accepts only one value, taken from the product taxonomy tree. If your items fall into multiple categories, include only one category which is the most relevant.

Any category from Google’s product taxonomy must include the full path. For example, 'Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Jeans' is an acceptable value, but 'Jeans' is not.

When to include: Required for all items that belong to the 'Apparel and Accessories', 'Media', and 'Software' categories, and are in feeds which target the US, UK, Germany, France, or Japan.

If your products do not fall into one of the categories listed below, or if your feed doesn't target one of the required countries, this attribute is recommended but not required. If you choose not to provide a Google Product Category value for other product categories, leave the attribute blank.

Apparel & Accessories

• 'Apparel & Accessories > Clothing'
• 'Apparel & Accessories > Shoes'
• 'Apparel & Accessories'

Important: Products that fall into clothing or shoes categories must use the categories listed above ('Apparel & Accessories > Clothing' or 'Apparel & Accessories > Shoes') or the more specific categories provided in the full Google product taxonomy. It is not sufficient to provide the general category 'Apparel & Accessories' for these items. Items that do not belong in the clothing or shoes categories should include the 'Apparel & Accessories' value or the more specific categories provided in the Google product taxonomy.

Media

• 'Media > Books'
• 'Media > DVDs & Movies'
• 'Media > Music'

Important: Provide the most appropriate categorization for bundled products of differing product types. For example, a book bundled with a DVD could be labeled with either 'Media > Books' or 'Media > DVDs & Movies'.

Software

• Software > Video Game Software

Important: The category 'Software > Video Game Software' includes computer games.

This attribute also indicates the category of the product being submitted, but you can provide your own classification. Unlike the 'Google product category', you can include more than one 'product type' attribute value if products apply to more than one category. Please include the full category string. For example, if your products belong in Refrigerators list the full string: Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Appliances > Refrigerators. Any separator such as > or / may be used.

When to include: Strongly recommended for all items if you have a categorization for your items.

The user is sent to this URL when your item is clicked on Product Search. We also refer to this as the landing page. It must point to a page showing the exact item the user was looking at. You can use tracking URLs to distinguish users coming from Product Search.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• Read our policies carefully. All your URLs must link directly to webpages about your products without pop ups. We don't allow landing pages requiring sign ups, passwords, or direct links to files/email addresses.
• If you're performing maintenance on your site that affects your landing pages, you're required to remove your items from Product Search during that time.
• If multiple products are on the same page, it has to be straightforward for the user to find the right product. We recommend only one product per page.
• For variations of the same product, we recommend you submit URLs that pre-select the variant which the user clicked on in Google Product Search.
• The URL must not redirect or forward to a location external to your site.
• The URL must start with 'http://' or 'https://' and use the domain name you verified in Google Webmaster Tools and in the Settings of your Merchant Center account.
• Any symbols used must be replaced by URL encoded entities (e.g. comma = %2C).

This is the URL of an associated image for a product. Submit full-size images for your products and do not submit thumbnail versions of the images. For all apparel products, we require images of at least 250 x 250 pixels and recommend images of at least 400 x 400 pixels.

If you have multiple images of the item, submit the main view using this attribute, and include all other views in the 'additional image link' attribute.

When to include: Required for all items (For feeds targeting Japan, this is a recommended attribute, not a required attribute).

Important:

• If you have no image for your item, you cannot submit the item.
• For feeds targeting the US and products that fall under “Apparel & Accessories” and all corresponding sub-categories: If you are submitting product variants that differ in ‘‘color’, or ‘pattern’, or ‘material’, we require you to submit specific images corresponding to each of these variants. If you do not have the correct image for the variation of the product, you may not submit that variant. We recommend specific images for ‘size’ variants too. However, if these are not available you may submit the same image URL for items that differ in ‘size’.
• For all other countries and categories: If you cannot provide the appropriate images to submit your items as variants, you may list your variant products as a single item with multiple values for the variant attributes and provide the available image.
• Do not submit a placeholder such as "No image", logo of the brand or logo of your store. Images of products must not contain logos or other promotions within the image.

Formatting

• The accepted image formats are GIF, JPG (or JPEG), PNG, BMP, and TIF and the file extensions for these images should correspond to their format.
• Any symbols used within the image URL must be replaced by URL encoded entities (e.g. comma = %2C).

If you have additional images for this item, include them in this attribute. For example, if you have images that show the product from a different angle than the main image, or if you have images of the packaging or the product in various settings.

You can include up to 10 additional images per item by including the attribute multiple times. For tab-delimited, separate each URL by a comma. For XML, include each URL as a separate <additional_image_link> attribute.

When to include: For all items with multiple images.

Important:

• The same rules as for image link apply.

There are only three accepted values:

• 'new': The product is brand-new and has never been used. It's in its original packaging which has not been opened.
• 'refurbished': The product has been restored to working order. This includes, for example, remanufactured printer cartridges.
• 'used': If the two previous values don't apply. For example, if the product has been used before or the original packaging has been opened or is missing.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• If you are submitting the attribute names in English, you must provide the attribute values in English as well.

The availability attribute only has four accepted values:

• 'in stock': Include this value if you are certain that it will ship (or be in-transit to the customer) in 3 business days or less. For example, if you have the item available in your warehouse.
• 'available for order': Include this value if it will take 4 or more business days to ship it to the customer. For example, if you don’t have it in your warehouse at the moment, but are sure that it will arrive in the next few days. For unreleased products, use the value 'preorder'
• 'out of stock': You’re currently not accepting orders for this product. (Important tip: When your products are out of stock on your website, don't remove them from your data feed. Provide this value instead).
• 'preorder': You are taking orders for this product, but it’s not yet been released.

When to include: Required for all items in feeds targeting the US, Japan, UK, Germany, France. Recommended for all other countries. However, you need to use this attribute with one of the following if you want to submit items that are out of stock in your data feed. If you don't use this attribute, all the items in your data feed must be in stock on your site.

Important:

• You need to clearly indicate the availability of an item on the item's landing page by either explicitly noting the status (such that it's clear which of the above values describe the availability of the item), or mention how many days it takes until the item ships. (Note: It is acceptable to include 'available for order' in your feed and note "out of stock" on your website.)
• Items that are no longer sold have to be removed from the feed entirely.
• If you are submitting the attribute names in English, you must provide the attribute values in English as well.

The price of the item has to be the most prominent price on the landing page. If multiple items are on the same page with multiple prices, it has to be straightforward for the user to find the correct item and corresponding price.

When to include: Required for all items.

Important:

• For the US, don't include tax in the price. For all other countries, value added tax (VAT) has to be included in the price.
• The price must include a currency according to ISO 4217 Standard.
• Make sure to read our policies in detail. Only items with fixed prices are allowed in Product Search. Items with variable prices, such as auctions, and prices that require a membership in a club are not allowed.
• For items sold in bulk quantities, the price for the lowest purchasable number of items must be provided (not the per unit price) and the same price has to be the most prominent on the landing page.
• For products on sale, we recommend including the 'sale price' attribute and submit the regular price (before sale) in the 'price' attribute. In this case, the sale price (instead of the regular price) must be the most prominent price on the page.
• You must not include a price value of 0.00 USD for your items. Items with zero prices may not appear in the search results.

Use this attribute to submit the advertised sale price of the item. Learn more about submitting sale price information.

When to include: Recommended for items on sale. If your item is on sale and you don’t include this attribute, the sale price must be updated as the value in the 'price' attribute.

Important:

• You must still include the 'price' attribute in your feed, which must reflect the non-sale price you have previously sold the item for.
• The price must include a currency.
• Submitted sale prices must exactly match the price displayed on your website. Both prices must be displayed on the landing page (the regular price and the sale price), but the sale price must be most prominent.
• You must not include a price value of 0.00 USD for your items. Items with zero prices may not appear in the search results.

Used in conjunction with sale price. This attribute indicates the date range during which the sale price applies. Learn more about submitting sale price information.

When to include: Recommended for items which use the 'sale price' attribute.

When to include: Required for all items - except for books, media and custom made goods, or if you're providing 'mpn' and 'gtin'.

Important:

• You must not provide your store name as the brand unless you manufacture the product.

In this attribute, you will include Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) for your products. These identifiers include UPC (in North America), EAN (in Europe), JAN (in Japan), and ISBN (for books). You can include any of these values within this attribute:

• UPC: 12-digit number such as 001234567891
• EAN: 13-digit number such as 1001234567891
• JAN: 8 or 13-digit number such as 12345678 or 1234567890123
• ISBN: 10 or 13-digit number such as 0451524233. If you have both, only include 13-digit number.

When to include: Required for all items - except apparel and custom made goods, or if you're providing 'brand' and 'mpn'.

This code uniquely identifies the product to its manufacturer. In particular, the combination of brand and MPN clearly specifies one product.

When to include:Required for all items - except apparel, media, and custom made goods, or if you're providing 'brand' and 'gtin'.

Three predefined values accepted:

• Male
• Female
• Unisex

When to include: Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important

• If you are submitting the attribute names in English, you must provide the attribute values in English as well.
• This attribute is required for items in the ‘apparel and accessories’ category targeting the US. However, this attribute is only recommended for ‘pinback buttons’, ‘tie clips’, ‘wristbands’, ‘shoe covers’, ‘shoe laces’, ‘spurs’, ‘watch bands’ within the ‘apparel and accessories’ category.

The only two accepted values of this attribute are:

• Adult
• Kids

When to include: Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important:

• If you are submitting the attribute names in English, you must provide the attribute values in English as well.
• This attribute is required for items in the ‘apparel and accessories’ category targeting the US. However, this attribute is only recommended for ‘pinback buttons’, ‘tie clips’, ‘wristbands’, ‘shoe covers’, ‘shoe laces’, ‘spurs’, ‘watch bands’ within the ‘apparel and accessories’ category.
• If an item is not clearly just for ‘kids, it should be declared as ‘adult’, as only one value may be submitted per item.

Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Variant Products. Please do not submit two versions of this attribute per item.

This defines the dominant color(s) of an item. When a single item has multiple colors:

• Combine them with ‘/’ in order of prominence (dominant color first, then accent colors). For example, a black shoe with green accents should have a color value of 'Black / Green'. This attribute can also be used for finishes as well (e.g., 'Mahogany' vs. 'Stainless Steel').
• If you're using XML, you must represent the '/' with &#47;

When to include: Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important:

• This attribute is required for all items in the ‘apparel and accessories’ category targeting the US.
• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each different color or color combination must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'. Visit submitting apparel products for more details.
• Use consistent names of colors across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category.
• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.

Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Variant Products. Please do not include two versions of this attribute per item.

This indicates the size of a product. You may any provide values which are appropriate to your items. Examples for sizing values can be found in this article.

When to include: Required for all apparel items in the 'clothing' and 'shoes' product categories in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important:

• This attribute is required for ‘clothing’ and ‘shoes’ sub-categories within the ‘apparel and accessories’ category targeting the US.
• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each different size or size combination must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'. Visit submitting apparel products for more details.
• If sizes are complex, condense them into one value (e.g., “16/34 Tall” for neck size 16 inches, sleeve length 34 inches, and “Tall” fit).
• Use consistent size values across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category. For example, within a group of t-shirts, use “S”, “M” , and “L” as sizes, not “S”, “Medium” , and “Lrg”.
• You may use the same ‘image’ URL value for size variants if specific images are not available but we recommend that the ‘link’ attribute leads to a page which specifies all the details about the variant item.
• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.

Submitting variant apparel products

If you have apparel products which vary by ‘size’, ‘color’, ‘pattern’, or ‘material’, you must include all the required attributes outlined in this section, and also follow the approach outlined below.

All items that are color/material/pattern/size variants of the same product must have the same item group id. If you have a “Parent SKU” that is shared by all variants of a product, you can provide that as the value for 'item group id'.

When to include:Required for variant apparel products in the US. For other countries, if variant data is submitted with specific images then include the ‘item group ID’.

Important:

• This attribute is required only for variant apparel products in the US.
• The ‘Item group id’ attribute is different from the ‘ID’ attribute. An ‘Item group ID’ attribute will have common values for a group of variants whereas the ‘ID’ attribute should have unique values across a group of variants and for all other items, as well.
• The values provided for item group id must be unique between products, and only shared by items that are variants of the same product.
• If you send us an ‘item group id’ attribute, we will automatically look for variant attributes. Conversely, if you did send us ‘Item group id’, you should ensure you send us at least one variant attribute.

Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Variant Products. Please do not submit two versions of this attribute per item.

This defines the dominant color(s) of an item. When a single item has multiple colors:

• Combine them with ‘/’ in order of prominence (dominant color first, then accent colors). For example, a black shoe with green accents should have a color value of 'Black / Green'. This attribute can also be used for finishes as well (e.g., 'Mahogany' vs. 'Stainless Steel').
• If you're using XML, you must represent the '/' with &#47;

When to include: Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important:

• This attribute is required for apparel products targeting the US.
• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each different color or color combination must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'. Visit submitting apparel products for more details.
• Use consistent names of colors across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category.
• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.

The material or fabric that a product is made out of. For example, a high heel pump might have values of “Leather”, “Denim”, “Suede”, etc.

When to include: Required for all apparel items that differ by material for feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).

Important:

• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each item that differs in ‘material’ must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'.
• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.

The pattern or graphic print featured on a product. For example, a t-shirt might have a logo of a sports team and have pattern values of “Bears”, “Tigers”, etc. A dress might come in two prints, and have pattern values of “Polka Dot”, “Striped”, “Paisley”, etc.

As a rule of thumb, if a user can choose to select different patterns on the landing page of your product, include all variant items in the same item group. Otherwise, use separate item groups.

When to include: Required for all apparel items that differ by pattern for feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories(might become required in the future).

Important:

• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each item that differs in ‘pattern’ must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'.
• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.

Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Variant Products. Please do not include two versions of this attribute per item.

This indicates the size of a product. You may any provide values which are appropriate to your items. Examples for sizing values can be found in this article.

When to include: Required for all apparel items in the 'clothing' and 'shoes' product categories in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories.

Important:

• The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.
• For apparel variants submitted to the US: Each different size or size combination must be submitted as its own item, in conjunction with the 'item group id'. Visit submitting apparel products for more details.
• If sizes are complex, condense them into one value (e.g., “16/34 Tall” for neck size 16 inches, sleeve length 34 inches, and “Tall” fit).
• Use consistent size values across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category. For example, within a group of t-shirts, use “S”, “M” , and “L” as sizes, not “S”, “Medium” , and “Lrg”.
• You may use the same ‘image’ URL value for size variants if specific images are not available but we recommend that the ‘link’ attribute leads to a page which specifies all the details about the variant item.

This is the weight of the product used to calculate the shipping cost of the item. If you have specified a global shipping rule that is dependent on shipping weight, this attribute will be used to calculate the shipping cost of the item automatically.

When to include: Required if you have set up a shipping rule in the Merchant Center that is based on weight.

Important:

• The weight must include a number and a unit of weight. We accept the following units: lb, oz, g, kg.

By default, your items also appear in Product Ads and in Google Commerce Search if you’re currently submitting your items to either of these additional destinations. Commerce Search is available in US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Australia and Japan, and Product Ads are available in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Japan. You can use this attribute to exclude an item from appearing in Product Search, Product Ads or Commerce Search. Learn more.

When to include: If you are using either Product Search, Product Ads or Commerce Search and you would like to exclude the item from these destinations.

This is the date that an item listing will expire. If you do not provide this attribute, items will expire and no longer appear in Product Search results after 30 days. You cannot use this attribute to extend the expiration period to longer than 30 days.

When to include: If you would like an item to expire earlier than 30 days from the upload date of the feed.