This article details the requirements and format for every attribute accepted in Manufacturer Center. Some attributes are required, while others are recommended or optional. Failure to provide values for the required attributes will prevent that particular item from processing correctly in your feed upload. Failure to provide recommended or optional attributes will result in incomplete product data in our system, but will not cause the feed to fail.
Throughout this article, you will see the terms item and product. Please note that we use the term item to describe a single product variant. Items are similar to products, but we assume that products can occur in multiple variations. These variations, or “product variants”, can differ by color, size, or style. In other words, an item refers to a single variation of a product. Each entry in your product data file should reflect a single item, or product variant.
Keep in mind only attributes in English should be submitted in your feed, which you'll see in square brackets below. You'll see descriptive and/or translations of the values for illustrative purposes only.
Please note that if you provide many values for repeated attributes (for example, feature description), we may only display the first few values.
Here are examples:
Note: The values you provide may be displayed to customers, so provide values they will be able to understand.
Basic information
The following attributes contain basic information about your items.
To see full information about the attribute, including best practices, select the link in each attribute table.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
---|---|---|
ID [id] |
Required for all items Example Syntax/type Repeated value/field Text (TSV) |
Once an item is submitted, the ID |
GTIN [gtin] |
Required for all items Syntax Repeated value/field Text (TSV) XML (Feeds) |
|
MPN [mpn] |
Recommended for all items Syntax/type Text (TSV) XML (Feeds) |
|
Title [title] |
Required for all items Title of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Recommended character count range, 80 to 140 Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Follow our Editorial Guidelines closely. For example, do not include any promotional text and do not use BLOCK CAPITALS. For variant products, you are required to include the consumer facing name of all the variant items, including title differences for each variant. For example if “Google Nexus 5 Android Phone 32 GB - Unlocked - CDMA” is available in red and black colors, you must have both of the following titles on two different items submitted:
|
Required for all items Brand name of a product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Product name [product_name] |
Optional Canonical name of the product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Recommended character count range, 80 to 140 Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
|
Product line [product_line] |
Recommended for all items Name of a related group of products Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds
|
|
Product type [product_type] |
Optional Type or category of the product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters), with a “>” symbol to separate hierarchies Repeated value/field Yes; recommended maximum 10 per product Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
|
Product highlight [product_highlight] |
Optional Highlights of the product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Character count range of 1 - 150 characters maximum, per highlight Recommended: ASCII only Repeated value/field Yes, recommended 4-6 Minimum of 2, maximum of 100 Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Rich information
Attribute | Format |
---|---|
Description [description] |
Required Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) ASCII only Recommended character count range of 500 to 1,000 Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Feature description [feature_description] |
Recommended Text (Unicode characters) and images Sub-attributes Repeated value/field Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Image link [image_link] |
Required The accepted image formats are (in order of preference) WEBP (.webp), JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), PNG (.png), non-animated GIF (.gif), and BMP (.bmp), and the file extensions for these images should correspond to their format. The accepted URL protocols are URLs must be crawlable and must not be password protected. User-agents "googlebot" and "googlebot-image" must be allowed to access the directory with your file. Learn more about how to set up your robots.txt file. URL of an image of the item Syntax/type URL (Must start with Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
The accepted image formats are (in order of preference) WEBP (.webp), JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), PNG (.png), non-animated GIF (.gif), and BMP (.bmp), and the file extensions for these images should correspond to their format. The accepted URL protocols are " |
Additional image link [additional_image_link] |
Recommended for items with multiple images Additional URLs of images of the item Syntax/type URL (Must start with Repeated value/field Yes; recommended maximum 10 per product Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Video link [video_link] |
Optional URL for a video of the item Syntax/type YouTube URL (Must start with Repeated value/field Yes; recommended maximum 10 per product Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Product page URL [product_page_url] |
Optional URL of manufacturer's product detail page Syntax/type YouTube URL (Must start with Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Disclosure date [disclosure_date] |
Optional Date item is announced publicly Syntax/type Date Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Rich product content [rich_product_content] |
Optional Rich product descriptions and media calling out special product features. Syntax/type Repeated value/field No Text (TSV) Note: You’ll need to encode the whole field in double quotes, and need to escape the double quotes inside the field by using 2 double quotes. CSV/TSV exporters will usually take care of this for you.
XML (Feeds) Note: You will need to encode this as CDATA within an XML file.
|
Optional Certification attribute to describe certifications such as energy efficiency ratings associated with a product. Syntax/type Unicode characters (recommended: ASCII only) Repeated value/field Yes Text
XML (Feeds) <g:certification> |
|
Release date [release_date] |
Optional Date item is available for purchase Syntax/type Date Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Suggested retail price [suggested_retail_price] |
Optional Manufacturer suggested retail price Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Product detail [product_detail] |
Optional Additional details and specifications Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Character counts Section name: recommended maximum 140 Attribute name: recommended maximum 140 Attribute value: maximum 1,000 Sub-attributes Section name Attribute name Attribute value Repeated value/field Yes Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
3D model link [virtual_model_link] |
Optional 3D model of the product. When provided, include the 3D experiences destination. Syntax/type URL (Must start with "http://" or "https://") Character counts Up to 2000 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Recommended for products where the countries for which the data is valid differ from the countries configured on the feed that contains them. Syntax type Character counts 2 Repeated value/field Yes, up to 100 Text (TSV) Multiple countries example: XML (Feeds)
Multiple countries example: |
Variant information
We define variants as a group of similar items that only differ by attributes like color [color]
or style [style]
. By submitting variant items, you will help Google improve the customer experience by grouping your products correctly in ads and listings on Google properties.
How to submit variant data
- Begin by submitting an item for each variant.
- For example, if you offer a particular model of mobile phone in 4 colors (black, white, silver, and red) and 3 storage capacities (8GB, 16GB, and 32GB), you need to submit 12 item variants (Black 8GB, Black 16GB, Black 32GB, White 8GB, White 16GB, etc.).
- Include unique ID
[id]
attribute values for each item variant, just like you would for all the other items in your product data. - To identify items as variants of one another, you need to group them together using an item group id
[item_group_id]
. Each item in the group should have the same item group ID. As a rule of thumb, if a customer can choose to select different colors, patterns, sizes, styles, etc. on the landing page of your product, identify them as separate items, but identify them with the same item group ID. - Include variant attributes in the title that indicate what makes each variant unique. A value for color
[color]
and/or product detail[product_detail]
must be submitted to differentiate the items.
When crafting a title [title]
for variant items, be sure to include the name common to all product variants, as well as the variant attributes that make the product unique.
Example:
- Google Nexus 5 Android Phone - 32GB - Black - Unlocked - GSM
- Google Nexus 5 Android Phone - 16GB - White - AT&T
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
---|---|---|
Optional; recommended for items with multiple variants. Identifies variants of a product/style Syntax/type ASCII only Maximum 50 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
Use a unique value for each group of variants. Use the parent SKU where possible Keep the value the same when updating your product data Use only valid unicode characters Use an item group ID
If your products differ by design elements that aren't represented by the attributes above, don't use item group ID Include the same attributes for each product in the item group. For example, if a product varies by size |
|
Required for all products in an item group that vary by scent. Recommended for all products for which scent is an important, distinguishing attribute. The specific scent of a product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by flavor. Recommended for all products for which flavor is an important, distinguishing attribute. The specific flavor of a product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by format. Recommended for all products for which format is an important, distinguishing attribute. Media format of a product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by capacity. Recommended for all products for which capacity is an important, distinguishing attribute. The fixed memory storage capacity of an electronic device Syntax/type Integer + unit of measurement Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
There are 3 accepted values:
|
|
Recommended for all products in an item group that vary by gender, and all products for which gender is an important, distinguishing attribute. Gender of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
There are 3 accepted values:
Submit English values only for this attribute. If you submit translated values, your product may show without this information or be disapproved. |
|
Required for all products in an item group that vary by age group. Required for all apparel items. Recommended for all products for which age group is an important, distinguishing attribute. Target age group of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
There are 5 accepted values:
Submit English values only for this attribute. If you submit translated values, your product may show without this information or be disapproved. |
|
Required for all products in an item group that vary by size. Required for all apparel items in the “Apparel & Accessories > Clothing” and “Apparel & Accessories > Shoes” product categories and subcategories thereof. Recommended for all products for which size is an important, distinguishing attribute. Size of the product Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field
Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Apparel items only: Required for products in an item group that vary by size. Required for all apparel items in the Apparel & Accessories > Clothing product categories and sub-categories. Size type of the item Syntax/type String (Unicode characters. Recommended: ASCII only) Repeated value/field Yes (maximum of 2 values) Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
There are six accepted values. You may provide two values (for example: big and tall, petite and maternity).
Submit English values only for this attribute. If you submit translated values, your product may show without this information or be disapproved. |
|
Recommended for apparel items Size system of an item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
There are 11 accepted values:
NOTE: When the attribute is not specified for an item, we automatically use the default values for the target country where you’re selling the item. |
|
Required for all products in an item group that vary by color. Required for all apparel items. Recommended for all products for which color is an important, distinguishing attribute. Color of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by theme. Recommended for all products for which theme is an important, distinguishing attribute. Description of the thematic style, image and appearance of an item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by pattern. Recommended for all products for which pattern is an important, distinguishing attribute. Pattern/graphic of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by material. Recommended for all products for which material is an important, distinguishing attribute. Material of the item Syntax/type Text (Unicode characters) Maximum 200 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|
||
Required for all products in an item group that vary by count. Recommended for all products for which count is an important, distinguishing attribute. The count of units inside a packaging container of a given size Syntax/type Integer + unit of measurement Maximum 100 characters Repeated value/field No Text (TSV)
XML (Feeds)
|