Use this specification to format your product information for Merchant Center programmes, such as Shopping ads, free product listings and Buy on Google. Submitting your product data to Google in the correct format is important for creating successful ads and free listings for your products. Google uses this data to make sure that it's matched to the right queries.
Before you begin
If you're new to Merchant Center, get started with the onboarding guide.
Other requirements to bear in mindGoogle also has a few other requirements that your product data needs to meet. Familiarise yourself with them before you begin:
- Shopping ads policies
- Landing page requirements
- Tax rate data requirements
- Delivery rate data requirements
- Checkout requirements and best practices
- Currency and language requirements. Submit attributes and values using a supported language and currency for the country that you'd like to advertise to and the format that you've chosen.
- Delimited format. Use English for the name of the attribute and supported attribute values. For example, the condition
[condition]
attribute uses the supported valuesnew
,refurbished
andused
, which should be submitted in English. Use the same language for all attributes that do not use supported attributes and allow for free form text, such as title[title]
or description[description]
. Use an underscore when submitting an attribute name with multiple words (e.g.image_link
) - XML or API. Use attribute names in English only (the version in brackets). Use an underscore to represent a space within an attribute name (e.g.
image_link
instead ofimage link
).
- Product. Word that describes the actual product that your potential customers would be searching for on Google.
- Item. Word that describes a product once it's been added to your product data, either in a text feed, XML feed or API. For example, an item is one line in your text feed.
- Variant. Word that describes a product that comes in different variations. For example, a shirt that comes in different sizes has size variants.
Required | Submit this attribute. If you don't, your product won't be able to serve in ads and free listings. | |
It depends | Check the attribute's related article to understand if you need to submit this attribute for your products. Sometimes the requirements change depending on which countries your products are shown in. | |
Optional | You can submit this attribute if you want to help boost your product's performance. |
Basic product data
The product information that you submit using these attributes is our foundation for creating successful ads and free listings for your products. Make sure that everything you submit is of the quality that you'd show to a customer.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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ID [id] |
Required Your product's unique identifier Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Title [title] |
Required Your product's name Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Required Your product's description Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Link [link] |
Required Your product's landing page Example Schema.org property |
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Image link [image_link] |
Required The URL of your product's main image Example Schema.org property |
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Additional image link [additional_image_link] |
Optional The URL of an additional image for your product Example Syntax |
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Mobile link [mobile_link] |
Optional Your product's mobile-optimised landing page when you have a different URL for mobile and desktop traffic Example Syntax |
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Price and availability
These attributes define the price and availability for your products. This information is shown to potential customers in your ads and free listings. If your products' prices and availability change often, bear in mind that you'll need to let us know about all of the updates to be able to show your products. Take a look at these tips for keeping your product information fresh.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Required Your product's availability Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Availability date[availability_date] |
Required if product availability is set to The date a pre-ordered or backordered product becomes available for delivery Example Syntax
Schema.org property |
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Cost of goods sold[cost_of_goods_sold] |
Optional The costs associated with the sale of a particular product as defined by the accounting convention that you have set up. These costs may include material, labour, freight or other overhead expenses. By submitting the COGS for your products, you gain insights about other metrics, such as your gross margin and the amount of revenue generated by your ads and free listings. Example Syntax
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Expiry date[expiration_date] |
Optional The date that your product should stop showing Example Syntax
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Price [price] |
Required Your product's price Example Syntax
Schema.org property
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Sale price[sale_price] |
Optional Your product's sale price Example Syntax
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Sale price effective date [sale_price_effective_date] |
Optional The date range during which the sale price applies Example Syntax
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Unit pricing measure[unit_pricing_measure] |
Optional (except when required by local laws or regulations) The measure and dimension of your product as it is sold Example Syntax Supported units
Schema.org property |
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Unit pricing base measure [unit_pricing_base_measure] |
Optional (except when required by local laws or regulations) The product's base measure for pricing (e.g. Example Syntax Supported integers Supported units
Additional supported metric integer + unit combinations Schema.org property |
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Instalment[installment] |
Optional (available in Latin America for all product categories and in certain other countries for showing wireless products and services only) Details of an instalment payment plan Example SyntaxThis attribute uses two sub-attributes:
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Subscription cost[subscription_cost] |
Optional (available in certain countries for showing wireless products and services only) Details a monthly or annual payment plan that bundles a communications service contract with a wireless product Example Syntax
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Loyalty points[loyalty_points] |
Optional (available for Japan only) The number and type of loyalty points that a customer receives when buying a product Example Syntax
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Product category
You can use these attributes to organise your advertising campaigns in Google Ads and to override Google's automatic product categorisation in specific cases.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
---|---|---|
Google product category [google_product_category] |
Optional Google-defined product category for your product Example or
Syntax
Supported values |
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Product type [product_type] |
Optional Product category that you define for your product Example Syntax Max 750 alphanumeric character |
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Product identifiers
These attributes are used to provide product identifiers that define the products that you're selling in the global marketplace. We use product identifiers to understand what you're selling. When we understand what you're selling, we can help boost the performance of your ads and free listings by adding valuable details about the product and serving it in a more relevant way to users. Learn more about product identifiers.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Brand [brand] |
Required (For all new products, except movies, books and musical recording brands) Optional for all other products Your product's brand name Example
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GTIN [gtin] |
Required (For all products with a known GTIN to enable full offer performance) Optional (strongly recommended) for all other products Your product's Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) Example Syntax Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Required (Only if your product does not have a manufacturer-assigned GTIN) Optional for all other products Your product's manufacturer part number (MPN) Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Identifier exists [identifier_exists] |
Optional Use to indicate whether or not the unique product identifiers (UPIs) GTIN, MPN and brand are available for your product. Example Supported values
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Detailed product description
These attributes are used to submit particular product characteristics that users commonly search for. The attributes can help you control how your products appear when you show products that have variants. These attributes are also used to help potential customers filter by attributes when searching for products on Google. Learn more about how to submit variants.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Condition [condition] |
Required if your product is used or refurbished Optional for new products The condition of your product at time of sale Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Adult [adult] |
Required (if a product contains adult content) Example Supported values
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Required (for multipack products in Australia, Brazil, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US) Required for free listings on Google if you've created a multipack Optional for all other products and target countries Example Syntax |
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Bundle [is_bundle] |
Required (for bundles in Australia, Brazil, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US) Required for free listings on Google if you've created a bundle containing a main product Optional for all other products and target countries Example Supported values
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Energy efficiency class [energy_efficiency_class] |
Optional (except when required by local law or regulations) Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Minimum energy efficiency class [min_energy_efficiency_class] |
Optional (except when required by local laws or regulations) Available for the EU and CH only Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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M aximum energy efficiency class [max_energy_efficiency_class] |
Optional (except when required by local laws or regulations) Available for the EU and CH only Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Age group [age_group] |
Required (for all clothing products that are targeted at people in Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as all products with assigned age groups) Required for free listings for all Optional for all other products and target countries Example Supported values
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Colour [color] |
Required (for all clothing products in feeds that are targeted at Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as all products available in different colours) Required for free listings for all Optional for all other products and target countries Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Gender [gender] |
Required (for all clothing items in feeds that are targeted at people in Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as all gender-specific products) Required for free listings for all Google Optional for all other products and target countries The gender for which your product is intended
Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Material [material] |
Required (if relevant for distinguishing different products in a set of variants) Optional for all other products Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Required (if relevant for distinguishing different products in a set of variants) Optional for all other products Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Size [size] |
Required (for all clothing products in Required for free listings for all Optional for all other products and target countries Your product's size Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Size type [size_type] |
Optional (available for clothing products only) Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Size system[size_system] |
Optional (available for clothing products only) Example Supported values
Schema.org property |
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Item group ID[item_group_id] |
Required (Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US if the product is a variant) Required for free listings for all product variants Optional for all other products and target countries Example Syntax Schema.org property |
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Product length[product_length] |
Optional Your product's length Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
Schema.org property |
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Product width[product_width] |
Optional Your product's width Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
Schema.org property |
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Product height[product_height] |
Optional Your product's height Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
Schema.org property |
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Product weight[product_weight] |
Optional Your product's weight Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
Schema.org property |
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Optional Technical specifications or additional details about your product Example Syntax
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Optional The most relevant highlights of your products Example Syntax |
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Shopping campaigns and other configurations
These attributes are used to control how your product data is used when you create advertising campaigns in Google Ads.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Ads redirect [ads_redirect] |
Optional A URL used to specify additional parameters for your product page. Customers will be sent to this URL rather than the value that you submit for the link Example Syntax |
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Optional Example Syntax |
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Promotion ID [promotion_id] |
Optional (Required for promotions in Australia, France, Germany, India, the UK and the US) An identifier that allows you to match products to promotions Example Syntax |
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Lifestyle image link[lifestyle_image_link] |
Optional Attribute used to include the URL for a lifestyle image for your product Only available for browsy surfaces, such as Discovery ads Example Syntax |
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Marketplaces
These attributes are used to control how your product data is used if you are a marketplace and are using a multi-seller account.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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External seller ID [external_seller_id] |
Required for multi-seller account Used by a marketplace to externally identify a seller. (For example, on a website) Example 1–50 characters |
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Destinations
These attributes can be used to control the different locations where your content can appear. For example, you could use this attribute if you want a product to appear in a dynamic remarketing campaign but not in a Shopping ads campaign.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Excluded destination [excluded_destination] |
Optional A setting that you can use to exclude a product from participating in a specific type of advertising campaign Example Supported values
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Included destination [included_destination] |
Optional A setting that you can use to include a product in a specific type of advertising campaign Example Supported values
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Excluded countries for Shopping ads [shopping_ads_excluded_country] |
Optional A setting that allows you to exclude countries where your products are advertised on Shopping ads. Only available for Shopping ads Example Syntax |
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Pause [pause] |
Optional A setting that you can use to pause and quickly reactivate a product for all ads (including Shopping ads, Display ads and local inventory ads). A product can be paused for up to 14 days. If a product is paused for more than 14 days it will be disapproved. To re-approve, remove the attribute. Example Supported values |
Delivery
These attributes can be used together with the account delivery settings to help you provide accurate delivery costs and speeds. Users rely on these delivery costs and speeds to help them make choices about what to buy, so it's important to take the time to submit quality delivery information. Learn how to set up account delivery settings
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Delivery [shipping] |
Optional Delivery costs are required for Shopping ads and free listings for the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US You may also be required to provide delivery costs based on local laws or regulations. Optional (to specify additional countries that your product is delivered to or destinations where delivery costs are not required) Not available for Buy on Google listings Your product's delivery cost, delivery speeds and the locations that your product is dispatched to. Supported prices Example Syntax
Schema.org property |
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Delivery label [shipping_label] |
Optional Label that you assign to a product to help assign the correct delivery costs in Merchant Center account settings Example Syntax |
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Optional (Required for courier-calculated rates, a table based on weight or a rule based on weight in your account delivery settings) The weight of the product used to calculate the delivery cost Supported weights
Example Syntax Supported units
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Delivery length [shipping_length] |
Optional (Required for courier-calculated rates in your account delivery settings) The length of the product used to calculate the delivery cost by dimensional weight Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
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Delivery width [shipping_width] |
Optional (Required for courier-calculated rates in your account delivery settings) The width of the product used to calculate the delivery cost by dimensional weight Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
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Delivery height [shipping_height] |
Optional (Required for courier-calculated rates in your account delivery settings)
Example Syntax Supported values
Supported units
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Dispatched from country [ships_from_country] |
Optional A setting that allows you to provide the country from which your product will typically be dispatched. Example Syntax |
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Transit time label [transit_time_label] |
Optional Label that you assign to a product to help assign different transit times in Merchant Center account settings. Example Syntax |
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Maximum handling time [max_handling_time] |
Optional The longest amount of time between when an order is placed for a product and when the product is dispatched. Example Syntax |
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Minimum handling time [min_handling_time] |
Optional Example Syntax |
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Tax
These attributes can be used together with the account tax settings to help you provide accurate tax costs. Learn how to set up account tax settings.
Attribute | Format | Minimum requirements at a glance |
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Tax [tax] |
Required (Available for the US only) Example Syntax
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Tax category [tax_category] |
Optional (Recommended for custom tax rates at the account level) Example Syntax |
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