Google Shopping feed optimisation is the cheapest way to improve your Shopping and Performance Max results. Google uses your product feed to decide which searches your products appear for and what shoppers see. A better feed means better matches, more clicks and more sales from the same budget.
Why the product feed matters so much.
Shopping ads have no keywords. Google reads your feed, the file of product data in Merchant Center, and matches it to searches.
If your title says "Classic Tee", Google has little to go on. If it says "Men's organic cotton t-shirt, black, crew neck", it knows exactly which searches to show it for.
The same feed powers Performance Max. Fix it once and both campaigns improve.
Write product titles people search for.
The title is the most important part of your feed. Google's title guidelines set the rules:
- Up to 150 characters. Use them.
- Most important details first. Shoppers usually notice only the first 70 characters or fewer, depending on their screen.
- No promotional text. Prices, "sale", delivery and your company name belong in their own attributes, not the title.
- No capitals for emphasis, symbols or extra spaces.
A simple structure works for most shops: product type, then the details people search by, such as brand, gender, material, colour and size.
| Weak title | Stronger title |
|---|---|
| Classic Tee | Men's organic cotton t-shirt, black, crew neck, regular fit |
| The Weekender | Leather weekend bag, tan, 45 litre, with shoulder strap |
| SALE!! Running Socks | Merino wool running socks, men's, grey, size 8 to 11 |
Use the words your customers use. Your Google Ads search terms report shows them.
Use images that meet Google's rules.
Google's image requirements are strict, and images that break them can stop products showing.
- At least 500 × 500 pixels. Google recommends around 1,500 × 1,500 or more. The 500-pixel minimum applies to all products from 31 January 2027.
- The product fills 75% to 90% of the frame.
- No text, prices, watermarks or borders on the main image.
Use your clean product shot as the main image. Add lifestyle images as additional images.
Write descriptions that add detail.
Descriptions can run to 5,000 characters, but put the important details in the first 160 to 500, according to Google's guidance. Cover what the title could not: materials, fit, features and what is in the box.
Leave out promotional text, delivery details and your company history. Google wants a description of the product, not the shop.
Keep prices and stock accurate.
The price in your feed must match the price on your product page. If they differ, Google can stop showing the product.
- Use the sale price attribute for Black Friday and Christmas offers, with start and end dates. Do not edit the main price.
- Update stock so you are not paying for clicks on products you cannot sell.
- Set delivery times in Merchant Center so shoppers can see when an order will arrive. This matters most in December. Our guide to Christmas ads explains why.
Fill in the attributes Google uses to match.
Every extra attribute gives Google more to match on.
- GTIN (the barcode number) and brand, for branded products
- Colour, size, material, gender and age group, especially for clothing
- Product type, your own category structure
- Custom labels, for your own groupings such as margin, best-sellers or season
Custom labels are worth the effort. They let you split products by margin or best-sellers in Shopping and Performance Max, so your best products get the budget.
Check Merchant Center every week.
Merchant Center shows which products are disapproved or limited, and why. A quick weekly check catches problems before they cost you sales.
In busy periods like Black Friday and Christmas, check more often. Prices and stock change fast.
What this looks like in practice.
Quadrant, Lando Norris's apparel brand, ran Search, Shopping and Performance Max together. From 25 September to 31 December 2023, Google returned 10.02× on £7.1K of spend.
LN4 tested Google with a single search campaign with display and shopping elements. Between 10 August and 13 October 2023, it returned 15.62×, turning about £1.3K of spend into about £20K.
Your Google Shopping feed checklist.
- Titles start with the product type and the details people search by
- No promotional text or capitals in titles
- Main images at least 500 × 500 pixels, ideally around 1,500 × 1,500
- No text, watermarks or borders on main images
- Descriptions with the key details in the first 160 to 500 characters
- Prices match the product pages, with sale prices set as their own attribute
- Stock and delivery times up to date
- GTIN, brand, colour, size and product type filled in
- Custom labels set for margin or best-sellers
- Merchant Center checked every week
Common questions.
How long should a Google Shopping title be? Up to 150 characters. Put the most important words in the first 70, because that is often all a shopper sees.
Can I put "sale" in my product title? No. Google does not allow promotional text in titles. Use the sale price attribute instead.
How often should I update my product feed? Whenever prices or stock change. In busy periods, at least daily.
Does feed optimisation help Performance Max? Yes. Performance Max uses the same product feed, so better titles and images help both.