Google Merchant Center Data Feed Template: The Ultimate Guide

The first step to promoting your eCommerce products on Google Shopping is to create and upload a product data feed to Google Merchant Center.

You have two main options for creating a Google Shopping feed template:

• Use a product feed generator plugin — it automatically builds your Google Merchant Center feed in a few clicks.
• Populate a Google Sheets or CSV template manually — entering each product attribute yourself.

In this guide, we cover the second approach: how to create and upload a Google Merchant Center data feed template manually, without any plugin.

What is Google Merchant Center?

Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a free Google platform that lets you upload, manage, and optimize your eCommerce products for shoppers across Google.

When you upload your product feed to Google Merchant Center, your products become eligible to appear on:

• Google Shopping ads
• Google Shopping free listings
• Local inventory ads
• Google Search product panels

Unlike Google Ads — where you manually target keywords Google Shopping ads are created automatically from the product data you upload.

That makes feed quality the single biggest factor in your Google Shopping performance.

Key insight: You don’t need to do keyword research for Google Shopping. Instead, focus on submitting accurate, complete product data. The better your feed, the better your visibility.

How Much Does Google Merchant Center Cost?

It’s completely free. There is no fee to register or use Google Merchant Center. You only pay when a user clicks your Shopping ad (standard Google Ads CPC billing).

Is Google Merchant Center Worth Your Time?

Yes — absolutely. Google Merchant Center is one of the highest-ROI channels for eCommerce stores. Here’s why:

You can reach millions of shoppers actively searching for the products you sell.

Your products appear at the top of Google search results — above paid text ads and organic listings.

Google Shopping is free to set up. You only pay for paid campaigns if you choose to run them.

Once your feed is live, Shopping ads run automatically — no ongoing keyword management needed.

What is a Google Merchant Center Data Feed?

A Google Merchant Center data feed (also called a product feed or GMC feed) is a structured file that contains your product information. It’s what you upload to Google Merchant Center to list your products across Google platforms.

Your feed file maps specific product attributes — like ID, title, price, and availability — to Google’s standardized fields. Google uses this data to display your products in Shopping results.

Supported feed formats include:

• Google Sheets — easiest for manual feed creation (free template available)
• CSV / TSV (.txt) — tab-separated or comma-separated text files
• XML feed (.xml) — flexible format, common for large catalogs
• Google Content API for Shopping — for automated, real-time feed submission

Types of Google Merchant Center Data Feeds

Primary Feed

The primary feed is your main data source. It contains your complete product catalog and is required for all merchants. You can upload a primary feed as a CSV/TXT file, XML feed file, Google Sheets, or via the Content API.

Supplemental Feed

A supplemental feed adds or overrides data from your primary feed. Use it when you need to update specific attributes — like sale_price, availability, or custom labels — without re-uploading the entire primary feed.

Note: If your primary feed already meets all Google Merchant Center product data requirements, you do not need a supplemental feed.

Google Merchant Center Product Feed Requirements & Data Specification (2026)

Before creating your feed, you must understand Google’s product data specification — the official list of required and optional attributes for every product you submit.

Getting your feed format right is critical. Google will disapprove products that are missing required attributes or don’t meet formatting standards.

Below are the key attribute categories, aligned with Google’s 2026 product data specification:

Required Attributes — Every Product Needs These

Attribute	Required?	Example Value
id	Required	SKU-12345
title	Required	Men’s Running Shoes – Blue – Size 10
description	Required	Lightweight mesh running shoes with cushioned sole…
link	Required	https://yourstore.com/product/running-shoes
image_link	Required	https://yourstore.com/images/shoes.jpg
availability	Required	in stock
price	Required	59.99 USD
brand	Required*	Nike
gtin	Required*	012345678905
condition	Required	new
google_product_category	Recommended	Apparel & Accessories > Shoes

*Required for products with a GTIN/barcode. Google’s 2026 product data specification mandates brand, gtin, or mpn for most product types.

Basic Product Information

This section captures the core identity of your product. Google uses it to match your listing to user searches and to build your Shopping ad automatically.

Key attributes to include:

• id: Unique product identifier. Use your SKU or internal product code.
• title: Your most important attribute for Google Shopping relevance. Include brand, key descriptors, size, and color where relevant.
• description: Detailed product description. Include material, age group, pattern, size, color, and condition. Aim for 500–1,000 characters.
• link: The canonical URL of the product page.
• image_link: URL of the main product image. Use high-resolution images (at least 800x800px).
• mobile_link: Optional. A mobile-specific URL if different from desktop.

Product Availability & Price

These two attributes are among the most critical in any product data feed. If they’re wrong, Google will disapprove your product.

• availability: Use ‘in stock’, ‘out of stock’, or ‘preorder’. Update your feed whenever stock changes.
• availability_date: Required if availability is ‘preorder’. Use ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z).
• price: Include the currency code (e.g., 59.99 USD). Must match the price shown on your product page.
• sale_price: Optional. The discounted price during a promotion. Include sale_price_effective_date to define the offer window.

Important: Google crawls your product pages to verify price and availability. If your feed data doesn’t match your website, your products will be disapproved.

Product Identifiers (GTIN, MPN, Brand)

Product identifiers help Google understand exactly what you’re selling. They are required for most branded products under Google’s 2026 product data specification.

• gtin (Global Trade Item Number): The barcode on your product. Include this whenever available.
• mpn (Manufacturer Part Number): Required when gtin is not available.
• brand: Required for all branded products. Use the manufacturer’s brand name.

Tip: Including accurate GTIN and brand data significantly improves your Shopping ad quality score and click-through rate.

Product Category

Assign a google_product_category from Google’s official product taxonomy. This tells Google exactly which category your product belongs to.

If you skip this attribute, Google will attempt to categorize your product automatically — but this is error-prone. Always assign a category manually for best results.

You can find the full Google product category list at Google’s official taxonomy page. Use the category ID (e.g., 187) or the full path (e.g., Apparel & Accessories > Shoes > Athletic Shoes).

Shipping & Tax

Shipping and tax data are required for Shopping ads in the US and several other markets.

• shipping: Include country, service type, and price. Example: US:::Free
• shipping_weight: The weight used to calculate shipping costs.
• tax: Required for US merchants. Set up tax rules in your Merchant Center account settings.

Google Merchant Center Feed Format Options

Google supports several feed file formats. Choose the one that best fits your workflow:

Attribute	Required?	Example Value
Google Sheets	Easiest for beginners	Free template, edit in browser
CSV / TXT	Simple, widely supported	Tab-separated columns
XML Feed	Best for large catalogs	Supports all attributes
Content API	For real-time updates	Requires developer setup

For manual feed creation, Google Sheets is the most beginner-friendly option. We’ll use it in the step-by-step guide below.

How to Download a Free Google Shopping Feed Template

Google provides an official Google Merchant Center feed template you can copy directly into your Google Sheets account. Here’s how to get it:

1. Go to your Google Merchant Center account.
2. Navigate to Products > Feeds.
3. Click the “+” button to add a new Primary Feed.
4. Select Google Sheets as the feed input method.
5. Choose ‘Generate a new Google spreadsheet from a template’ — Google will create a pre-formatted sheet with all required columns.

The template includes all standard product attributes as column headers. You simply fill in one row per product.

How to Create and Upload Your Product Feed on Google Merchant Center? Step-by-Step Guide

To start uploading your product data feed with Google sheets, you have to manually input all the information in the fields individually. If you want a modern and simple feed creation method, you can use a product feed generator plugin like CTX Feed to make your product feed creation task easier and quicker. 

You can get a full-fledged product data feed with a feed generator plugin within a few clicks.

However, for now, let’s go ahead with the traditional way of uploading your product data feed on Google Merchant Center with a template.

Step 1: Go to the Feed Section of Google Merchant Center

Log in to your Google Merchant Center account. Go to Products > Feeds. Click the ‘+’ icon under Primary Feeds.

Step 2: Fill up the Basic information

The first option in the Basic information step is to add the targeted countries. You should add all the countries where your products are sold or delivered. 

Click on “Add” and choose your desired countries. Once you’re done, click on the “Save” button. 

Then, select the language of the content in your feed. 

Now, you’ll be able to see the targeted country’s Feed label by default. You should only customize the feed labels if necessary. Note that the Feed label should contain only uppercase and no spaces. 

Below, there will be an option to select the destinations at the bottom of the page. You can choose Free Listings and Shopping Ads based on your objective. 

Once you’re all done, click on “Continue”. 

Step 3: Fill up the Name and input method 

Start with giving your primary feed a name. Go down and choose “Google Sheets” as your method to set up your product feed and connect data to the Merchant Center. Once you’re done, click on “Continue”. 

Once you click on continue, a new window will appear to let you choose a Google account that will be used to make updates to your product data in a Google Sheet. 

Any updates you make on the Google Sheets will be automatically updated to your account. 

Also, allow the Google Merchant Center to access your Google account. 

Step 4: Register a Google Spreadsheet from the Setup tab

Here you can either generate a new Google spreadsheet from a template or select an existing Google spreadsheet.

For this tutorial, we’re generating a new Google spreadsheet from a template. 

Below, you can also choose to create an upload schedule (optional)

Once done, click on the “Create feed” button. 

Step 5: Access the Google Sheet and Fetch

Now, it’s time to open the Google Sheet product data feed template by clicking on the “Access Google Sheet” button.

After opening, fill it up according to Google Merchant Center requirements. You have to insert the product id, title, description, link, condition, price, availability, image link, GTIN, mpn, brand, and google product category for each product. 

Once you’re done filling up the data feed with your product information, go to the Feeds page’s Processing tab and click on the “Fetch now” button. Now, your product data will get uploaded to Google Merchant Center. 

That’s all. 

Pro Tip: After uploading, go to Products > Diagnostics to review any feed errors or warnings. Fix attribute issues promptly — disapproved products won’t appear in Shopping results.

How to Create a Google Shopping XML Feed (Example)

If you prefer the XML feed format for your Google Merchant Center upload, here is a minimal XML feed example:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">

  <channel>

    <item>

      <g:id>SKU-001</g:id>

      <g:title>Blue Running Shoes – Size 10</g:title>

      <g:price>59.99 USD</g:price>

      <g:availability>in stock</g:availability>

      <g:condition>new</g:condition>

      <g:brand>Nike</g:brand>

      <g:gtin>012345678905</g:gtin>

    </item>

  </channel>

</rss>

Use this XML structure as your google merchant center xml feed example. Each <item> block represents one product. Add all required attribute tags within each <item>.

Google Merchant Center Product Feed Template: Google Sheets CSV Sample

Here is what a basic Google Shopping feed template looks like in CSV / spreadsheet format:

id	title	price	availability	brand	gtin	google_product_category
SKU-001	Blue Running Shoes – Size 10	59.99 USD	in stock	Nike	012345678905	Apparel > Shoes

This format serves as your google product feed example CSV. Add one row per product. Make sure your column headers match exactly what Google expects.

Google Merchant Center Supplemental Feed: When Do You Need One?

A supplemental feed is an optional secondary feed that updates specific attributes in your primary feed. You don’t replace the whole feed — you just override selected fields for selected products.

Common use cases for a supplemental feed:

• Sale prices: Add sale_price and sale_price_effective_date for promotional periods.
• Custom labels: Tag products for use in Shopping campaign bidding strategies.
• Missing attributes: Fill in gaps like color, size, or material that were missing from the primary feed.
• Seasonal overrides: Update titles or descriptions for seasonal campaigns.

To set up a supplemental feed, go to Products > Feeds > Supplemental Feeds in your Merchant Center account and upload a new file or Google Sheet.

Common Google Merchant Center Feed Errors and How to Fix Them

After uploading your product feed, Google may flag errors in the Diagnostics tab. Here are the most common ones:

Attribute	Required?	Example Value
Missing required attribute	High	Add the missing field (e.g., gtin, brand, price)
Price mismatch	High	Ensure feed price matches your product page price
Image not crawlable	Medium	Use a publicly accessible, high-res image URL
Invalid google_product_category	Medium	Use an exact category ID from Google’s taxonomy
Title too short	Low	Use at least 25 characters; include brand + key attributes
Availability mismatch	High	Sync feed availability with live stock status

Fix high-priority errors first. Google re-processes your feed after each upload, so most errors resolve within 24–48 hours of correction.

How to Fix Missing Inventory Data in Google Merchant Center

Missing inventory data is one of the most common feed issues. It usually happens when:

• The ‘availability’ attribute is missing or formatted incorrectly.
• Your product page is out of stock but the feed still shows ‘in stock’.
• You haven’t set up a scheduled fetch — so your feed isn’t updating automatically.

To fix it:

1. Check the ‘availability’ column in your Google Sheets feed template. Use exactly: in stock, out of stock, or preorder.
2. Set up a daily automatic fetch schedule in Merchant Center so your feed stays in sync.
3. Use a supplemental feed to override availability for specific products if needed.

How to Upload a Feed to Google Merchant Center?

Once your feed file is ready, here’s how to upload it:

• Google Sheets: Set up a scheduled fetch. Merchant Center will pull your sheet automatically at the frequency you choose.
• CSV / TXT file: Go to Products > Feeds > Primary Feeds > select your feed > Upload File. Upload the file directly.
• XML feed: Host the XML file on your server. In Merchant Center, add your feed URL under ‘Scheduled Fetch’. Google will crawl it at the set schedule.
• Content API: Send product data programmatically using the Google Content API for Shopping. Best for large stores with frequent inventory changes.

Tips to Optimize Your Google Shopping Product Feed

A technically valid feed gets your products listed. An optimized feed gets them ranked and clicked. Use these best practices:

• Optimize your product titles: Put your most important keywords at the start of the title. Include brand, product type, key attributes (color, size, material).
• Write detailed descriptions: Use your description field to cover all relevant product attributes. This helps Google match your products to more search queries.
• Use high-quality images: White background, high resolution (800x800px minimum), no watermarks or text overlays.
• Keep prices and availability current: Set a daily feed refresh. Price or availability mismatches lead to disapprovals.
• Always include GTIN: Products with valid GTIN data generally receive better placement in Shopping results.
• Use custom_label attributes: Label your products by margin, season, or sales performance to enable smarter bidding in Google Ads campaigns.
• Add shipping data: Complete shipping attributes improve your listing quality score and are required in several markets.

Automate Your Google Merchant Center Feed with a Plugin

Creating and maintaining a Google Shopping feed template manually is time-consuming — especially for large product catalogs. If your store runs on WooCommerce, a product feed generator plugin like CTX Feed can automate the entire process.

With CTX Feed, you can:

• Generate a complete GMC feed automatically — no manual data entry.
• Choose from pre-built templates for Google Shopping, Facebook Catalog, Bing Shopping, and 100+ other channels.
• Schedule automatic feed updates so your prices and availability are always current.
• Map custom fields, add rules, and filter products from your WordPress dashboard.

It’s the fastest way to create, manage, and optimize your Google Merchant Center product data feed — without touching a spreadsheet.

How to Create WooCommerce Product Feed for Google Shopping (Video Tutorial)

Want a detailed video on how you can create a WooCommerce product feed for Google Shopping?

If yes, you should watch this video:

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

A well-structured Google Merchant Center data feed is the foundation of successful Google Shopping campaigns.

Whether you use a Google Sheets feed template, a CSV product feed, or an XML file, the key is accuracy and completeness.

Start with the required attributes — id, title, price, availability, brand, and gtin.

Then layer in optional attributes to improve feed quality and Shopping ad performance.

If you want to skip the manual work, a product feed generator plugin can create and maintain your Google Shopping feed automatically — saving hours of spreadsheet work every week.

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