Did you know that items listed on the Google Shopping tab account for 36% of the entire online product discovery? Simply opening an online store won’t get your products in front of your customers. What you need is to have them visible on Google Shopping, and that requires a proper Google Merchant Center setup.
In this Google Merchant Center guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this unique platform. We’ll also walk you through the steps of setting up Google Merchant Center.
What Is Google Merchant Center?
Google Merchant Center is basically a platform designed for online sellers to promote their goods on Google. Simply put, it is a free tool where you can upload your product information and subsequently have it shown to audiences across Google Search, Maps, YouTube, and all other popular sites under Google.
The platform operates as a control panel through which you can specify how your products look across all Google apps and platforms. In other words, see it as that link between your e-commerce shop and at least 59% of all potential customers who use Google to search for new brands or products.
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How to Set Up Google Merchant Center?
Setting up Google Merchant Center is fairly simple and quick. Just follow these steps:
Step 1: Get A New Merchant Center Account
To begin listing your items, it is important to have a Google Merchant Account. Visit the Merchant Center website and create one using either a Gmail or Google Business account of your own. If you are already registered on Google Merchant Center, just sign in and press “Get Started” before proceeding further.
Step 2: Provide Business-Related Info
Our next step is to fill in details that will help customers find our business. This includes the country your business is based, its name, and the website’s URL. You’ll also be asked to enter your contact and email address. Once you’ve filled in these details, click Continue.
Step 3: Read the Terms & Conditions and Verify Your Site
You’re now on the Terms & Conditions tab of the setup process. Here, you can review Google’s policies for sharing products, using a Google Merchant Center account, submitting content, and more.
Give the terms and conditions a thorough read and tick the checkbox if you agree to them. Then, click Continue to the movie to the website verification tab.
Step 4: Verify Your Website
The next step is to verify that you own your website and Google Merchant account. To do this, enter your site’s web address in the Website URL textbox and click Save.
Now, you can verify your site’s ownership in multiple ways. The first option is to upload an HTML file to your site. Alternatively, you’ll have to add an HTML tag to your site’s source code.
After you’ve verified your ownership, click the Finish button. And that’s it—your Google Merchant Account setup is complete.
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How to Use Google Merchant Center?
We’ve said it before, Google Merchant Center helps you controls how your products appear across the Internet. It is where you’ll find yourself adding new products and updating the details needed to advertise your them.
So, let’s see how you can add product details to your Google Merchant Center account:
Step 1: Create a New Merchant Center Feed
The Merchant Center Feed is like a product catalog but is to be used for advertising on Google. It stores product information like product names, images, pricing, etc. To create a feed for your account, head over to the Products tab, select Feeds, and click the blue plus (+) icon. A new feed will be made where you can add your products.
Step 2: Add Product Details
Now, fill in all the necessary information, such as product type, country of sale, and preferred language. These details help Google display your products to your ideal customer profile in a suitable language and currency. Then, click Continue.
Next, name your feed and select your preferred input method, i.e., how you’ll upload your product inventory to the Merchant Center Feed. You can pick from options like Google Sheets, manual upload, API, etc. After you’ve selected an input method, click Continue.
Step 3: Upload Product Inventory Data
Both being Google products, Google Sheets and Merchant Center integrate seamlessly. The Merchant Center also has a pre-made template you can use to manage product catalogs in a Sheets file.
Assuming you select Google Sheets as your preferred input method, here’s how you can upload your product inventory data to your Merchant Center account:
- Select Generate a new Google spreadsheet from a template. Alternatively, you can also use an existing spreadsheet and select an upload schedule.
- In the selected spreadsheet, enter product details such as ID, product name, description, link, price, availability, image link, etc. Make sure to provide correct information, as these details will be used to display your products in ads and listings.
- Look for the Add-ons tab in Google Sheets. In the Add-ons menu, select Google Merchant Center, and Upload sheet.
Congratulations! Your product inventory is now uploaded to your Google Merchant Center account.
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Final Words
Google Merchant Center is a one-stop solution for managing everything related to how your products are advertised online. Therefore, if you own an eCommerce business, it goes without saying that Merchant Center should not be a “good to have” but a “must have” for your success.
Need help with Google Merchant Center setup? We’ll do it for you. At CommerceV3, we specialize in marketing services tailored for online stores and businesses, helping you build and strengthen your online presence.
