Google Shopping (PLAs) Feed Updates – MUST DO

On their never ending walk to perfect data Google are about to start enforcing more of the Shopping feed Unique Product Identifier requirements.

Here’s our quick guide, with links:

Subject to the new feed requirements (ie must have Unique Product Identifiers) from 16th September:

  • Previously exempt accounts in France, Germany, UK
  • All accounts in Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Czech republic, Spain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands
  • (USA, and non exempt France, Germany, and UK are already subject to them)

The second table on this page outlines what sort of UPI is required for different categories (eg ISBN for books etc)

Simply stated – if you don’t have UPIs, you’re not getting into the world of PLAs.

BUT – it looks like this process won’t be complete until November – but then anyone not complying won’t get it. In Google’s words, “By November, all violating offers will be rejected and will not be served through Product Listing Ads”. This does at least suggest those products that have the info will get through.

Including the new “identifier exists” attribute:

For those businesses that sell products where it’s impossible to have a UPI – personalised goods, bespoke… – there is the new ‘identifier exists’ attribute. For such products this should be set to “FALSE”, so your products will still get through.

Why all of this?

As always – to provide better search results.

What do you need to do?

Make sure your feed is supplying the correct UPI data to Google, that’s in 2 areas:

  1. If the product has a UPI it’s in the feed, and the right type of UPI is used
  2. If the product doesn’t have a UPI (not just that you don’t have it!), then supply the ‘identifier exists’ attribute with “FALSE” for that product

Questions can be put direct to Google in their Hangout on August 27th at 5.30pm UK time.

Is it worth it?

I continue to see some fantastic results for all kinds of eCommerce businesses utilising PLAs – so yes it is worth it!