Google Product Search New Requirements for Ecommerce Sites
The Google Merchant Blog is reminding ecommerce websites that the new Google Shopping technical specifications go into effect September 22. Google Product Search released new Unique Product Identifier (UPI) requirements in June and new data feed requirements in July. With these new requirements, Google hopes to standardize product listings and reduce the number of duplicate product listings. The data standardization initiative is good news for consumers, but may be hard on merchants with limited data and resources.
New Google UPI Requirements. The new UPI requirements oblige retailers in certain categories to SKU up on product comparison pages, and suggest they compete by price and reviews on product comparison pages.
Retailers that list products, outside of the apparel and custom category items, need two of the following three identifiers:
• UPC, EAN, or JAN
• Brand
• MPN
Media products need only one of the following three:
• UPC
• EAN
• JAN
Books need an ISBN (Either ISBN-10 or ISBN-13; exceptions for books published before 1970).
If, for some reason, you are outside of the apparel and custom category items and cannot secure the required UPIs for your products, you can request an exemption from Google.
New Google Product Feed Requirements. On July 11, Google published new requirements merchants must start using by September 22. Apparel merchants will have the most work because Google now requires a product listing and image for each different apparel item, whether it is by age group, pattern, color or size. Below is a review of the new requirements.
Google Product Category. You now must separate merchant and Google categorizations. Use Google’s categorization in the Google Product Category. If you have more specific categories, you can get more qualified traffic because you can leverage additional keywords at the long tail of the category string. The Google categories are listed here.
Product Type. This attribute is for each merchant’s internal categorization nomenclature. Formerly, you could use either your own categorization or Google’s. However, with the addition of the Google Product Category, the Product_Type attribute is now for internal categorization only.
Additional Image Link. Google now allows up to ten additional images for each product by creating multiple columns with the attribute. The additional_image_link will help Google display additional views of products to consumers. This will likely benefit soft goods merchants that don’t SKU up. Apparel merchants are now required to include the color and size of their products, which adds to the data these retailers must compile, organize and input.
Product Variations. Google now wants the parent SKU of a group of items to be included with each child SKU. This means that all child products must have a value for the “item group id” attribute, which will be the parent SKU id.
New Required Attributes for Apparel Merchants. Google will require the attributes below from apparel merchants. Starting September 22, products that don’t list these attributes or don’t define the appropriate apparel category for the new Google Product Category will not be recognized as apparel and will be subject to the new unique product identifier rules listed above.
• Gender
• Age Group (the age group that each item targets: Adult/Kids)
• Color
• Size: (Ex. “16/36 Tall” for men’s dress shirt)
• Material
• Pattern
Non-Compliance Penalty. Merchants not complying with the new Google Product Search requirements get a 7 day warning period. If not complying after 7 days, the entire account gets suspended for 7 days. Lastly, if not complying after the 7 day suspension, the account is suspended for 28 days.
For the latest details, read more details at Upcoming Google Product Search Feed Specification and Policy Changes.
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