Google Manufacturer Center - A Game Changer for Manufacturers or Brand Licensors

Google Manufacturer Center is a free platform that allows manufacturers and brand owners to accurately provide rich and detailed product information to shoppers on Google and other Google services. It contributes to boosting product visibility and the accuracy of the information available to Google, benefiting both merchants and shoppers.

Why should you submit a feed to the Google Manufacturer Center?

There are several advantages to submitting the feed to the Google Manufacturer Center. Let’s take a look at the key benefits that it offers:

Increases product visibility

Manufacturers can ensure that their products are portrayed correctly in Google search results and Google Shopping by providing accurate and up-to-date product information. It can help boost product visibility and increase click-through rates. It also helps businesses strengthen their online presence and improve customer experience with their brands.

Enhances Awareness and Loyalty

Manufacturers can assist shoppers in making informed purchase decisions by offering comprehensive information about their products, including images, videos, and other specifications. It improves consumer awareness and adherence to a brand through rich product information and transparency.

Empowering Retailers with Detailed and Rich Product Information

A Manufacturer Center feed is used primarily by brand manufacturers to convey rich and thorough product information such as product name, feature description, 3D model link, video link, and other data that a Merchant Center feed does not capture. Additionally, manufacturers can use it to enrich Google's comprehensive product database.

It can be ideally useful for retailers that sell products requiring detailed and specific product information, such as technical specifications, nutritional facts, feature descriptions, safety information, and more.


For example, let's see how you may use the feature description attribute, that’s exclusive to the manufacturer center. There can be three sub-attributes for this attribute - Headline, Text, and Image_Link.


Take a hypothetical situation in which you sell a smartwatch. Here's how you might use the "feature description" attribute:

Headline

Text

Image_Link

Heart Rate Monitor

Continuously tracks your heart rate, helping you maintain optimal workout intensity


Waterproof

Can be submerged up to 50 meters, making it perfect while swimming.


Long Battery Life

Lasts up to 7 days on a single charge, ensuring you're always ready to go.


Sleep Tracking

Automatically monitors your sleep patterns to help improve your sleep quality.


This example uses the feature description attribute to highlight the key features and benefits of your Smartwatch, making it easier for potential buyers to understand its value and capabilities.

Offers Product Performance Analysis 

The Insights section in the Google Manufacturer Center, which includes product analytics and Brand Insights, is a feature that assists in determining user engagement and measures the effectiveness of products in driving sales. It allows manufacturers to review and compare the impact of their brand products across Google and track the products' performance over time. You can also see which brands, other than yours, people are interested in, based on which you can improve the product marketing and target audience. 


The insights and analytics include impressions and click information from more places across Google, such as Google Images search, YouTube, Gmail, etc.

How does Google Manufacturer Center differ from Google Merchant Center?


Differences

Google Merchant Center

Google Manufacturer Center

Purpose

This platform is primarily designed for retailers and merchants to provide product data feeds, which are then used to display ads on various Google platforms.

The Manufacturer Centre, on the other hand, is intended for product manufacturers or brand owners to provide detailed product information directly to Google.

Target Users

Focuses on product data feeds including information like pricing, availability, descriptions, images, and other relevant attributes.

Provides a platform for manufacturers to enrich product listings with additional information such as high-quality images, videos, descriptions, and specifications. 

Visibility and Reach

Focuses on promoting products through various Google advertising channels, aiming to increase visibility and drive sales for merchants.

Aims to improve the accuracy and completeness of product information, ultimately enhancing the consumer experience and trust in the brand.

Now, let’s look at the key attributes a manufacturer center offers

It offers certain attributes that differ from the ones you see in Google Merchant Center. To help you understand better, we have listed below some common attributes and classified them into required, recommended, and optional attributes.

Required or must have attributes:

Recommended attributes:

Optional attributes:

It is crucial not to limit yourself to the required fields, as the more information you supply, the more likely user search queries will be matched to your products.


Below are some of the unique attributes that are exclusively available in the manufacturer center. Manufacturers can take advantage of these attributes to stand out among their competitors.

Case Study

Let’s take a look at the recent success story of the brand - Johnson & Johnson, which invests in comprehensive product data to promote their items to Google shoppers in a better way.


In recent years, Johnson & Johnson, the maker of well-known household brands like Band-Aid and Neutrogena, has been uploading rich product data to Manufacturer Center for better performance of their products. It is driving a premium product search experience by uploading more accurate and descriptive data. By submitting such data, Johnson & Johnson has been able to shape consumer product experiences, influence purchase behavior, and surface trustworthy and high-quality product information to online shoppers.


In comparison to category benchmarks, Johnson & Johnson realized:

Impressions increased by 22%

Allowed more people to discover their brand through search results.

Clicks increased by 27%

Engaged more potential shoppers with their stores' shopping advertisements.


This is an ideal option for manufacturers and brand owners looking to exhibit their products to potential buyers on Google services. Businesses can use this service to assess the effectiveness of their product information and ensure that their products are displayed accurately and consistently for relevant search queries. 


Manufacturers can use feed submission apps to conveniently submit rich product data to their Google Manufacturer Center. In general, it is a great tool for manufacturers or Brand licensers looking to increase both their online visibility and conversion rate.