Every product submitted to Google Merchant Center must include a set of required attributes that provide Google with essential information about the product. These attributes help Google understand what you're selling and determine how your products can be displayed across Google Shopping and other eligible Google surfaces.

The required attributes are ID, Title, Description, Image, URL, Price, and Availability. These attributes are required for each product submitted through the feed. Missing any of these values will result in product ineligibility; we will not submit the products to Google Merchant Center.

Before You Begin

Before configuring your product feed, it's helpful to understand how Google classifies product attributes.

• Required attributes are mandatory for every product submitted through the Google Shopping feed. These include ID, Title, Description, Image, URL, Price, and Availability.
• Category-specific attributes are required only for certain types of products. For example, products in Apparel & Accessories may require attributes such as Size, Color, or Gender.
• Some attributes, such as Brand, GTIN, or MPN, may become mandatory depending on the product you sell and whether valid product identifiers are available.
• The product information submitted in your feed should match the information displayed on your WooCommerce product page. Differences in price, availability, or other product information may result in feed-related issues.
• Our plugin automatically syncs all the native field attributes from your WooCommerce store.

Note: This guide covers only the required attributes for Google Shopping feeds. For attributes that are required only for specific product categories, we have a separate Category-Specific Attributes Guide that you can refer to.

Google Shopping Required Attributes Overview

The table below provides a quick overview of the primary attributes required for a Google Shopping product feed and where these details are fetched from your store.

How the Plugin Handles Required Attributes

Our plugin automatically syncs the required product information directly from your store and submits it to the Google Merchant Center. This significantly reduces manual work while helping maintain feed accuracy.

In the following sections, we'll look at each required attribute individually, explain its purpose, where the plugin fetches the value from, and how you can customize it when necessary.

1. Product ID [id]

The Product ID is a unique identifier used by Google to identify and track each product in your feed.

Our plugin provides different options for the Product ID. You can select the format that best suits your feed requirements.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• Must be unique for each product or variant.
• Maximum length: 50 characters.
• Keep the ID consistent once submitted to Google.
• Avoid using the same ID for multiple products(in case of SKU as Product ID).

Tip: If you are migrating from another feed plugin, try to retain the existing Product ID format wherever possible to avoid losing your product performance history in Google Merchant Center.

2. Product Title [title]

The Title is the name of your product submitted to Google Merchant Center. It helps Google understand your product and match it with relevant searches.

Our plugin syncs the product title from the WooCommerce native field or SEO title fields based on the selections have been made in our plugin at the time of configuration. You can customize the submitted title through your WooCommerce store or using the available optimization options in our plugin.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• Maximum length: 150 characters.
• Place the most important product information toward the beginning of the title, google displays the first 70 or less characters in shopping results.
• Clearly describe the product and include important details such as brand, product type, color, size, or model where relevant.
• Avoid promotional text, excessive capitalization, and keyword stuffing.

Example:

Men's Cotton Polo Shirt - Regular Fit - Blue

3. Product Description [description]

The Description provides detailed information about your product and helps Google understand its characteristics and features.

Our plugin syncs the product description from the native field of your WooCommerce store or SEO description or short description based on the selections have been made in our plugin at the time of configuration. You can also customize the description submitted to Google using the available feed optimization options.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• Maximum length: 5,000 characters.
• Include relevant product details such as features, material, size, dimensions, or other specifications.
• Keep the description accurate and consistent with the product page.
• Avoid promotional text, excessive capitalization, or unrelated information.

4. Product Link [link]

The Link is the URL of your product's landing page. It directs shoppers from Google Shopping to the corresponding product landing page on your WooCommerce store.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• Must begin with http:// or https://.
• Should lead directly to the relevant product page.
• The URL must be accessible to Google.

Important: Ensure that the submitted URL does not lead to a broken page.

5. Image Link [image_link]

The Image Link contains the URL of the main product image that Google can display with your product listing.

Our plugin syncs the product's featured image from your WooCommerce store as the primary image.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• The image URL must begin with http:// or https://.
• The image must clearly represent the product being sold.
• Do not use placeholder images or images containing promotional text or excessive branding.
• Use high-quality product images in supported formats.

Note: Google recommends images of around 1,500 × 1,500 pixels or higher for the best experience. Google has announced a minimum requirement of 500 × 500 pixels for all products, with enforcement beginning January 31, 2027.

As of now, you may see the warning for products that have images below this requirement. Google may disapprove the products, after this requirement is rolled out for every advertiser in 2027.

6. Availability [availability]

The Availability attribute tells Google whether the product is currently available for purchase.

The availability value is based on the product's stock status and availability information in your store.

Supported values:

• in_stock
• out_of_stock
• preorder
• backorder

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• Use only Google's accepted availability values.
• If you use preorder or backorder, also provide the availability_date attribute.
• The submitted value should match the product's actual availability on your website.
• Keep your WooCommerce inventory and feed information synchronized.

We only submit product availability as “In stock” and “Out of Stock”, for Backorder and Preorder, use Supplemental feed

Important: Google may report an availability mismatch or disapprove the product if the availability submitted in the feed does not match the website or checkout.

7. Price [price]

The Price attribute specifies the amount customers pay for the product. The submitted price should match the price displayed on your WooCommerce product page and during checkout.

Our plugin fetches the product price from your WooCommerce native field and submits it with the store currency.

Specifications:

• Required for every product.
• The store’s default currency will be submitted with price.
• The submitted price should match the price shown on the product page and checkout.
• For products on sale, ensure that the submitted sale price reflects the actual price customers can pay.
• The product should be available for purchase at the submitted price.
• Price should be greater than “0”.

Important: Differences between the price in your feed and the price displayed on your website may result in price mismatch issues or product disapprovals in Merchant Center.

Best Practices for Required Attributes

To maintain a healthy Google Shopping feed:

• Keep your WooCommerce product information complete and up to date.
• Make sure the price and availability in your feed match your website.
• Use clear and accurate product titles and descriptions.
• Use high-quality, accessible product images.
• Keep Product IDs consistent after submitting products to Google.
• Review Google Merchant Center diagnostics regularly and resolve any reported issues.
• Provide additional product attributes whenever they are applicable to your products.

With the Simprosys Product Feed for WooCommerce plugin, these attributes are automatically synced from your store, while customisation and bulk-management options give you greater control over the information submitted to Google.

Need More Help?

If you need assistance with any of the information stated above, feel free to contact our support team by dropping an email at support@simprosys.com