Google Shopping Feed Optimisations (2025 Playbook)
The proven 2025 checklist to boost Shopping: must-have attributes, Big 6 performance movers, title frameworks, GTINs, images, categories, and custom labels.
Google Shopping Feed Optimisations (2025): The Practical Playbook for More Impressions, Clicks & Sales
There are no keywords in Shopping — your feed is the targeting. When your product data is complete, clear, and aligned with how real people search, you win better auctions, get more clicks, and convert more buyers. This playbook gives you the exact checklist and highest impact fixes we use across eCommerce accounts to scale Shopping and PMAX without simply raising budgets.
🎥 Prefer video? Watch the tutorial: Google Shopping Feed Optimisations (YouTube).
Must-Have Feed Attributes (ads won’t run without these)
- id (SKU)
- title
- description
- price
- availability
- link (product URL)
- image_link (main image)
- brand
- gtin (when applicable)
Nice-to-Have Attributes (boost targeting & eligibility)
- product_type (your taxonomy)
- mpn (highly recommended)
- google_product_category (highly recommended)
- *colour, size, weight, condition, shipping, age_group, gender, material, pattern, occasion, scent, features
Custom Labels (0–4) — for control, not eligibility (highly recommended)
Use for segmentation: Performance Tier / Margin / Seasonality / Price Tier / Category.
The Big 6 Performance Movers (ranked by impact)
1) Price (total offer = item price + shipping)
If you and a rival sell the same SKU, the better total price usually wins impression share and clicks. £10 + £5 shipping loses to £12 with free delivery. Keep the landing page price in sync with the feed and use sale_price + sale_price_effective_date to trigger strikethrough pricing and green discounted price in Shopping.
Quick actions
- Benchmark total price vs. top competitors weekly (Merchant Center pricing insights).
- Test free delivery threshold (e.g., free over £80).
- Use short, frequent promos rather than one endless discount.
2) Titles (the #1 lever you fully control)
Your title is effectively your keyword. Bad titles = low discoverability.
Principles
- Front-load the words customers actually type.
- Include Brand, Product Type, Material, Colour, Size, Key Attribute/Benefit.
- Keep internal codes out.
- Use a supplemental feed to test titles on your top 10 SKUs before rolling out.
Good vs. bad (Hoka running shoe example)
- 🚫 Bad: Green Shoes – Size 11 – For Men
- ✅ Good: Hoka Men’s Running Shoes — Size 11 Green | Lightweight Road Trainers
Title templates
- Apparel: Brand + Gender + Product Type + Colour + Size + Material
- Consumables: Brand + Product Type + Key Attribute (weight/count)
- Hard goods: Brand + Product + Key Specs (size/weight/qty)
- Electronics: Brand + Screen/Spec + Product Type + Model#
- Seasonal: Occasion + Product Type + Key Details
3) GTINs (and identifiers that unlock scale)
GTINs help Google precisely recognise products and group them in comparisons. Use real GTINs for barcode products (don’t invent them for custom/private label). Add Brand and MPN consistently.
4) Images (your click-through engine)
High quality images = higher CTR.
- Crisp, well lit, full product in frame, no watermarks/text overlays.
- Test studio vs. lifestyle on top sellers; double down on the winner.
- Keep sizing/aspect ratios consistent across the feed.
5) Descriptions (support relevance, don’t stuff)
Write like a human; include primary and related phrases naturally. Focus on benefits + specs. Descriptions won’t move the needle like titles, but they improve match quality and long tail coverage.
6) Google Product Category (better matching, cleaner data)
Map every product to the closest accurate category from Google’s taxonomy. If you don’t, Google guesses — and often gets it wrong. Correct categories improve relevance, bidding signals, and reporting.
Custom Labels — Your Hidden Control Panel
Custom labels don’t change eligibility, but they change how you control spend.
Our 5-label framework
- Label 0 — Margin: High / Medium / Low
- Label 1 — Seasonality: Evergreen / Seasonal / Holiday
- Label 2 — Performance: Top Performers / Mid Performers / Low Performers
- Label 3 — Price Tier: <£100 / £100–£249 / £250+
- Label 4 — Category/Collection
Why it matters
If £10k/mo runs through one campaign, you might find £4k is being wasted on Low Performers. Labels let you split campaigns so Top Performers get more budget, Low Performers get less, lifting ROAS without raising spend.
Custom Labels — Your Hidden Control Panel
Custom labels don’t change eligibility, but they change how you control spend.
Our 5-label framework
- Label 0 — Margin: High / Medium / Low
- Label 1 — Seasonality: Evergreen / Seasonal / Holiday
- Label 2 — Performance: Top Performers / Mid Performers / Low Performers
- Label 3 — Price Tier: <£100 / £100–£249 / £250+
- Label 4 — Category/Collection
Why it matters
If £10k/mo runs through one campaign, you might find £4k is being wasted on Low Performers. Labels let you split campaigns so Top Performers get more budget, Low Performers get less, lifting ROAS without raising spend.
Real-World Example: Jax & Bones (Title Rebuild)
Original (from Shopify): Bumble Terra Lounge Bed
— Looks fine on a PDP, but unsearchable in Shopping.
Optimised title:
Dog Lounge Bed — Sofa Style — Orange Plush Velour, Washable Cover | Jax & Bones
Why it works
- Main keyword front-loaded (Dog Lounge Bed)
- Style clarified (Sofa Style)
- Colour translated to a common term (Orange)
- Material/feature adds quality + care angle
- Brand at the end
Apply the same pattern to your top revenue SKUs first, measure impressions/CTR, then scale out.
Feed Management at Scale (when you’re £10k+/mo)
Merchant Center works, but gets unwieldy with large catalogues. A feed tool (e.g., DataFeedWatch) lets you:
- Transform titles/descriptions in bulk (and A/B test).
- Auto apply custom labels by rules (e.g., margin tiers).
- Sync daily/hourly for fast moving inventory.
- Pipe in performance data to adjust labels automatically.
Implementation Checklist
- Must-haves present (id, title, description, price, availability, link, image_link, brand, gtin)
- Title templates applied to top 10 SKUs (supplemental feed)
- Total offer competitive (incl. shipping); sale_price & dates set
- Images upgraded; test studio vs lifestyle on bestsellers
- GTIN/MPN/Brand accurate and complete
- Descriptions clear, benefit-led, query-aligned
- Google Product Category assigned for every item
- Custom labels (Performance/Margin/Season/Price/Category) set and used in campaign structure
- Feed syncing daily (hourly for fast inventory)
Want help wiring this up quickly and cleanly? We’ll check your review partner setup, create the right feeds, fix identifier issues, and roll stars out to your top SKUs first.
