Meet Google Merchant Center product data requirements

Google Merchant Center disapproves products for missing GTINs, brands, categories and attributes, and every disapproval is lost Shopping visibility. SKULaunch checks products against the feed requirements, fills what is missing and prepares a complete product feed, so more of the range is eligible to show.

The problem

Merchant Center diagnostics list thousands of issues: missing identifiers, invalid GTINs, missing size or colour for apparel, generic titles. The feed is usually built from the website data, so the gaps are in the source. Feed tools can patch titles, but they cannot invent an attribute the catalogue never held.

Before and after

An illustrative example from Merchant Center diagnostics.

Before: the diagnostics

1,240 items disapproved or limited: missing GTIN (410), invalid GTIN (85), missing brand (230), missing size and colour (515).

After: in SKULaunch

• GTINs added where sources exist and checked for valid format and check digit
• Brand filled from manufacturer data
• Size and colour extracted and normalised to Google's expected values
• Titles rebuilt with product type and key attributes

How it works in SKULaunch

1. Set up a Google channel. Map required feed fields to your attributes.
2. Measure. See which products are missing what Google needs.
3. Fill and fix. Enrich identifiers, brands and attributes; rewrite titles.
4. Export the feed data. Send complete data to your feed or Merchant Center route.

Titles carry most of the weight

For Shopping, the title is the strongest relevance signal. Lead with the product type and brand, then the attributes people filter on: size, colour, material, capacity. Generic or supplier-coded titles are the most common fixable reason products underperform even when approved, and they are easy to regenerate once the attributes are complete.

What changes

Fewer disapprovals, better titles, and more of the range eligible to show in Shopping.

Common questions

Does SKULaunch replace our feed tool?

No. It fixes the source data your feed is built from.

Can it find GTINs we do not have?

Where manufacturer sources publish them, yes. Products without a GTIN may qualify for an identifier exemption.

Does it help performance, not just approval?

Better titles and complete attributes usually improve relevance as well as eligibility.

See Google Merchant Center product data, filling missing attributes, and marketplace syndication.