How to Refresh Google Merchant Center Feed in Google Ads

When managing Google Merchant Center and running Google Ads campaigns, ensuring your product feed is up-to-date is critical for maintaining accurate listings and boosting performance. A refreshed and optimized feed ensures your ads reflect the latest product information, availability, and pricing. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know to refresh your Google Merchant Center feed effectively and efficiently.

Why Keeping Your Google Merchant Center Feed Updated Is Crucial

The Google Merchant Center feed acts as the backbone of your Google Shopping ads. If it contains outdated or incorrect information, you risk disapproved listings, reduced impressions, or higher bounce rates due to incorrect data. By refreshing your feed regularly, you ensure:

• Accurate product information: Prevent customer dissatisfaction from misleading ads.
• Higher ad relevance: Boost your campaign’s performance and Quality Score.
• Policy compliance: Avoid feed disapprovals or account suspension.

Steps to Refresh Your Google Merchant Center Feed

Refreshing your Google Merchant Center feed can be achieved through several methods, depending on how your feed is managed. Below are step-by-step instructions for each method.

1. Manual Feed Refresh via Google Merchant Center

If you manage a manual feed, refreshing it regularly is critical to reflect any recent product updates.

1. Log in to Google Merchant Center
   Go to Google Merchant Center and access your account.
2. Navigate to “Data Sources”
   At the top right of your screen locate and click on the gear icon and select Data Source from the dropdown menu
3. Locate Your Feed
   Identify the feed you want to refresh. You should be able to see your data source feeds on the screen.
4. Click “Update”
   Once you click on the update button, you need to wait for the feed to download and refresh. You can check for product data changes within 15 minutes.

1.1 Manually Upload a New File

1. Log in to Google Merchant Center
   Go to Google Merchant Center and access your account.
2. Navigate to “Products”
   On the left-hand menu, click Products, then select Add Products and then Add another product source.
3. Manually Upload a New File
   If you’ve made updates to your product inventory, download the updated feed file (CSV, TSV, or XML format). Then, click Upload, select your file, and confirm the changes.
4. Verify Feed Status
   After uploading, check the status to ensure there are no errors or warnings. Address any flagged issues immediately.

Additionally, at step 3 you can also chose to connect your API, which we will cover in more details below.

2. Automatic Feed Refresh via Scheduled Fetch

Using Scheduled Fetch automates feed refreshes at predetermined intervals, minimizing manual effort. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Set Up Your Feed Source
   Ensure your product feed is hosted on a server or accessible via a public URL. This could be a Google Sheets link or an XML file hosted on your website.
2. Access Merchant Center: Log in to your Google Merchant Center account. 
3. Go to Data Sources: Click on the “Settings & tools” icon, then select “Data Sources”. 
4. Choose your feed: Select the product feed you want to schedule updates for. 
5. Set Scheduled Updates: Under “Your Setup,” find “Scheduled updates” and click the pencil icon to edit the schedule. 
6. Select frequency and time: Choose how often you want your feed to update (daily, weekly, etc.) and set the time you want your feed to refresh. 

3. Refreshing Feed via Content API for Shopping

For businesses with large or dynamic inventories, the Content API for Shopping provides an efficient way to update product data programmatically.

1. Set Up API Access
2. Obtain API credentials from your Google Cloud Console.
   1. Authentication:
      Set up your Google Cloud project and obtain the necessary API credentials to access the Content API for Shopping.
3. Link your API project to your Google Merchant Center account.
4. Prepare your data:
   Gather product details: Ensure your product data is formatted correctly with all required attributes like product ID, title, description, price, availability, image URLs, etc.
   Identify changes: Determine which products need updates and what specific information needs to be modified. 
5. API call to update products:
   Use the “products.insert” method: This method allows you to add or update existing products in your Merchant Center feed.
   Provide product details: In the API request, include the updated product data, including the unique product ID to identify which product to modify. 
6. Monitor updates:
   Check for errors: Use the API response to identify any issues with your data or potential errors during the update process.
   Review Merchant Center: Go to your Merchant Center account to verify the updated product information is reflected correctly. 

Best Practices for Optimizing and Maintaining Your Product Feed

To ensure your Google Merchant Center feed remains optimized, follow these best practices:

1. Use Accurate and Descriptive Titles

• Include relevant keywords to enhance your product’s discoverability.
• Avoid excessive punctuation or promotional phrases.

2. Optimize Product Images

• Use high-resolution images with a white background.
• Avoid watermarks or logos that could lead to disapprovals.

3. Keep Product Data Consistent

Ensure pricing, availability, and other attributes match your website. Google actively checks for inconsistencies.

4. Address Feed Errors Promptly

Regularly monitor your feed diagnostics for warnings or errors. Resolve flagged issues quickly to avoid performance drops.

5. Update Shipping and Tax Settings

Ensure your shipping and tax information complies with Google’s policies and matches the information displayed on your website.

Troubleshooting Common Feed Issues

When refreshing your Google Merchant Center feed, you may encounter some common issues. Here’s how to address them:

1. Feed Disapprovals

• Cause: Policy violations or missing required fields.
• Solution: Review Google’s feed specifications and correct any errors.

2. Pricing Mismatches

• Cause: Different pricing in your feed and landing page.
• Solution: Ensure consistent data across all platforms by syncing updates.

3. Missing Products in Feed

• Cause: Incorrect file formatting or upload errors.
• Solution: Validate your feed file against Google’s requirements.

Conclusion

Refreshing your Google Merchant Center feed is vital to maintaining high-performing Google Shopping campaigns. By following the steps outlined above and adopting best practices, you can ensure your product listings remain accurate, compliant, and optimized for success. Whether you’re using a manual process, automated fetch, or API integration, consistency and accuracy are the keys to driving better results.

FAQ – How to Refresh Google Merchant Center Feed in Google Ads