Checklist for high performing shoppingfeed

Step 1: Product data deep dive

The foundation of a high-performing feed is complete and accurate data. Any gaps or inconsistencies will lead to missed impressions and clicks.

• Check for Gaps in Your Product Data: Run a thorough audit to ensure all mandatory and highly recommended attributes are populated for every product. Missing data points can limit where and when your products appear.
• Optimise Important Attributes: Focus on the attributes that most influence performance. These include color, size, material, and GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers). These details help algorithms categorize your products accurately and are crucial for filtering and comparison shopping by users.

Step 2: The peak season feed checklist

Step 3: Mastering promotions & pricing

Accurate and timely promotion data is key to maximizing conversion rates during a sales period.

• Check sale_price and sale_price_effective_data Attribute: If you’re running a sale, ensure the sale_price is correctly implemented. Crucially, use the sale_price_effective_data attribute to specify the exact start and end date/time. This allows Google to display the promotional price and the “price drop” visual badge, which significantly boosts click-through rates.
• Merchant Center Promotions: If you are utilizing the separate Merchant Center Promotions feature (e.g., “Free shipping on orders over $50”), you must set this up 3-5 days before the promotion starts. This time is necessary for the promotion to be reviewed and approved by Google.

Step 4: Critical don’ts before launch

A common mistake is making last-minute changes that send your products into a review queue or risk disapproval. 

Don’t change titles, descriptions, images, or links right in peak season. Products that undergo significant changes are often pushed into a review process. This can lead to:

• Disapprovals: If a change is flagged as non-compliant.
• Performance Decline: Products lose momentum while they are being re-reviewed, making them less likely to win auctions.

Keep your feed locked down in the days leading up to the peak event, ensuring maximum visibility and a smooth customer experience.

Optimising your product feed is more than just a technical requirement, it’s a strategic advantage. By following this checklist, you increase your chances of capturing attention, maintaining visibility, and converting traffic effectively during peak seasons.

Let your data do the work with the right structure, timing, and preparation, your feed can become a powerful engine for performance.

Martin Schwarz

Senior SEA & Marketplaces Consultant bij Artefact

Tetsuo Konno

Search & Performance Lead bij Google