Google Product Search Sees Big Changes

It is important for E-commerce sites that use Google Product Search to list their products, to familiarise themselves with the following information.

As of September 22^nd this year, a number of updates to the feed formatting and policies will be implemented. Google announced that it is releasing new feed specifications that they feel will impact the user experience in a big way.

To summarise, here is a list of the new items that it will be essential to include within the new feed parameters:

• In the UK, the U.S, France and Germany, the availability attribute which shows whether an item is currently out of stock, will now be required.
• Items in the Apparel category in the U.S. will require the Age Group, Gender, Colour, and Size to be listed in the product feed.
• In every country other than Japan, the image attribute will be required. Users will still be able to submit up to ten extra images for their product.
• Product categories will have to be categorized in terms of Apparel & Accessories, Media, and Software
• In the UK,  the U.S, France, Germany and Japan, a new set of variant attributes will apply to any product that varies in size, colour, pattern and material.

In addition, there are some changes to the policies. Google has clarified that the data from the feed will need to accurately match the product itself on the site. The price will also need to match the price that is displayed most prominently on the site.

This is going to be particularly important for member sites that showcase the member price. They will need to show the standard price more prominently instead if they wish to continue appearing on the Google Product Search. These rules previously existed, but new phrasing shows that the match between the actual product and the product feed will need to be more accurate. Google will check your products in order to ensure the accuracy of the product data.

In terms of enforcement by Google, the company has been clear that they begin taking actions against people who violate the terms. As of September 22^nd 2011 they will be taking action against accounts with feeds that are targeting the United Kingdom, France, United States, Japan, and Germany, that do not comply with the new specification and policy requirements.

As far as “taking action” is concerned, Google will pull feeds. Products will be suspended from Google Product Search until the problems have been rectified. In cases of repeated violations of the quality standards set by Google, the products will be suspended for a minimum of one week following the second violation and after the third violation, for at least a month.

For those worried that their feed may violate the rules accidentally, there is a new area of the Google Merchant Center which allows people to check Google’s current evaluation of your feed and your site. This will allow you to establish any problems and address them.

Here at Newtork Intellect we have been working with Product/Data Feeds for years, more than most companies. We really do know “feeds” and Jason Sorrell has been working with them since 1999. Some companies utilise feeds for Price Comparison Sites, but there are many more opportunities. So if you would like discuss how to manage feeds and increase ROI with the experts, then please contact us and speak to one of the team at Network Intellect.