For a small shop, sending a WooCommerce catalogue to Google Merchant Center starts with consistent information, not installing an extension. Google needs to connect each submitted item with the page a customer visits: the same variant, price and availability. This guide explains how to prepare your product feed, organise updates and investigate rejected items. Submitting data does not guarantee product approval or visibility.
What a product feed contains and what to check first
A product feed is a structured set of information about the items you want to submit to Google Merchant Center. Each item includes attributes such as its identifier, title, landing page, image, price and availability. Additional requirements vary according to the product, target country and destination for which you submit the data.
You can provide your catalogue through a file fetched on a schedule or an integration that sends updates. Some integrations generate files; others communicate through an API. Check the method being used and its current documentation, rather than relying on the extension’s name.
- Verify and claim your website in Merchant Center using the methods available in your account.
- Set your target country, language and currency.
- Complete the business, delivery and returns information required for your setup.
- Check that product pages and images are accessible without signing in.
For example, if you sell in Romania in lei, make sure an old configuration is not still submitting prices in EUR. For questions about domains or hosting, you can also browse the frequently asked questions.
Match product identifiers to your WooCommerce variants
Product identifiers should remain stable and clearly identify the item being sold. The „id” attribute identifies an item in your data source. Depending on your integration, you might use a unique SKU or a stable internal identifier. Do not change it with every export or reuse a deleted product’s identifier for a different item.
A GTIN serves a different purpose: it identifies the commercial product and may, for example, be an EAN assigned to that item. Your shop’s SKU does not become a GTIN simply because it contains only numbers. Supply the brand and manufacturer part number, „mpn”, where applicable, using genuine information.
Treat each variant as a separate item
For a T-shirt in two sizes, your variant identifiers might be „TSHIRT-WHITE-M” and „TSHIRT-WHITE-L”, grouped under the same „item_group_id”. Each variant needs its own relevant attributes, availability and GTIN, where one exists. The submitted link should open the correct variant or make it easy to identify.
If a product has no assigned commercial identifiers, check the requirements for its category and the use of „identifier_exists”. Do not invent codes or declare identifiers absent simply to work around an error.
Align prices and availability with the product page
The price in your product feed must match the offer available on the landing page. Check the currency, tax treatment for your target market and any discount. For consumer sales in Romania, check that the VAT-inclusive price, where VAT applies, is consistent across the submitted data, product page and basket.
For example, if a mug costs „129,90 lei” on the website, the submitted value might be „129.90 RON”, following the attribute’s required format. A promotion can use „sale_price” and, where appropriate, its effective dates. Do not export an expired discount or submit a coupon-only price as the standard price.
- Map available stock to „in_stock” and unavailable stock to „out_of_stock”.
- For preorders or backorders, check the accepted values and availability date requirements.
- For variable products, submit each variant’s price and stock, rather than the price range shown for the parent product.
- Check that the page’s structured data describes the same offer.
Test in a private browsing window as well. A price visible only to an administrator, or an incorrect stock message served from cache, can conceal a real mismatch.
Organise product synchronisation and check updates
Start with one primary data source and document the attributes it supplies. Supplementary sources can add information, but overlapping configurations make it harder to trace an incorrect value. Check that your integration includes all eligible variants and excludes products you do not intend to promote.
The right update frequency depends on how quickly your shop changes. If you hold only a few units of a frequently purchased item, an infrequent export may leave outdated information in circulation. Check the file generation time, fetch time and Merchant Center processing result separately.
- Change a test product, such as the stock status of one variant.
- Check the value in the file or the record submitted by your integration.
- Review the latest processing result and any errors.
- Compare the processed value with the public product page.
If feed generation stops, check scheduled tasks, application logs and available resources. When planning your shop’s setup, consider WordPress hosting from GazduireOnline.ro and use the contact page to discuss your installation’s requirements.
How to investigate rejected products
Start with the diagnostics available in your account and distinguish item-level issues from problems affecting the whole account. An inaccessible image calls for a different investigation from missing business information. Read the full issue description and associated requirements, not just the short label.
For a message such as „Mismatched price”, follow the same item through four places: WooCommerce, the submitted source, the data processed in Merchant Center and the public landing page. If the issue concerns a variant, test the exact URL submitted for that variant.
- Inaccessible image: open the image URL and check redirects, access restrictions and server responses.
- Incorrect identifier: compare the GTIN with the packaging or manufacturer’s information and check that it belongs to the right variant.
- Availability mismatch: compare current stock with the last processed update and the information displayed on the page.
- Policy issue: read the specified policy and review the product, offer and shop information.
After correcting the cause, resubmit the data or wait for the scheduled fetch, then monitor processing. Request a review only when that option is available and you have addressed the underlying issue. Repeatedly submitting unchanged data will not fix it.
Start with a small batch and keep a checking routine
Before submitting your entire WooCommerce catalogue, choose a representative batch: a simple product, a variable product and a discounted item. If you sell products that are out of stock or have no assigned GTIN, include those situations in your checks too. The aim is to test the data mapping, not merely produce a file without formatting errors.
For example, keep a spreadsheet containing the SKU, submitted identifier, landing page, price, availability and any issue found. Recheck these items after significant changes to the integration.
Then expand the data source and decide who will monitor warnings, rejected items and the last successful synchronisation. Accurate, consistent data gives you a stronger basis for investigating problems; eligibility and visibility remain subject to Google’s checks and rules.
