Google Shopping Best Practices for Magento 2

✅ Always provide GTIN (EAN) when available—products with GTINs get better visibility

✅ Use "Only Linked Simple Products" for configurable products so shoppers see purchasable variants

✅ Enable "Add Identifier Exists" to handle products without GTINs correctly

✅ Map all required attributes: ID, Title, Description, Image, Price, Brand

✅ Use descriptive, unique titles that match your landing pages

✅ Include multiple images—ads with additional images perform better

✅ Set up automatic feed generation via cron

❌ Don't export configurable parent products—they can't be purchased directly

❌ Don't use duplicate IDs across products—each ID must be unique

❌ Don't leave GTIN/Brand empty for manufactured products without setting identifier_exists

❌ Don't use HTML in descriptions—Google strips it and it may cause errors

❌ Don't include out-of-stock products unless you have a strategy for them

❌ Don't forget to set Google Product Categories—improper categorization hurts performance

Use case: Store selling simple products only (no variants).

Configuration:

Attributes:

• ID: SKU
• Title: Product Name
• Description: Description
• GTIN: Your EAN attribute
• Brand: Manufacturer
• Condition: Static - New

Product Types:

• No special configuration needed

Filter Options:

• Visibility: Catalog, Catalog/Search
• Exclude Out of Stock: Yes

Use case: Apparel store with size/color variants.

Configuration:

Attributes:

• All standard attributes mapped
• Color: Your color attribute
• Size: Your size attribute
• Gender: Your gender attribute
• Material: Your material attribute

Product Types - Configurable Products:

• Use Configurable/Simple Products: Only Linked Simple Products
• Use Parent URL for Simples: Yes, with Auto-Link
• Use Parent Image for Simples: Only if Empty
• Use Parent Data for Simples: Name, Description
• Use Fallback only on Non Visible Simples: Yes

Result: Each size/color variant exports separately with proper parent data fallback, linking to the correct variant on the product page.

Use case: Only certain products should appear in Google Shopping.

Configuration:

Create a custom attribute:

1. Create attribute google_shopping_exclude (Yes/No)
2. Set to "Yes" for products to exclude

Configure Advanced Filters:

• Enable: Yes
• Add condition: google_shopping_exclude not equal to "Yes"

Or use category filtering:

• Enable category filter
• Type: Exclude
• Select categories to exclude

Use case: Large catalog with frequent updates.

Configuration:

Automation:

• Enable Cron: Yes
• Frequency: Every 6 hours (or more frequent)
• Enable SFTP Transfer: Yes (for faster updates)

Inventory Feed:

• Enable inventory feed for real-time stock updates
• This updates stock between full feed generations

Performance Tips:

• Use category filters to reduce feed size if not all products are relevant
• Consider separate feeds for different product categories

Good titles improve click-through rates:

Example: "Nike Men's Air Max 90 Running Shoes - White - Size 10"

Use conditional attribute mapping if you need different title formats per category.

• Main image: Product on white or neutral background
• Additional images: Different angles, lifestyle shots, detail shots
• Minimum size: 100x100 pixels (250x250 recommended)
• No watermarks, logos, or promotional text on images

Set the most specific category possible:

Set default at the module level, override at category or product level for accuracy.

For large catalogs:

1. Filter aggressively - Only include products you actually want to advertise
2. Exclude unnecessary categories - Parts, accessories, etc.
3. Use cron during off-peak hours - Less impact on site performance