Your Feed Optimisation Checklist

Right, let's have a proper chat about product feeds, shall we? You know, those lovely little data dumps that make or break your Shopping campaigns. If you're still wondering why your products are getting the digital equivalent of being left on read, it's probably because your feed is about as appealing as a soggy biscuit.

Most eCommerce businesses treat their product feeds like that drawer everyone has, just chuck everything in and hope for the best. But here's the thing: Google's algorithm is pickier than a toddler at dinnertime, and if your feed isn't properly optimised, you might as well be burning twenties in your back garden.

Level 1: The Plain Feed (AKA "At Least You Tried")

Let's start with the absolute basics, because apparently, we need to. Your plain feed is like showing up to a job interview in your pyjamas, technically you're there, but nobody's impressed.

Essential Fields That Actually Matter

First things first: if your product ID isn't unique, you've already lost. It's like having identical twins with the same name, chaos ensues. Every product needs its own special snowflake identifier, and no, "Product1", "Product2" won't cut it in 2025.

Your title field is where most people go spectacularly wrong. "Blue Shirt" isn't a title; it's a cry for help. Google needs to know what you're selling, and so do your customers. Include the brand, the product type, key features, and maybe even the colour if you're feeling adventurous.

Price and availability are non-negotiables. If Google thinks you're selling a £500 handbag for £5, it's going to assume you're either having a mental breakdown or running a dodgy operation. Neither inspires confidence.

The Bare Minimum Product Descriptions

Your description field isn't your autobiography. Keep it under 5,000 characters and focus on what makes your product worth buying. Features, benefits, materials, dimensions, the stuff people actually search for when they're ready to spend money.

And please, for the love of all things digital, use proper grammar. "best shoes ever amazing quality buy now!!!" makes you sound like a spam bot having an existential crisis.

Level 2: Optimised Titles (Welcome to the 21st Century)

Now we're getting somewhere. Optimised titles are where you stop looking like an amateur and start behaving like someone who understands how search actually works.

The Title Formula That Doesn't Suck

Here's the magic formula: Brand + Product Type + Key Feature + Variant (Colour/Size). For example: "Nike Air Max 270 Running Trainers - Black/White - Men's Size 9". Notice how that tells you everything you need to know? That's not an accident.

Long-tail keywords in your titles are your secret weapon. Instead of "Laptop", try "Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Laptop - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - Silver". Someone searching for exactly that specification is much more likely to buy than someone just browsing "laptops".

Category Mapping Like You Mean It

Google's product categories aren't suggestions: they're commandments. Map your products to the most specific category possible. "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops" is infinitely better than just "Clothing". The more specific you are, the more relevant your ads become.

Don't try to be clever with category mapping. If you sell trainers, they go in the footwear category, not "lifestyle accessories" or whatever creative interpretation you've conjured up.

Level 3: Custom Labels (Now We're Cooking with Gas)

Custom labels are where the real magic happens. This is your chance to segment products in ways that actually make business sense, rather than just following Google's rigid structure.

Strategic Segmentation for Profit

Create custom labels for profit margins. Label your high-margin products as "High Profit" and your loss leaders as "Low Margin". This lets you bid more aggressively on products that actually make you money, rather than treating a £2 phone case the same as a £200 handbag.

Seasonal labelling is pure gold for eCommerce. "Summer 2025", "Christmas Gifts", "Back to School": these labels let you create targeted campaigns that match shopping intent with the calendar. Revolutionary stuff, really.

Performance-Based Labels

Use custom labels to flag your bestsellers, new arrivals, and clearance items. "Bestseller", "New", "Clearance": simple labels that let you create campaigns targeting different stages of the product lifecycle.

Brand labels are particularly useful if you sell multiple brands. Some brands convert better than others, and some have higher margins. Label them accordingly and watch your ROAS improve faster than your ability to spend the profits.

Level 4: Rule-Based Magic (The Final Evolution)

Welcome to the big leagues. Rule-based optimisation is where you stop manually updating feeds like it's 1995 and start leveraging automation like the sophisticated digital marketer you pretend to be.

Dynamic Title Optimization

Set up rules that automatically adjust titles based on performance data. If a product isn't getting impressions, rules can test variations: adding seasonal keywords during peak periods, including sale information for discounted items, or emphasising different features based on search trends.

Implement rules that adjust titles based on stock levels. Low stock? Add "Limited Availability" to create urgency. Overstocked? Include "In Stock" to compete with out-of-stock competitors.

Automated Price and Promotion Management

Rules can automatically update sale prices and add promotional text to descriptions. "20% Off This Week" appears automatically when you run a promotion, and disappears when it's over. No more manually updating thousands of products or accidentally running expired promotions.

Competitive pricing rules ensure you're not accidentally pricing yourself out of the market. If your main competitor drops their price, rules can automatically adjust your pricing strategy or add value propositions to justify premium pricing.

Performance-Driven Bidding Adjustments

The most advanced feeds use performance data to automatically adjust custom labels. Products that convert well get labelled for higher bids, while poor performers get flagged for review or exclusion from premium campaigns.

Inventory-Based Automation

Rules can automatically pause products when they go out of stock and reactivate them when inventory is replenished. No more wasted spend on products you can't actually sell, and no more missed opportunities when stock returns.

Set up rules that promote products based on inventory levels. High stock levels trigger increased bidding to move inventory, while low stock triggers reduced bids to preserve margin.

The Technical Bits That Matter

Feed Update Frequency

Update your feed at least daily, but hourly is better for high-volume stores. Google Shopping is real-time commerce, and stale data kills conversions faster than revealing your profit margins to competitors.

Mobile Optimisation

Your feed needs to work perfectly on mobile because that's where most of your customers are shopping. Ensure images are optimised for mobile viewing and titles are readable on small screens.

Error Monitoring

Set up automated monitoring for feed errors. Disapproved products cost money, and the sooner you catch issues, the less revenue you lose. Most feed management tools include error notifications: use them.

The Reality Check

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most eCommerce businesses are operating at level 1.5 on a good day. They've got the basics covered but haven't graduated to strategic feed optimisation. That's actually brilliant news for you, because proper feed optimisation is still a competitive advantage.

The difference between a basic feed and a properly optimised one isn't just academic: it's the difference between profitable growth and burning cash on ineffective ads. Your feed is the foundation everything else builds on. Get it right, and your campaigns perform better. Get it wrong, and no amount of clever bidding strategies will save you.

The progression from basic feeds to rule-based optimisation isn't just about technical complexity: it's about understanding that your product feed is a dynamic sales tool, not a static inventory dump. Treat it accordingly, and watch your Shopping campaigns transform from cost centres into profit engines.