Key Notes on Google Attributes in 2020

Key Notes on Google Attributes in 2020 Sept 27, 2020 23:39:14 GMT -6

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Post by PickyChicky on Sept 27, 2020 23:39:14 GMT -6

It's been a while since I've visited Google's pages on attributes because I thought I had it down. But recent realizations about why my eCrater shop fails to get any attention like all my other shops used to had me heading straight to Google's pages to find what I'm missing. Considering how there were many listings that have been neglected for at least the past six years, I knew it was entirely possible that I had some serious attribute problems.

Well, I pretty much do have it down, but I also DO have a lot of mistakes I need to fix on all those old listings I've neglected (books and clothing, to be specific). I also found quite a bit of extra info they previously failed to provide that really helps to answer a lot of the questions we often still see being asked, much explaining what I need to fix.

So, I decided to jot down these notes for myself (handwritten) and thought this would be great stuff to share. So, below is me organizing my notes...all directly from Google's own help pages:

NOTE: Okay, they're all organized and I have inserted all the hyperlinks. I just need to reference them all at the end, but I'll get to that later as it's time to get back to fixing my shop. teethy-smiley

My Google Attribute Notes

September 2020

Keep in mind that these are KEY notes that cover the most important information that we have to know each and every time we list something. So, there is a good deal of additional information that can still be found on some of these at the links included for each. As mentioned above, Google has added quite a bit of detail to their help pages.

Required Attributes

Google requires all Unique Product Identifiers (UPIs) to be provided. The required attributes for sellers in North America that will satisfy the Google Gods are: Brand, UPC (or GTIN-12), ISBN-13, and MPN. It would seem they came to realize that not all products have an assigned GTIN (UPC-12 or ISBN-13), so will ONLY accept the lack of them in those cases.

Since Google "knows" what has an assigned GTIN (even if they don't), if they're screaming at you for not providing the required GTIN, you should do your research on the variety of sites out there where you can find someone who has it. A good place to start is (or used to be) Google Shopping, since that's what the attributes are being required for. Unfortunately, it seems to be increasingly difficult to find the info there.

Some key notes:

The GTIN is ONLY required for ALL NEW products that have a GTIN assigned and is optional, but strongly recommended for all other products.
For products with an assigned GTIN, you must include: GTIN, brand and MPN
For products without an assigned GTIN, you must include: Brand and MPN
The UPI required for Apparel is Brand.
The UPI required for Media is GTIN (UPC and/or ISBN).
If a product has both its ISBN and UPC, include both attributes for best SEO performance.

Attribute	Key Notes
UPC or GTIN-12	The 12-digit UPC is required for the GTIN-12 (North America). The JAN and EAN are used for other countries, but please refer to Google's help pages for their entry requirements. All 8-digit UPC E-codes must be converted to 12 digits. If an item's UPC is lacking 8 or 12 digits, then you need its check digit. (scroll down to see the entry fields for calculating the check digit)
ISBN-13	The ISBN-13 is what Google prefers, but understands that older publications may not have this information and will accept an ISBN-10 or MPN where one is not assigned. The MPN of a media item is usually found on the spine at the top or bottom, but can also be found on the back or directly on the disc. They often start with the publisher's or studio's initials, but many have no letters and are typically less than 10 numbers. If you have both the ISBN-13 and ISBN-10, only include the ISBN-13. If you only have the ISBN-10, it should be converted to an ISBN-13. For a product with only a 9-digit SBN, simply add a zero to the beginning of it. For books and media that have both an ISBN and UPC, include both attributes for best SEO performance.
Brand	The only thing special I found worth noting about this attribute is that it's the one UPI required for the Apparel category, but click on its title for more details, if you like.
MPN	The MPN is ONLY required if your NEW product doesn't have a GTIN assigned and is optional, but strongly recommended, for all other products. Character Limit: 70 alphanumeric characters
identifier_exists	Accepted values: yes, no, true, false. ONLY used when the GTIN, brand or MPN isn't available.

Special Attribute Requirements for the Apparel Category

The Apparel category has to be one of the most difficult to compete in and Google doesn't make it any easier with all of their special requirements for it

Attribute	Key Notes
age_group	Required for all apparel. Supported values are: newborn (less 3 months) infant (3 to 12 months) toddler (1 to 5 years) kids (5 to 13 years) adult (typically teens or older)
size	Required for all apparel. If an item's size contains multiple dimensions, condense each to one value. For example, an item that has a 16" neck size, 34" sleeve and a "Tall" fit should be reduced to "16/34 Tall". Keep in mind that you also have the gender and size_type attributes to narrow down the size (see below for more info). Character Limit: 100 alphanumeric characters Example: XL, 16/34 Tall, 6 Average For one-size-fits-all, you may use any of the following: one size, OS, one size fits all, OSFA, one size fits most, OSFM
color	Required for all apparel. Character Limit: 100 alphanumeric characters / Maximum 40 characters per color Always use the primary color first and separate additional colors with a / symbol, but NO spaces. Do not use commas or any other separator or it will be rejected. Don't use a value that is NOT a color, such as multicolor, variety, striped, polka dot, etc.
gender	Required for all apparel. Supported values are: male, female and unisex
material	Required if relevant for distinguishing different products in a set of variants, which would include the Apparel category, and is optional, but strongly recommended, for all other products. Character Limit: 200 alphanumeric characters May include up to 3 different materials, separated by a / symbol with NO spaces; otherwise, it will be rejected.
pattern	Required if relevant for distinguishing different products in a set of variants, which would include the Apparel category, and is optional, but strongly recommended, for all other products. Character Limit: 100 characters Examples: striped, polka dot, paisley
size_type	Required (?) for all apparel. Supported values are: maternity, regular, petite and oversize The eCrater marketplace does not currently support this attribute (tried it).

Other Attributes Google Strongly Recommends

The following are attributes that Google strongly recommends to help improve the performance of your SEO. So, while not required, it certainly doesn't hurt to give yourself an advantage with important info.

Attribute	Key Notes
product_type	Character limit: 750 alphanumeric characters Not a required attribute, but essential to ensuring Google properly identifies your product, as well as to the effectiveness of your SEO. Follow the Google taxonomy (click to download .xls spreadsheet) to start with and then add your details. For example, Google's categories in bold, Home & Garden > Decor > Home Fragrance Accessories > Candle Holders > Porcelain Tealight Candle Holder > Yankee Candle > Snowman. Another example of how I'm personally using this attribute to improve my SEO: Media > Books > Print Books > Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance > LaVyrle Spencer. In this example, "Romance" is the category the marketplace provides, which is the main, commonly used category for this book, so I just elaborated in my own first category. NOTE that it doesn't really matter what key information you include here since you are basically being allowed to create your own categories, BUT DO make sure it directly describes the item. Any abuse of this attribute may result in the demotion of its importance, which would mean the loss of a key SEO booster. So tread carefully, please. The product_type attribute can be used up to 5 times, separated by a comma. So, DO NOT use any commas in any of the categories you create or it will serve as a break to the next product_type entry.
is_bundle	If you have a listing that includes multiple items, identify it by its main product and use the is_bundle attribute to notify Google that it includes multiple items. Accepted values: yes or no
product_highlight	Character Limit: 150 alphanumeric characters Use between 2 and 10 product features, separated by commas Describe ONLY the product itself Don't list keywords or search terms Don't include promotional text, all caps or gimmicky foreign characters

Source Links

GTIN Attribute Definition: support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324461?hl=en&ref_topic=6324338

Conversion & Lookup Tools Linked To

ISBNs for Books: isbndb.com/

UPC Lookup Tool: www.barcodelookup.com/

UPC Check Digit Calculator: www.gs1us.org/tools/check-digit-calculator

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Key Notes on Google Attributes in 2020

Post by PickyChicky on Sept 27, 2020 23:39:14 GMT -6