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Shoppers who click on a Google Shopping ad are usually ready to buy. That means it's one of the most highest-intent sources of traffic for online stores. But here's the thing: having great creative or viral hooks isn't what makes you successful on Google Shopping. The feed is the engine that powers every product listing, even if you can't see it. Your products will show up at the top of search results if your feed is clean, well-organized, and optimized. If it doesn't, they fade into obscurity.
We, at Marpipe, have seen this happen with many fast-growing stores. Our free feed management platform helps stores save thousands of dollars every month because their campaigns are based on structured, accurate product data. Google won't reward clever writing like Meta or TikTok might, but it will reward writing that is accurate. That's where Marpipe helps brands stand out: they have more control over their feeds, their campaigns are more effective, and they can grow without spending more money.
Google Shopping is Google’s commerce engine that shows product listings right in the search results. People looking for things like “linen sheets” or “running shoes” don’t just see text ads or organic links. Instead, they see a row of clickable product cards. The brand name, price, and sometimes ratings or availability are all on each card along with an image and a title.
The best thing about this format is that it shows products at the exact moment someone wants to buy them. A person who searches for "best white linen bedding" is not in the awareness stage; they are ready to look at options and make a purchase. Google's own research shows that 70% of online shoppers who also use social media at least once a week say they use Google Search to learn more about or decide whether to buy things they saw on social media. That level of exposure, which is directly related to intent, makes Shopping an important channel for retailers who want to get a lot of conversions.
Google Shopping is completely feed-driven, which is different from most other types of social ads. The data you put into Google Merchant Center is what makes your campaigns strong. Every item must have the correct details, such as images, titles, descriptions, prices, GTINs, and availability. If something is missing, or not well-organized, Google will either hide the listing or show it less prominently.
The most important thing to remember is that Google Shopping isn’t made for flashy ads. Images of products should be simple, usually with a white background, and not have text on top of them or branded treatments. You can sometimes use lifestyle photos as long as the product is still clearly visible, but the system prefers things to be the same. This strict visual structure is meant to help people compare similar products at different stores in a consistent way.
A lot of new advertisers think Shopping will work like Meta or TikTok dynamic ads. Brands can create multiple ad variations on social media that use overlays, color treatments, and messaging to get people interested. That's not how Google works, as we’ve mentioned above. Instead, it makes sure that product images are simple and that card layouts are the same.
In the end, this makes a system where consistency is more important than creativity. Marketers on Meta see if a bold text overlay or a new design template gets more people to click through. Structured data gives you an edge over your competitors on Google. Google's algorithm can better match well-optimized feeds to consumer queries than sloppy ones. It's a completely different field; it's less about telling stories through pictures and more about how strong your data infrastructure is.
The product feed is like the inventory system for Google Shopping. The feed you upload is what pulls up every listing that shows up in a search. A clean, organized feed not only makes you eligible, but it also has a direct effect on how well you can see and perform.
It's surprising how simple the problems marketers have with feeds are. Products may be flagged and have limited reach if they don't have GTINs. Titles that are too similar or too general can keep products from ranking for search terms that show high intent. Images that aren't very good lead to fewer clicks or even outright disapprovals. Even vague descriptions can hurt a campaign if they don't use the same words that shoppers use when they search.
This point is supported by data from the industry. According to research from Search Engine Journal, merchants who regularly improve their Shopping feeds often see a strong increase in their impressions, click-through rate (CTR) and return on ad spend (ROAS). You can't skip feed hygiene; it's what makes the difference between getting traffic that wants to buy something and missing it altogether.
Marketers need the kind of control over their feeds that Marpipe gives them. Most providers charge per SKU, but Marpipe lets you manage your feeds for free, with no limits on the size of your catalog.
The platform lets you make dynamic titles that combine the original product name with things like brand, color, or material. This makes sure that every listing is optimized for search. It also lets marketers make their own labels so they can put products into groups like "high-margin," "seasonal," or "clearance," and then spend money on ads based on those groups. Marpipe is also very good at choosing images. A lot of stores upload more than one picture of a product, but Google always shows the first one in the feed. You can choose which image shows up first with Marpipe. For instance, you can choose the second image of a sweater instead of the default.
These features—dynamic titles, labels, formatting, and image control—give marketers a powerful set of feed management tools that are free and easy to use.
The first step for people who use Shopify is to download the Marpipe Shopify app. When you install the app, it syncs your store data with Marpipe. After that, you can choose Google from the channels list and edit your feed. You should focus on custom labels first because they are the basis for grouping campaigns. Then, you can use dynamic title creation to make sure your listings are as easy to find as possible in search engines. You can make the feed live in the Merchant Center after you've made all the changes.
The process is just as easy for retailers who don't use Shopify. Marpipe makes SFTP URLs that you can connect directly to Google Merchant Center. This gives you the same level of control and customization.
Check out our guide on What Is a Product Feed for a more in-depth look at the basics of feeds. Our article Are Catalog Ads Effective? looks at how Google Shopping stacks up against other types of ads in a more general way.
Marpipe's feed management tool came out only a few months ago, but adoption has grown quickly. Many of Marpipe's current creative automation clients have added the feed management tool to their workflows. They use Marpipe to manage both feeds and creative work on the same platform.
It's clear that this gives them an edge over their competitors. Most feed management tools charge significant fees based on the size of the catalog. Marpipe gives brands the same features for free, so they can spend their money on performance instead of overhead. That difference makes it very appealing to retailers with big catalogs who want both control and speed.
Feedonomics, GoDataFeed, and DataFeedWatch are some of the oldest companies in the feed management market. A lot of people use these platforms, but they can be expensive because they often charge based on the number of SKUs. Those costs add up quickly for a store that has thousands of SKUs.
Marpipe has a clear edge over its competitors because it makes feed management free. Most other services charge for it, and they usually have limits or fees based on the size of the catalog. On the other hand, Marpipe doesn't have any SKU limits or hidden fees. As we say a lot, "you can do it for free," which makes the platform easier for more people to use. That ease of use lets brands grow without having to pay for feed management tools, which is usually a lot of money.
Marpipe also combines feed management with its creative automation suite, giving marketers a single place to manage both their data and their creative work. This not only cuts costs but also makes workflows easier, so teams can focus on performance instead of infrastructure.
Bold design doesn't make Shopping work better; consistent feed optimization does. Brands that check Merchant Center often, fix mistakes quickly, and always put data quality first do better than others. Even with limits, product images are important. Sometimes, a clean lifestyle image that meets Google's standards can get more clicks than a simple product cutout.
Titles are another way to grow. When you include the brand, product type, and details like size or material, they help Google rank them better. Custom labels give marketers more options for their campaigns because they can group products by how profitable, available, or seasonal they are.
This level of detail has a direct effect on how people shop. According to OptinMonster, 88% of customers say detailed product pages are crucial when making a purchase, which aligns with what Marpipe users observe: better feeds mean better performance.
AI-driven search is changing how Google Shopping works. AI Overviews and conversational queries can now get product information straight from feeds. Placements are also growing on YouTube, Maps, and Discovery. A single feed now powers a much larger number of surfaces than ever before. If those feeds don't have enough information, products won't show up.
That change shows a bigger truth: Google Shopping is not the best place to try new things. It is the channel where operational discipline pays off. Brands that take care of their feeds consistently do better than those that don't think about feed management at all. Clean, optimized feeds are important now, and they will be the basis of visibility in the age of AI-driven commerce.
Marpipe makes it easier. The platform gives marketers full control with free feed management, no SKU limits, dynamic titles, custom labels, and direct export to Merchant Center. If you want to get serious about shopping, the first thing you should do is start with your feed and let Marpipe take care of the rest.
Get started with Marpipe's free product feed management today!
