Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses, online stores, and product sellers to upload and manage their product information so it can appear across Google services—like Google Shopping, Google Search, YouTube, and Google Ads.
Here’s how it works in simple terms:
- Product Upload
- You add your store and product details (titles, descriptions, prices, images, availability) into Merchant Center, either manually, via a product feed (CSV, XML), or by connecting your Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.
- Visibility on Google
- Once approved, your products can show up in free listings on Google Shopping (in supported countries).
- If you run Google Ads campaigns (like Shopping Ads or Performance Max), Merchant Center supplies the product data to those ads.
- Benefits
- Free exposure: Products can appear in free product listings.
- Ads integration: Needed for running Google Shopping campaigns.
- Trust & control: You control how your products appear (title, image, price, availability).
- Analytics: Get insights on how often products appear and how users interact.
👉 Think of it like a catalog system that feeds your products into Google’s ecosystem so shoppers can discover and buy them.
