Google Shopping Mastery: Merchant Center to Sales

What's inside

1. Level 1: Where Products Appear on Google, Including AI ModeFree
   Learn how product data from Merchant Center feeds the Shopping tab, Search, Images, YouTube and AI Mode shopping results, and how free listings differ from paid ads on each of these surfaces.
2. Level 2: Set Up Merchant Center, Verify and Claim the SiteFree
   Create a Merchant Center account for the example shop, enter its business details, and verify and claim its website using the method that suits its platform.
3. Level 3: Configure Shipping and Returns Policies
   Set up shipping services, delivery times, costs and a returns policy in Merchant Center so that they match the shop's checkout and policy pages.
4. Level 4: Required Attributes and GTINs
   Learn the required product attributes and the rules for unique product identifiers such as GTIN, brand and MPN, including when the identifier_exists attribute applies.
5. Level 5: Titles, Descriptions, Images and Recommended Data
   Write product titles, descriptions and images that meet Google's rules and perform well, and add recommended attributes such as product_type, google_product_category, variant attributes and additional images.
6. Level 6: Choose a Feed Method: Apps, Sheets, Files, API
   Compare the ways to get product data into Merchant Center: a platform app (Shopify, WooCommerce), Google Sheets, a scheduled file fetch, and the Merchant API, which replaced the Content API for Shopping (sunset on 18 August 2026).
7. Level 7: Product Structured Data and Automatic Updates
   Add schema.org Product and Offer structured data to product pages, and turn on automatic item updates so that Merchant Center price and availability stay in line with the website.
8. Level 8: Get Products Live in Free Listings
   Make sure the shop's products show in free listings across Google surfaces and check their status and performance in Merchant Center.
9. Level 9: Read Diagnostics and Fix Item Disapprovals
   Use Merchant Center diagnostics to sort item-level issues by severity, fix common disapprovals (price, availability, image, policy) and request a review where Google offers one.
10. Level 10: Account Suspensions and Appeals
    Understand account-level policy problems such as misrepresentation, missing business information and unsafe website issues, and follow the correct review and appeal process.
11. Level 11: Conversion Tracking and GA4 Ecommerce
    Set up Google Ads conversion tracking and GA4 ecommerce events, including purchase events with transaction value and item data, before any money is spent on ads.
12. Level 12: Shopping Ads: Linking, Budgets and Bidding
    Link Google Ads to Merchant Center and launch a Standard Shopping campaign with a sensible daily budget, product groups and a bidding strategy matched to the conversion data available.
13. Level 13: Performance Max for Retail
    Run a Performance Max campaign that uses the Merchant Center feed, with listing groups, asset groups, audience signals and value-based bidding.
14. Level 14: Feed Optimisation: Supplemental Feeds, Rules, Labels
    Improve product data without editing the shop's platform by using supplemental feeds, Merchant Center data rules and custom labels that drive campaign structure.
15. Level 15: Promotions and Loyalty Programmes
    Create Merchant Center promotions and set up a loyalty programme with member prices or points so that eligible offers show on product results.
16. Level 16: Product Ratings and Store Reviews
    Get product ratings and store ratings to show on Google by sending reviews through an approved aggregator or a product reviews feed, and by meeting the eligibility rules.
17. Level 17: Local Inventory in Outline
    Get an overview of how a shop with physical stores links Google Business Profile, submits local inventory data and enables free local listings and local inventory ads.
18. Level 18: Prepare Product Data for AI Shopping Agents
    Prepare the catalogue for AI Mode, Gemini and agentic checkout: complete and accurate attributes, the conversational attributes Google announced in January 2026, and the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). For each feature, record whether it is preview, pilot, limited rollout or generally available, and the date the documentation was read.
19. Level 19: Final Challenge: Merchant Center to Sales Exam
    Take the example shop from set-up to measured sales in one end-to-end audit and action plan covering account, data, feeds, compliance, measurement, campaigns, enhancements and AI readiness.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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