Google’s view
- More eligible products
- More visibility
- More features and annotations
- More advertising opportunity
Google Merchant Center guide
How to Action Your Google Merchant Center Excellence (MEX) Report
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A Google Merchant Center Excellence report can reveal valuable opportunities across your product catalogue. The key is turning Google’s account-wide recommendations into a commercially prioritised plan.
Merchant Center health
Commercial prioritisation
Product-level action plan
The MEX workflow
Read the Merchant Center Excellence Report as a sales funnel.
There is little value in improving click-through rate on products that are disapproved, or enriching products that are not targeted by campaigns. Work through the funnel in sequence, then prioritise the products that matter commercially.
1
Maximise total offers
Make eligible products available across Shopping ads, free listings and Local Inventory Ads.
2Increase approval rate
Find and fix disapprovals affecting commercially important, high-demand products first.
3Increase targeted offers
Submit broadly to Merchant Center, then control paid investment with campaigns and labels.
4Increase impressions
Assess visibility by category, then fix the product data limiting relevant reach.
5Boost click-through rate
Combine visibility, offer strength and relevance to earn more profitable clicks.
6Improve Demand Gen
Use product feeds selectively to remarket, create demand and grow priority ranges.
Before you start
Google shows the opportunity.
You decide what matters.
Google’s job is to identify more opportunities to show your products, unlock demand and encourage more advertising investment. Your job is to sell more products at a margin that works for your business.
Your business view
- Which products are profitable
- Which categories matter most
- Which opportunities are worth investing in
- What stock, margin and fulfilment can support
Understanding the score
Treat the Merchant Excellence Score
as a benchmark, not the objective.
The report may begin with a score and an offer funnel covering approved, in-stock and targeted products, plus products receiving impressions and clicks. It is a useful summary of the measures in the report, but it is not an official Google Ads or Merchant Center performance score.
Merchant Excellence Score
77%
Benchmark
Useful summary, not an official Google Ads or Merchant Center score.
Offer funnel
- Approved
- In stock
- Targeted
- Impressions
- Clicks
Recommendations and status
Use Google’s recommendations to ask better questions.
The report may highlight Local Inventory Ads, price and availability mismatches, local offer eligibility, approvals, impressions or click-through rate. Treat these as areas to investigate rather than instructions to follow blindly.
Turn each recommendation into a commercial question.
Start with the products involved, then decide whether the opportunity is meaningful enough to pursue.
- 01How many products are affected?
- 02Which products are affected?
- 03Are they commercially important and in stock?
- 04What are their margins and strategic value?
- 05Which category, campaign or label contains them?
- 06What would fixing them realistically unlock?
What the status column means
Status is a signal, not a verdict.
- At or above benchmark
- Google shows the measure in green.
- Room to improve
- Google shows the measure in red.
Red does not necessarily mean there is a serious business problem, and green does not mean there is no opportunity.
How to use the Action Items tab
Move from the alert to the products—and then to the business case.
- 1
Review Google’s high-priority items.
- 2
Identify the affected products.
- 3
Check whether those products matter commercially.
- 4
Group them by category, product type, brand, campaign or custom label.
- 5
Fix the highest-value opportunities first.
- 6
Recheck results after the changes have flowed through.
Stage 1
Maximise Total Offers
Make more of your products available across Google’s shopping surfaces. In Merchant Center, an “offer” is an individual product listing supplied through your Google Shopping feed that Google can review, match and potentially show to shoppers. Maximising total offers means ensuring that as much of your relevant catalogue as possible is eligible to appear wherever customers search and discover products.
Merchant CenterYour eligible catalogue
Paid discovery
Shopping ads · Demand Gen
Free discovery
Shopping tab · Search · Images · Lens · YouTube
Local intent
Local Inventory Ads · Storefront experiences
Availability before advertising
Submit the opportunity broadly.
The objective is not simply to submit more products. It is to make the right products available in the right places, with accurate pricing, availability, imagery and optimised product information.
A larger catalogue does not automatically create better results. Products still need to be approved, in stock, relevant to your customers and commercially worthwhile to promote.
Stage 2
Increase approval rate, starting with important products
Disapproved products and Merchant Center errors can prevent impressions or clicks, so approval is one of the foundations of product-feed performance. But not every disapproved product deserves the same level of effort.
-
01
Find the problem
Identify which products are disapproved and why.
-
02
Value the products
Check demand, margin, stock, campaigns and strategic importance.
-
03
Fix in priority order
Restore high-value opportunities before broad catalogue cleanup.
Common approval issues
Start by locating the type of failure.
Live product data
Price or availability mismatches
Identifiers and content
Invalid GTINs, missing attributes or poor imagery
Website and fulfilment
Landing-page access, structured data or shipping
Local inventory
Missing or inconsistent store availability data
The most common approval issues
Keep the feed, website and inventory systems aligned.
Price and availability mismatches often occur when the website updates before the feed, inventory systems are not synchronised or sale prices change without the product data being refreshed.
Automatic item updates can correct occasional differences, but they are a safety net—not a substitute for reliable, frequent feed updates.
Invalid GTINs should be corrected where possible. If an identifier is unavailable or uncertain, it is safer to omit it than submit an incorrect one.
Generic images, promotional overlays and placeholder images can also lead to disapprovals or reduced visibility. Replace them with genuine, accurate product imagery, prioritising high-value products first.
Shipping information, structured data and local inventory must also match what customers see on the website and in stores.
Stage 3
Increase targeted offers without advertising every eligible product
A product can be approved, in stock and eligible to appear on Google, but still be excluded from active advertising campaigns. That does not mean it should be removed from Merchant Center.
Merchant Center
Make the catalogue discoverable
Eligible products can remain available across Google Shopping free listings, Search, Images, Lens and other unpaid surfaces.
Campaigns
Choose where paid media goes
Use campaigns, product groups and custom labels to direct investment towards the right products.
A product does not need paid campaign coverage to benefit from being discoverable through free or organic listings.
Control advertising with custom labels
Turn business priorities into product groups.
Labels can include or exclude products from Google Shopping campaigns without removing them from Merchant Center—and can update dynamically as the business changes.
- High margin
- Best sellers
- Clearance
- Seasonal
- Reliable stock
- Strong conversion
- New products
- Campaign-ready
- Exclude from paid
The commercial question
“Are these products deliberately excluded, or have they simply been missed?”
There may be good reasons not to advertise every product. Low margin, unreliable stock, poor conversion, high return rates or unsuitable delivery costs may not justify paid investment.
But important products that are approved, in stock and receiving no advertising activity may represent a missed opportunity.
Stage 4
Improve impressions with category-aware product data assessments and fixes
Impressions are a useful north-star metric because they show whether Google is finding opportunities to display your products. But impressions alone are not enough: the goal is relevant visibility for the products and categories that matter.
ReachImpressions
How often products can appear
EngagementClicks & CTR
Whether listings earn attention
CoveragePer-product metrics
How visibility is distributed
North starRelevant visibility
Reach that can create value
A catalogue can have high total impressions while visibility is concentrated in very few products. A product can also earn impressions but few clicks, signalling that its title, image, price or relevance needs attention.
Find the limiting lever
Use the metrics to decide what to fix.
The FeedOps audit helps connect visibility patterns to practical actions.
Run the free audit- Missing category attributes
- Product titles
- Descriptions
- Product types
- Imagery
- Approval or availability
- Product segmentation
- Google’s understanding of priority products
Category-aware assessments and fixes
Not every attribute matters equally for every product.
The MEX report may identify gaps across brand, GTIN, descriptions, titles, product highlights, colour, age group, gender, size and imagery. FeedOps applies category-aware logic so an account-wide percentage does not create irrelevant work.
Avoid irrelevant recommendations
- Camera lensPrioritise mount and focal length—not colour.
- Paper clipDo not add material if it does not influence search.
- Phone casePrioritise model and compatibility—not weight.
- Power toolDo not add gender where it has no commercial meaning.
Apparel & footwear
Size · colour · material · gender · age group
Furniture & homewares
Colour · material · dimensions · style · room
Electronics & automotive
Brand · model · compatibility · specifications
Appliances
Capacity · dimensions · energy rating · functions
Sports equipment
Size · skill level · activity · material · features
Beauty & personal care
Shade · skin or hair type · formulation · ingredients
Titles and descriptions
Use the language and attributes customers use.
Put the most important information early, stay accurate and avoid applying one title formula indiscriminately across shoes, televisions, sofas and car parts.
A strong Google Shopping product title helps Google understand the product and helps the shopper decide whether it is relevant. Descriptions should add useful detail rather than repeat generic marketing language.
Product data for AI and agentic commerce
Structured product understanding now matters beyond Shopping.
Large language models, AI Overviews and agentic shopping experiences rely on the same clear product information that supports the Google Shopping Graph.
- What the product is
- Who it suits
- Compatibility
- What makes it different
- Size, colour, material and specifications
- Price and availability
- Delivery timing and method
Stage 5
Boost click-through rate without sacrificing commercial value
Click-through rate shows whether shoppers choose your product after seeing it. But a higher CTR is only valuable when it creates profitable traffic and sales.
Visibility & attention
Make the listing noticeable.
Offer strength
Give shoppers a compelling reason.
Relevance
Match what the shopper actually wants.
Profitable clicks
Traffic with a realistic chance of converting.
Visibility and attention
Help the listing stand out.
Local Inventory Ads, Merchant Promotions, sale-price and price-drop annotations, shipping signals, ratings and strong imagery can all draw the eye.
Local inventoryPromotionsSale pricesPrice dropsFree or fast shippingProduct ratingsSeller ratingsStrong imagery
The strength of the offer
Make value attractive and sustainable.
Competitive pricing matters, but value can also come from delivery speed, service, availability, returns, ratings and a complete proposition.
The offer
Price · sale price · promotions · shipping · availability · delivery certainty · returns · ratings · local availability
Commercial test
A promotion that raises CTR but destroys margin is not a successful result. Free shipping can help conversion while creating unacceptable fulfilment costs.
Promotions, shipping and returns
Use promotions to clear stock, grow a priority category, support peak trading, increase order value, move shoppers to a higher-margin product or compete for an important search. Ensure product data accurately reflects every promise.
Product and seller ratings
If ratings are missing, investigate technical eligibility, review-feed integration, product matching, volume, market eligibility and seller-rating requirements. The issue may be technical, operational or simply insufficient review volume.
Relevance
Match the product to the shopper’s real intent.
A listing can have strong ratings and a promotion, but shoppers will not click if it is not the product they want. Relevance is where business control is greatest.
- What the product is
- Who it is for
- Model or version fit
- Size, colour, material or pattern
- Key features
- Compatibility
- Intended use
- Customer search language
Category context changes the answer.
Fashion needs size, colour, material and pattern. A camera lens needs mount, focal length and compatibility. A car part needs make, model, year and fitment. Furniture needs dimensions, material, colour and room type.
Stage 6
Use Demand Gen product feeds selectively
Demand Gen can introduce products across YouTube, Discover and Gmail before shoppers actively search. With a Merchant Center feed, it becomes a browsable, visual storefront—but the objective is still to sell selected products, not pursue awareness without a commercial purpose.
Combined reach
Product advertising, prospecting and dynamic remarketing across Google inventory.
Search-led demand
Shopping placements without the same built-in dynamic remarketing setup.
Bring visitors back
Personalised product ads based on items previous visitors viewed.
Create consideration
Visual feed formats that help selected products earn attention before direct search.
Create demand deliberately
Give priority products room to be discovered.
Performance Max delivery is shaped by bidding, budget and target ROAS. A high target can restrict exploratory activity for products with limited conversion history or a longer consideration cycle.
- Launch a new product
- Build a seasonal range
- Introduce a category
- Support peak trading
- Promote high-margin products
- Use strong visual appeal
- Re-engage previous visitors
- Increase exposure for a priority range
Choose products selectively
Do not add the entire catalogue by default.
Match product selection to the audience, creative and commercial objective. Manage the selection through product groups, feed labels, product types and custom labels.
New productsSeasonal rangesBest sellersHigh marginStrong imageryBroad appealClear promotionConsidered purchases
A business decision
Decide how much margin and patience demand creation deserves.
There is no universal investment level. Demand Gen can support valuable future sales, but may need more patience than campaigns aimed at shoppers already searching.
- 01Margin available for discovery
- 02Expected lifetime value
- 03Creative and imagery strength
- 04Length of the buying cycle
- 05Budget available for testing
- 06Efficiency traded for future demand
- 07Ability to measure incremental sales
Keep product data and creative aligned
Give the campaign strong inputs.
Demand Gen relies on imagery, titles, prices, sale prices and landing-page information. Incomplete data or unclear creative limits what the campaign can do.
- Product titles
- Short titles
- Product images
- Product types
- Custom labels
- Promotional information
- Price and sale-price data
- Availability
- Category-specific attributes
Your action plan
Turn the report into three working lists.
Do not treat every recommendation as equally urgent. Separate immediate operational problems from commercial opportunities and low-value distractions.
Fix immediately
- High-value disapprovals
- Price and availability mismatches
- Missing inventory data
- Broken landing pages
- Critical feed or website errors
Investigate commercially
- Local Inventory Ads
- Free shipping and promotions
- Loyalty pricing
- Demand Gen
- New attributes or campaign segments
Monitor or deprioritise
- Below-benchmark items with low commercial impact
- Low-value products
- Recommendations without a clear business case
- 1Read the MEX reportUnderstand the full opportunity.
- 2Apply business dataDecide what matters.
- 3Use the FeedOps auditSegment and prioritise products.
- 4Measure the resultVisibility, traffic, conversion and profit.
Frequently asked questions
Merchant Center Excellence Report FAQs
The short answers to the questions retailers most often ask when deciding what to do with the report.
What is the Google Merchant Center Excellence report?
The report summarises opportunities across product eligibility, approvals, targeting, impressions, clicks and feed-based campaign activity. Treat it as a diagnostic starting point—not an official Google Ads performance score.
Does a higher Merchant Excellence Score guarantee better sales?
No. A higher score is only useful when the improvements involve commercially important products and contribute to relevant visibility, profitable traffic, conversion or customer acquisition.
Which Merchant Center issues should I fix first?
Prioritise problems affecting products with strong demand, healthy margins, reliable stock, active campaigns or strategic importance. High-value disapprovals, price and availability mismatches and missing inventory data should generally come before low-impact catalogue cleanup.
Should every eligible product be included in paid advertising?
No. Accurate eligible products can remain available in Merchant Center for free and organic discovery while campaigns, product groups and custom labels control which products receive paid media investment.
How should I use Demand Gen with a product feed?
Use Demand Gen selectively for products that match the audience, creative and commercial objective, such as new products, seasonal ranges, high-margin products or visually strong products that need more consideration before purchase.
What does an offer mean in Google Merchant Center?
An offer is an individual product listing that Google can review, match and potentially show to shoppers across eligible paid, free and local shopping surfaces.
Why can an approved product still receive few or no impressions?
Approval confirms that a product can participate, but visibility also depends on targeting, availability, relevance, competition, campaign coverage and the quality and completeness of the product data. Use the Google Shopping ads troubleshooting guide to work through those causes.
How can product feed data improve Google Shopping impressions?
Relevant titles, descriptions, product types, imagery and category-specific attributes can help Google understand the product and match it to more suitable searches. Approval, availability and campaign coverage must also be considered.
Which product attributes should retailers prioritise?
Prioritise attributes that influence search and comparison in the product category. Apparel may need size, colour and material, while electronics may depend more on brand, model, compatibility and technical specifications.
How often should the Merchant Center Excellence report be reviewed?
Review it regularly and after significant catalogue, website, inventory or campaign changes. Allow enough time for feed updates and Google processing before judging the effect of completed fixes.
Does better product data help AI shopping and agentic commerce?
Clear, accurate and structured product data helps AI-led systems understand what a product is, who it suits, its compatibility, specifications, price, availability and delivery options. It supports product understanding but does not guarantee recommendation or visibility.
How can FeedOps help action the report?
FeedOps can audit the catalogue at product and category level, identify the issues limiting eligibility and visibility, improve relevant product data, create dynamic product segments and manage ongoing feed quality.