Google Shopping Tips - how to avoid the Top 10 mistakes
9 Sept 2025
5 min read
Google Shopping Ads are an optimal solution for promoting products online.
Especially when starting with Google Shopping, error messages can waste valuable time and cost a lot of budget.
To ensure you can achieve the best possible performance from your Google Shopping Ads in the future, saving you time and budget, the Label Up team has summarised the 10 most common errors. To optimally get started with Google Shopping, you should be able to rectify the following mistakes:
Google Shopping Hacks for Error Prevention:
Invalid or missing GTIN
The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a central identifying feature of your products. If it is missing or incorrect, your product will not be displayed correctly – or in the worst case, completely rejected.
Especially for discounted prices, you must also accurately specify the sale_price and the duration of the offer (sale price effective date) in addition to the regular price. Feed optimization tools help you keep track of frequent price changes and keep the feed up to date.
Google Shopping Tip:Always ensure that the GTIN is correct – and for products without a GTIN in the feed, use identifier_exists=false. |
A Google Shopping no-go: outdated prices & availability
Google aims to provide users with a reliable shopping experience. If the price or availability in the feed does not match your website, your ads will be ruthlessly rejected.
Worst case: You change a price in the shop but forget to update the feed – and Google blocks the product.
Google Shopping Hack:Automate your feed updates – ideally several times a day. This is essential, especially for varying stock levels or dynamic pricing. |
Missing product identification features: no match, no Google Shopping success
Google requires at least one of the following details: GTIN, brand, or MPN (Manufacturer Part Number). Many shops mark these fields as “optional” – but they are crucial for correct display.
Without identification, Google simply does not know what it is dealing with – and does not display your product or displays it incorrectly.
Google Shopping Hack:If you cannot provide any of this information, use the attribute identifier_exists=false to avoid rejections. |
Unclear additional conditions: confusion costs trust
Taxes, shipping costs & other fees must be transparently stated. If this information is missing or incorrect, Google can suspend your ads.
Google Shopping Tip:Pay special attention to regional differences (e.g., VAT in Switzerland vs. Germany) and correctly enter these in the Merchant Center. |
Non-optimized titles & descriptions = wasted potential
In Google Shopping, the content in the feed determines visibility. Titles and descriptions should be search engine optimized, precise, and clearly structured.
Common mistakes:
All uppercase letters
Missing keywords
Irrelevant information
Best practice for titles:
Max. 150 characters
Keyword at the beginning
No promotional language or emojis
Clear, neutral language
Incorrect product URLs: no destination, no click
The product URL specified in the feed must exactly match the actual landing page. No redirects, no intermediaries.
Problem: If Google cannot access the product page directly, your ad will be disabled.
Google Shopping Tip:Use feed tools with URL validation and regularly check for errors with the Merchant Center diagnostic tool. |
Inappropriate or missing images: no clicks without visuals
Images are THE conversion factor in the shopping feed. Poor quality, incorrect sizes, or watermarks not only lead to rejections – they also kill your CTR.
Google's guidelines for images:
Minimum size: 100 x 100 px (250 x 250 for clothing)
Optimal: ≥ 800 px
No text, logo, or watermark
White background, sharp image
Product must make up 75–90% of the image
Google Shopping Hack:Automatically filter out products with missing images in the feed – e.g., with “if image_link is empty → exclude”. |
Incomplete product data – a classic with consequences
If essential fields such as title, description, price, availability, or currency are missing, your feed is marked as incomplete.
Consequence: Your products will not be displayed or will be displayed only to a limited extent – and you waste budget on clicks on uncompetitive ads.
Checklist for a complete product:
✅ Title
✅ Description
✅ Price & Currency
✅ Availability
✅ Product image
✅ GTIN/MPN/Brand
No own CSS – wasted costs, without control
Without being a CSS partner yourself and using Google's service, you waste up to 20% Cost per Click. You have no influence on the margin, do not host the URL yourself, and have no additional branding.
If you become a CSS partner as a Google Shopping agency or as a shop, you can customize your own price comparison page to your branding, your products will appear reliably, and clicks on the name of your price comparison page are free.
CSS graphic “CSS by your name”
Google Shopping Pro Tip:Turn to providers like Label Up and make your agency a CSS partner. Without stress, without additional costs, and guaranteed Google compliant – Label Up takes care of the rest. |
10. Not exploiting Merchant Center potential
The Merchant Center offers many more segmentation options than are used by most. Many overlook the amount of data, and the more products in the feed, the harder it is to keep track.
Google Shopping Hack:Define custom labels and benefit from more precise segmentation options. Tools like the one from Label Up already offer pre-configured templates for custom labels in the Merchant Center. They are easier to use than scripts and offer more combinations than the Merchant Center alone. Here you can find out more about Label Up: Custom Labels for Google Shopping |
Conclusion: These Google Shopping hacks save you time, money, and nerves
Many retailers use Google Shopping, but few fully exploit its potential. Most mistakes don't happen out of negligence, but because the system is complex and Google provides little transparency.
With the right Google Shopping tips and a clean setup in the Google Merchant Center, you can avoid many pitfalls: from faulty feeds to unclear image guidelines to missing custom labels.
Those who additionally become a Google CSS partner save not only up to 20% CPC but also secure full control over their placements. Tools like Label Up help you identify the true performance champions in your product feed and scale them effectively.
