As an alternative to the Product API, Google can accept a more traditional XML Feed to upload your products. The feed contains all of your product details, formatted specifically for Google so that they can “collect” the feed and create product listing ads.
On the Feed tab in Ad Management you’ll find the “Actions for Feed” menu. Here you can Generate a fresh copy of your feed. Once the page has refreshed, use the button on the far left to copy the feed url.
Next you’ll need to log in to the Google Merchant Centre, and create a new feed using the blue + button on the Feeds tab.
On the first page of the feed setup process you’ll need to specify whether to create this as a standard (live) feed, or a test feed. If you already have an active Google Shopping feed and want to test the outcome of the AdCurve feed, select Test, otherwise, select Standard.
You’ll also need to give your new feed a name. This name can be anything you want, but we recommend making it something you’ll easily remember and recognize as your AdCurve feed.
The next step is to tell Google what kind of file you’ll be using to upload your feed. The type of feed used by AdCurve is the Scheduled fetch, where your feed is hosted online by AdCurve, and Google “collects” this feed on a regular basis.
On the final step for a feed setup you’ll need to set a schedule for Google collecting your feed. The default setting is daily at 5:00am, and we recommend you stick with this setting as it ensures your feed is updated every morning with any changes you might have made the previous day. The time-zone should default to the correct location, but ensure that you check it’s correct before proceeding.
Finally, paste the feed location you copied from AdCurve into the File URL box to ensure that Google has the correct address for collecting your feed.
In some regions a filename is required. If you cannot proceed without entering a filename, copy this from the end of the feed location address that you pasted in the File URL field.
becomes filename: 1234ea550715bb53e0e90c0ae5aa5095.xml
Once you press Save the upload process will start automatically.
Google will usually be able to fetch and process your feed within 5-15 minutes, depending on how many products you have. If there are any issues with your products, a summary will be displayed to show the errors.
If you need any further support with Google Shopping, or if something is missing from our article, please don't hesitate to start a chat with us at any time using the Intercom button in the bottom right of your screen.