Glossary · Feeds & Merchant Center
What is a feed label?
A feed label — shown in Merchant Center as the data source label — groups product data, often by market. When you add a supplemental source, it has to carry the same label and language as the primary data it modifies, in addition to matching product IDs.
What this comes down to
- Supplemental data matches on ID, feed label and language together.
- A correct ID with the wrong label or language still does not apply.
- Check the label on the primary source before creating the supplemental one.
Three things must match
Creating a supplemental data source asks for the Product ID column, the data source label and the language. The product ID finds the product; the label and language decide which version of it the values belong to. If you sell into more than one market from one account, each may have its own label.
When a supplemental category upload shows no effect, check all three — ID, label, language — before assuming Google ignored the value. A mismatch fails quietly: the row simply matches nothing, and no issue is raised against it.
When a supplemental upload changes nothing
- Compare a few IDs in the file with the IDs Merchant Center shows for those products — character for character.
- Check that the supplemental source uses the same data source label as the primary data.
- Check that the language matches too.
- Confirm the supplemental source is linked to the primary data source it should modify.
If all four match and the category still is not used, remember that Google applies your category as an override only in specific cases. The supplemental feed guide covers what to expect.
Questions
Where do I see the feed label?
On the primary data source’s settings in Merchant Center. Use the same value when you set up the supplemental source.
Does the feed label change which categories I can use?
No. The category value comes from the same Google taxonomy whatever the label. The label decides which set of product data a supplemental row applies to.
Sources
Read next
- Product ID (id)The required feed attribute that uniquely identifies a product in Merchant Center, and the key that supplemental data sources match on exactly.
- Supplemental data sourceA Merchant Center data source that adds or overrides attributes on products already in a primary source, matched by product ID; it cannot add or remove products.
- How to override Google's automatic product category with a supplemental feedWhat a supplemental feed can and cannot change, when Google accepts a category override, and the exact two columns to submit in the file.