Feed Anatomy: 47 Attributes Google Expects

Every Google Shopping feed is essentially an XML/CSV file with up to 47 attributes per product. Most catalogs we see use 8–12. That's a problem you can measure.

01 — Spec Overview

Google divides attributes into 6 groups: identity, description, price & availability, shipping, fashion-specific, and destination-control. Each group has its own rules — some are required, some recommended, some optional. The difference between recommended and required disappears in practice: AI Max treats an unfilled recommended attribute as a low-quality signal.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>MAISON · NS Catalog</title>
    <link>https://maison-ns.rs</link>
    <description>Premium fashion feed</description>

    <item>
      <g:id>SKU-1024</g:id>
      <g:title>MAISON Wool Coat — Camel, M</g:title>
      <g:description>Italian merino wool, 100% virgin...</g:description>
      <g:link>https://maison-ns.rs/p/wool-coat-camel-m</g:link>
      <g:image_link>https://cdn.maison-ns.rs/sku-1024.jpg</g:image_link>
      <g:availability>in_stock</g:availability>
      <g:price>34900.00 RSD</g:price>
      <g:gtin>5901234123457</g:gtin>
      <g:brand>MAISON</g:brand>
      <g:condition>new</g:condition>
      <g:color>Camel</g:color>
      <g:size>M</g:size>
      <g:material>Merino wool</g:material>
      <g:gender>female</g:gender>
      <g:age_group>adult</g:age_group>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

The example above covers 14 attributes for one SKU. That's a solid minimum for fashion. The other 33 attributes depend on the category — auto parts have compatible_vehicle, books have isbn, food has energy_efficiency_class.

02 — Identity Attributes

The most important group. If something is wrong here — Google cannot match your product to a user's search.

Attribute	Required	Description
g:id	Required	Unique product identifier. Do not change.
g:title	Required	Up to 150 characters. Brand + type + key variant.
g:description	Required	Plain text, up to 5000 characters. No HTML.
g:link	Required	Direct URL to the product detail page.
g:image_link	Required	Min 800×800px, JPG/PNG/WebP.
g:availability	Required	in_stock / out_of_stock / preorder / backorder
g:price	Required	Format: 2999.00 RSD
g:gtin	Recommended	EAN-8/12/13/14. If not available — use identifier_exists=false.
g:mpn	Recommended	Manufacturer Part Number, if you don't have GTIN.
g:brand	Required	Written consistently. ADIDAS → Adidas Originals.

03 — Description Attributes

Secondary group, but key for AI Max. Description attributes tell Google what the product is — not just what it's called.

Attribute	Required	Description
g:product_type	Recommended	Your internal category. Helps with ad grouping.
g:google_product_category	Recommended	From Google taxonomy. Numeric ID.
g:condition	Recommended	new / used / refurbished
g:color	Optional	For fashion: must. For electronics: opt.
g:size	Optional	For apparel/footwear: must.
g:material	Optional	Rich feed = better AI Max performance.

The difference between a feed with 8 attributes and a feed with 18 attributes is not linear. It's the difference between "Google knows you sell a jacket" and "Google knows you sell a heavy winter jacket in merino wool, size M, for women aged 25–40."

04 — Price & Availability

The most common mistakes are here. Google is very strict about formats — any deviation from spec results in disapproval.

• price: must be 2999.00 RSD — decimal point, space before currency, no thousands separator.
• sale_price: if you have a sale, fill both. Google displays both and automatically calculates the discount.
• availability: exclusively in_stock or out_of_stock (underscore, not space).

05 — Shipping & Taxes

For most markets: you can set the shipping attribute globally in Merchant Center settings instead of per SKU. We recommend the global setup for simplicity, unless you have specific weight classes.

06 — Fashion-Specific

For fashion catalogs, the following attributes become required (even if marked as optional in the spec):

• g:color — exact color name, not a hex code.
• g:size — in EU standard (S/M/L or 36/38/40).
• g:gender — male / female / unisex.
• g:age_group — adult / kids / toddler / infant / newborn.
• g:material — especially important for AI Max conversational search.

07 — Most Common Mistakes

1. Price format inconsistencies. "2,999 RSD", "2999.00 RSD", "2999". All three Google ignores. Standard is: 2999.00 RSD — no thousands separator, with decimals, with a space before the currency.
2. image_link pointing to a thumbnail. Send the full-size image; Google creates the thumbnail itself. Sending a 200×200 icon disqualifies the product.
3. availability "in stock" with a space. Must be in_stock with an underscore. No exceptions.
4. gtin with hex characters. GTIN is purely numeric. If you see a letter — that's a SKU, not a GTIN.
5. Category in local language. google_product_category must be either a numeric ID from the Google taxonomy or the name exactly as in the official list (in English).

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This is Part 1 of 4 in the "Feed Anatomy" series. In the next part: how to define custom_labels for bid segmentation.