Google AI-Powered Shopping Ads key terms

A structured file listing products with attributes such as title, price, availability, and identifiers. Google uses it to match products to searches and build Shopping ads and free listings.

The Google tool where merchants upload product data, verify their website, configure shipping and tax settings, and manage which products are eligible to appear in Shopping results.

Google's documented rules for feed attributes, required versus optional fields, formatting, and naming conventions that determine whether a product can serve and how it is matched.

A single named field in a product feed, such as title, description, GTIN, brand, or condition. Attributes drive matching, filtering, and the creative shown in ads.

A globally unique product identifier, typically the barcode number, that Google uses to match a feed item to the correct product and to other merchants' offers.

Manufacturer part number. A product identifier supplied by the maker that helps Google match items when a GTIN is unavailable or when products are custom-made.

The manufacturer or designer name for a product, submitted as a feed attribute. Accurate brand values improve matching and are required for most items.

The feed attribute that becomes the headline of a Shopping ad. It should lead with the most relevant terms and include key attributes like brand, size, or color.

A subdivision of a Shopping campaign's inventory used to bid and report at a more granular level. Groups are built by splitting on attributes such as brand, category, or item ID.

The act of splitting a product group into smaller child groups by a chosen attribute, letting advertisers set distinct bids and gather performance data for each subset.

The hierarchical structure of product groups within a Shopping campaign, showing how inventory is divided and where bids are applied for each branch.

The unique identifier for a product within a Merchant Center account. It is used to target individual items in product groups and reporting.

A campaign type built from Merchant Center product data rather than keywords. Ads are matched to searches based on product attributes and controlled through product group bids.

A Shopping campaign where the advertiser controls product groups and bids directly, without the automated bidding and creative mix used by Performance Max.

A goal-based campaign type that serves across Google inventory, including Shopping placements, using product feeds and asset groups with automated bidding and optimization.

In Performance Max, a bundle of text, image, and video assets plus audience signals that the system combines to build ads across channels, including Shopping surfaces.

The Performance Max equivalent of a product group: a way to split a product feed into subsets for reporting and for setting bids or targets on specific inventory.

An input in Performance Max that hints at who is likely to convert, such as remarketing lists or custom segments. It guides optimization rather than restricting reach.

Automated bid strategies such as target ROAS or maximize conversions that use auction-time signals and machine learning to set bids for each impression.

A smart bidding strategy that sets bids to achieve a specified return on ad spend, defined as conversion value divided by cost, across the campaign.

A smart bidding strategy that sets bids to reach a desired average cost per conversion, useful when conversion values are similar or not tracked.

A campaign-level setting in Standard Shopping campaigns that determines which campaign wins when the same product is eligible in multiple campaigns, using low, medium, or high.

A term added to a campaign or ad group that prevents ads from serving on searches containing it, reducing wasted spend on irrelevant queries.

A report showing the actual queries that triggered ads, used to find irrelevant traffic for negatives and to identify new opportunities for product or campaign structure.

A status meaning a product or ad cannot serve because it violates policy or data rules, such as missing identifiers or an inaccurate price.

The process of proving ownership of the domain listed in Merchant Center, required before products can serve and before certain account features are available.

Unpaid product listings that can appear on Google Shopping surfaces. They use the same Merchant Center feed as paid Shopping ads but do not require a bid.

Paid product ads that show an image, title, price, and merchant name. They are matched to searches from feed data and billed on a cost-per-click basis.

Shopping ads that promote products available at a nearby store, showing store availability and distance. They rely on a linked local product inventory feed.

The setup that records actions such as purchases after an ad click, providing the conversion and value data that smart bidding and reporting depend on.

The monetary worth assigned to a conversion, such as an order total. It feeds target ROAS bidding and value-based reporting for Shopping campaigns.

Merchant Center settings that automatically transform feed attributes, for example appending a brand to titles or setting a default condition, without editing the source file.

An additional feed that updates or adds attributes for existing products, such as sale prices or availability, without replacing the primary product feed.

A Merchant Center feature that adjusts the price and availability shown in ads to match the landing page, helping avoid disapprovals and inaccurate offers.

A reference return on ad spend used to compare campaign performance against targets or prior periods, guiding bid and budget adjustments.

The share of eligible impressions a campaign actually received. Low share can indicate limited budget or bids and signal room to grow Shopping coverage.

The text a user types into a search engine. Shopping ads are matched to queries through product data rather than through advertiser keyword selection.