Google Merchant Integration

Why connect Google Merchant Center?

Google Merchant Center powers Google Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, but it does more than that today: it's also the feed most AI shopping assistants actually read from. ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity all source product data from Google Merchant Center feeds, even for buyers who never open Google Shopping. That makes it the single highest-leverage integration in Shopping, worth setting up before anything else.

Connecting it to Ranketta lets you:

• Import your catalogue: use your existing Google Merchant feed as a feed source and let Ranketta score and enrich your products.
• Ship the improved catalogue back out: the resulting Ranketta channel carries the titles, descriptions, GTINs and categories your agents approved in Proposals, either as a feed URL or a direct, always-in-sync connection.
• See how products perform in AI: the same data that feeds Google Shopping (and, increasingly, AI assistants) is also tracked by Ranketta across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overview.

Prerequisites

• A Google Merchant Center account
• The URL of your existing product feed (if you want to use Google Merchant Center as a source)
• A Ranketta account with access to Shopping

Using it as a feed source

1. In Google Merchant Center, go to Products > Feeds and copy your feed URL, or generate a new one.
2. In Ranketta, go to Feed sources and click Add source.
3. Choose the Google Merchant XML format and paste the URL.
4. Set a sync interval. Ranketta pulls the feed on that schedule from now on, and products land in My Products.

Publishing to Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center is one of the channels that supports a direct, OAuth-based connection in addition to the classic feed URL. Pick whichever fits how hands-off you want this to be, you can switch later.

Option A: connect your account directly (recommended)

1. In Ranketta, open Channels and enable the Google Merchant XML format.
2. When prompted, choose Connect your account instead of Get a feed URL.
3. Authorize Ranketta's access to your Google Merchant Center account and pick the destination account.
4. Ranketta pushes your enriched catalogue directly from then on. The channel card shows connection status, synced product count, last sync time, and any product-level issues Google Merchant Center reports back. Use Sync now to push on demand, or Disconnect to stop.

Option B: get a feed URL

1. In Ranketta, open Channels and create a new channel in the Google Merchant XML format, choosing Get a feed URL when prompted.
2. Set up your filters (availability, GTIN) and field mapping as needed.
3. Copy the channel's public URL.
4. In Google Merchant Center, add a new feed using Scheduled fetch and paste in the URL.

Google Merchant Center pulls the feed on its own schedule from then on, always seeing the latest approved version of your catalogue.

FAQ

Do I need to use Google Merchant Center as both a source and a channel?
No. The two sides are independent, you can pull your Ranketta Shopping feed from anywhere (Google Merchant Center, Amazon, Heureka, Zboží.cz, Shoptet or a custom XML/CSV/JSON feed) and publish to a different destination than the one you sourced from.

Will the Ranketta channel affect my running Performance Max campaigns?
No. It only updates the data in the feed (titles, descriptions, GTINs, categories). It doesn't touch campaign structure or bidding. Your campaigns keep running on the same feed, just with better data.

How often does the direct connection or feed update Google Merchant Center?
Ranketta rebuilds the feed, or pushes the update directly, whenever approved content changes. In feed URL mode, Google Merchant Center pulls the latest version on its own schedule for that feed.

Why does Ranketta recommend Google Merchant Center specifically, over other channels?
Because AI shopping assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity draw on Google Merchant Center product data behind the scenes, not just Google's own shopping surfaces. A well-synced feed there has an outsized effect on how your products show up across AI answers in general.