Google Shopping — how to set up free product listings directly from the BooStore.pro admin panel: complete guide

What is Google Shopping and how it works

Google Shopping is a Google service that displays products directly in search results. When a user searches for "buy Nike sneakers size 42", Google can show a product card with a photo, price, store name and rating right above regular links. This is called a Shopping ad.

Previously, Shopping ads were only paid (Google Shopping Ads / Performance Max). Since 2020, Google launched free product listings — your product can appear in Google Shopping without paying per click. You only need to submit your product data through Google Merchant Center.

Google Shopping works with two services together:

• Google Merchant Center — receives your product data (XML feed), checks it for compliance with rules and displays it in search
• Google Ads — if you want paid listings, you create a Performance Max campaign and link it to Merchant Center

Complete guide to setting up Google Ads, Merchant Center and Performance Max for an online store.

How free listings look in Google search

When a user enters a search query with commercial intent (e.g., "buy Samsung smartphone" or "order Nike sneakers"), Google may show:

• Paid listings — marked with "Ad" badge, shown at the top of results. You pay for each click.
• Free listings — not marked as ads, shown below paid ones or in the "Shopping" tab. No payment per click.
• Organic results — regular links to websites, not product listings.

Free listings are especially effective for products with unique names and specific characteristics — users see the photo, price and store name immediately, increasing the likelihood of a click.

Which products appear in free listings

Google automatically determines which products to show for free based on query relevance. Impressions are influenced by:

• Data quality — accurate titles, descriptions, attributes, GTIN
• Price — competitive pricing increases chances of display
• Availability — in-stock products are shown more often
• Relevance — how well the product matches the search query
• Store history — seller rating, reviews, time on platform

Free vs paid product listings: comparison

Many store owners don't know that Google Shopping can be used for free. The table below shows key differences.

Google website requirements: shipping, payment, returns

Before products start appearing in Google Shopping, your store must pass Google Merchant Center moderation. Google checks that the buyer can learn all purchase terms before placing an order. This is critical — without meeting these requirements, products won't appear even in free listings.

What must be on the website

Pre-moderation checklist

Before launching, be sure to go through the 29-point checklist for launching an online store — it will help identify issues before Google finds them.

Custom Labels (custom_label_0 — custom_label_4): complete reference Important

One of the most powerful features of Google Merchant Center is custom labels. You can assign up to 5 custom labels to each product (custom_label_0, custom_label_1, custom_label_2, custom_label_3, custom_label_4). Then in Google Ads, you can create campaigns that show ads only for products with a specific label.

For example: you want to run a separate ad campaign for products with 50% markup or only for products from a specific manufacturer. Custom labels allow you to do this without creating multiple feeds.

Example of custom labels setup for a clothing store

Suppose you have a clothing store. You want to flexibly manage ad campaigns:

• custom_label_0 = collection (fall-winter 2026, spring-summer 2027)
• custom_label_1 = markup (50%, 100%, 200%)
• custom_label_2 = manufacturer (Nike, Adidas, Puma)
• custom_label_3 = product type (sneakers, t-shirts, jackets)
• custom_label_4 = stock (>10, 1-10, 0)

Now in Google Ads you can create:

• Campaign only for Nike sneakers with 100% markup — condition: custom_label_2 = Nike AND custom_label_3 = sneakers AND custom_label_1 = 100%
• Campaign for fall-winter products with stock >10 — condition: custom_label_0 = fall-winter AND custom_label_4 = >10

This gives incredible flexibility without needing to create multiple feeds.

Setting up Google Merchant XML feed in the BooStore.pro admin panel Step by step

BooStore.pro has a built-in XML feed generator for Google Merchant Center. All settings are available in the admin panel — no coding or third-party plugins needed. Below is a step-by-step instruction.

Product filtering for feed: category, collection, manufacturer, stock, price

Not all products from your store need to go into Google Shopping. You might want to show only products that are in stock, or only a specific category. BooStore.pro allows flexible filtering directly in the admin panel.

Available filters

Combining filters

Filters work on the logical AND principle. If you selected category "Shoes" and manufacturer "Nike", only products of category "Shoes" AND manufacturer "Nike" will go into the feed.

Example: you want to run free listings for all products in stock, and for Performance Max — only for products with markup >50%. You create two feeds: one without markup filter, the second — with a "High margin" collection filter.

BooStore.pro XML feed URLs

BooStore.pro generates XML feeds at your store's standard URL addresses. You don't need to upload files manually — the feed updates automatically with each request.

XML feed example

Below is a fragment of the XML feed generated by BooStore.pro:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>My Store</title>
    <link>https://mystore.boostore.pro</link>
    <description>Online store</description>
    <item>
      <g:id>12345</g:id>
      <g:title>Nike Air Max 270 Sneakers</g:title>
      <g:description>Comfortable sneakers for running and everyday wear</g:description>
      <g:link>https://mystore.boostore.pro/product/12345</g:link>
      <g:image_link>https://mystore.boostore.pro/images/nike-air-max-270.webp</g:image_link>
      <g:availability>in_stock</g:availability>
      <g:price>4999.00 UAH</g:price>
      <g:google_product_category>123</g:google_product_category>
      <g:brand>Nike</g:brand>
      <g:custom_label_0>new-arrival</g:custom_label_0>
      <g:custom_label_1>high-margin</g:custom_label_1>
      <g:custom_label_2>nike</g:custom_label_2>
      <g:custom_label_3>shoes</g:custom_label_3>
      <g:custom_label_4>in-stock</g:custom_label_4>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Markup, currency, language, availability status: flexible feed settings

BooStore.pro allows you to fine-tune feed parameters for your business needs. Let's look at each parameter in detail.

Markup

You can add a percentage or fixed markup to the product price in the feed. Why is this needed?

• Commission compensation — if you sell on marketplaces with commission, you can set a price including the commission
• Promotional prices — set 0% markup for promotional products and 20% for regular ones
• Different prices for different channels — one price on the site, and in Google Shopping — with a shipping markup

Markup is set as a percentage (e.g., 15% = price in feed will be 15% higher) or a fixed amount in currency.

Feed currency

Google Merchant Center requires the currency in the feed to match the currency of the country where ads are shown. BooStore.pro supports all major currencies:

• UAH — for Ukraine
• USD — for USA and international campaigns
• EUR — for Europe
• PLN — for Poland
• GBP — for UK
• Other currencies on request

Feed language

Select the language for product titles and descriptions in the feed. Available: English (en), Russian (ru), Ukrainian (ua), Polish (pl) and others. The feed language should match your site language and target audience.

Availability status

Google uses three availability statuses: in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder.

In BooStore.pro feed settings, you can choose how the status is determined:

• By stock — if stock > 0 → in_stock, otherwise → out_of_stock
• By "Out of stock" option — product marked as "Out of stock" → out_of_stock
• Combined — both by stock and option

Example of feed setup for an international store

Suppose you have a store selling in Ukraine and Poland. You want:

• For Ukrainian customers — prices in UAH, Ukrainian language, 10% markup
• For Polish customers — prices in PLN, Polish language, 15% markup

On BooStore.pro, you create two feed setting sets with different currency, language and markup parameters. Each set generates its own URL. You add both URLs to Google Merchant Center as separate feeds.

Google Product Categories: proper product categorization SEO

Google uses its own product category taxonomy — Google Product Categories. These are numeric identifiers that help Google correctly classify your product and show it in relevant search queries. For example, "Shoes" has ID 187, "Athletic Shoes" — 188, "Sneakers" — 189.

How to set a category on BooStore.pro

Google category is set in two ways:

• In store category settings — you map each store category to a Google category. All products in that category automatically get the corresponding ID.
• Individually for a product — if a product should be in a different Google category, you can set it in the product card. Individual setting overrides the category setting.

Examples of popular Google categories

The full list of Google Product Taxonomy categories is available in Google documentation — it contains over 6000 categories. BooStore.pro supports the full taxonomy; you can select the desired category from the dropdown list in the admin panel.

Google Merchant Center registration and setup: step-by-step guide

After configuring the XML feed on BooStore.pro, you need to register in Google Merchant Center and add the feed. Below is a step-by-step guide for beginners.

Common feed errors and how to fix them

Even with correct feed configuration, Google may detect errors. Below are the most common issues and their solutions.

Where to check errors

All errors are displayed in Google Merchant Center in "Products" → "Diagnostics". We recommend checking this section every 2-3 days after launching the feed. On BooStore.pro, you can quickly fix data — the feed will update automatically on the next Google check.

Best practices for maximum Google Shopping effectiveness

To get the most traffic from free listings, follow these recommendations. They are based on the experience of successful stores on BooStore.pro and official Google recommendations.