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Google Merchant Center data sources are the ways product information enters and stays current in your account. Google now uses “data source” for what it previously called a feed. You can submit a text, XML or TSV file, connect a Google Sheet or ecommerce platform, add products manually, let Google extract products from structured data on your website, or manage the catalog programmatically with Merchant API. The right setup depends on catalog size, update frequency, technical resources and how much control you need over each attribute.
What is a Google Merchant Center data source?
In current Google documentation, a data source is any configured route that supplies product details to Merchant Center. The older term “feed” still appears in some interfaces and developer discussions, but Google’s help center labels the feature Data source (Previously known as “Feeds”). A source can provide titles, descriptions, identifiers, prices, availability, images, shipping information and other attributes required for your products and destinations.
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Google lists six practical ingestion paths:
- A text, XML or TSV file uploaded directly or retrieved on a schedule.
- A Google Sheets spreadsheet.
- An ecommerce-platform connection.
- One-by-one manual product entry in Merchant Center.
- Automatic additions from a website crawl that reads product structured data.
- Merchant API for programmatic account, product and inventory management.
These paths are not interchangeable. A file or API source can be the authoritative catalog, while a supplemental source adds selected attributes. Website crawling depends on accessible, correct markup. Manual entry is useful for a small number of items but is labor-intensive for a changing catalog.
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File upload and scheduled retrieval
A file source is the conventional batch method. The source overview accepts .txt, .xml and .tsv files. You can upload a file yourself or configure retrieval so Merchant Center fetches an updated copy on a schedule. Google’s setup guidance also documents SFTP and Google Cloud Storage options for hosted files; availability and configuration depend on the source settings in your account. See Create a product data source for the current setup screens.
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Files give you explicit control over which attributes are submitted and make it possible to generate a complete catalog from an ERP, database or export job. They require a dependable process for creating valid rows, keeping IDs stable and publishing a new file when prices, stock or other values change. A primary file source can add new products and remove products that are no longer represented, subject to Merchant Center processing and policy checks.
Google Sheets
A Sheets source uses a spreadsheet as the product record. It is easier for a team that already works in spreadsheets and can be edited without building an export pipeline. The spreadsheet’s sharing and access settings must allow Merchant Center to read it; a private or improperly shared document can prevent retrieval. Sheets can be used for a complete primary catalog or for a supplemental set of attributes when product IDs match the primary source.
Ecommerce-platform connection
Merchant Center lists connecting an ecommerce platform as an ingestion route. The exact fields, synchronization behavior and setup steps vary by the platform and are not universal. Treat the connection as an integration that must be checked against your platform’s own product model: confirm which system owns price and availability, how often changes are sent, how IDs are formed and how discontinued products are removed. Google’s data-source documentation describes the route, but it does not establish identical capabilities for every platform.
Manual product entry
Merchant Center also supports adding products one at a time through its interface. This avoids preparing a file and can be practical for a small, rarely changing assortment, a test item or a temporary listing. Google does not publish a universal product-count threshold for when manual entry must be replaced, so base that decision on the time required to maintain every attribute and the frequency of changes. Manual records still need accurate identifiers, price, availability, landing-page and policy information.
Automatic additions from your online store
With automatic additions enabled, Google discovers product pages and extracts information such as title, price and availability from structured data on those pages. You can manage products found this way, hide them or stop managing them. If the same product is already supplied through another source, Google does not add a duplicate item through the crawl route. Eligibility is not automatic for every site: Google must be able to crawl the pages and extract the required attributes.
Merchant API
Merchant API is the current programmatic route for account, product and inventory management. Google recommends an API approach for large catalogs or situations in which products change frequently, while noting that it complements file uploads and automatic additions rather than making those methods obsolete. Using it requires development work, authentication, error handling and monitoring of API responses. It is the best fit when your systems need near-continuous, controlled updates instead of waiting for a manually prepared file.
Primary versus supplemental data sources
The source hierarchy determines what a source is allowed to do. Google’s rules are described in Create a product data source:
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems- Primary data source: the main catalog source and the only source type that can add or remove products. Its settings include target countries, language, data-source label and the marketing methods or destinations that use the data.
- Supplemental data source: an enrichment layer that updates details on products already present in a primary source. It cannot create a standalone catalog.
- Regional inventory data source: a supplemental source for regional price or availability. It can override those regional values, but it is not a replacement for a primary catalog.
For a supplemental source to apply, its product IDs must match IDs in the primary source. Google also instructs merchants to match the language and data-source label used by the primary source. If IDs, language or labels differ, the supplemental values will not attach to the intended products.
An older online-inventory update source has been deprecated. Google indicates that a supplemental source combined with a Take latest rule can provide similar price and availability update behavior. Do not configure a regional or supplemental source expecting it to create missing products; put the complete product set in the primary source first.
Data-source methods compared
| Method | Best fit for catalog and change rate | Attribute control | Technical effort | Creates or removes products? | Website markup or crawl dependency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File upload or scheduled retrieval | Batch catalogs; scheduled changes from an export system | High: you define each submitted field | Low to medium, depending on file generation and hosting | Yes, when configured as primary | None for submission; landing pages still need to meet policy requirements |
| Google Sheets | Teams maintaining a modest catalog in a spreadsheet | High for entered fields | Low; sharing permissions are critical | Yes, when primary | None for submission |
| Ecommerce-platform connection | Stores wanting synchronization from their commerce system | Depends on the integration’s field mapping | Varies by platform and implementation | Generally governed by the connected source configuration; verify the platform’s behavior | Not required for the connection itself |
| Website crawl and automatic additions | Stores with reliable product pages and structured data | Limited to what Google can extract | Low setup, but ongoing markup and crawl maintenance | Google can add discovered products through automatic additions; existing source duplicates are not added | Yes. Structured data must be complete, accurate and crawlable |
| Manual entry | Small or occasional assortments | High per product | Low per item, high as the catalog grows | Yes, for each item entered as a primary record | Landing pages still need valid information |
| Merchant API | Large catalogs, frequent changes and automated workflows | High, with software-defined updates | High; requires development and monitoring | Yes, for API-managed primary products and inventory operations | Not for submission, although landing pages and policy checks still matter |
Can Google crawl my website for product data?
Yes, if your site is eligible for automatic additions and Google can both crawl the product pages and extract the required structured data. Google’s guidance on structured data markup for Merchant Center says the markup should represent the values customers see on the product landing page. Price, availability and other marked-up values should not change merely because a visitor has a particular IP address or browser type.
Structured-data requirements
- Place product structured data on the product landing pages that Google is expected to discover.
- Make the marked-up price and availability agree with the visible customer-facing values.
- Include the attributes needed for Google to identify and evaluate the item; missing required information can make automatic additions ineligible.
- Allow Googlebot to access the pages, resources and markup. A robots rule, login wall or server failure can prevent extraction.
- Keep markup synchronized when inventory, price, variants or product status changes.
How often does the crawl run?
Google’s current help page says its automatic process checks websites at least once every 24 hours. That is a stated crawl frequency, not a guarantee that every change will appear in Merchant Center within exactly 24 hours. Eligibility and timing depend on whether Google can crawl the site and successfully extract the data. Automatic item updates can help correct stale price or availability information, but Google explicitly says they do not replace regular updates through a data source.
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Controlling crawled products
Products discovered through automatic additions can be managed in Merchant Center. You can hide an item or stop managing products found by Google if the crawl produces records you do not want to advertise. Review discovered products alongside your primary source so that the same item is not maintained by conflicting systems.
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Is Content API still available, or should I use Merchant API?
Use Merchant API for new programmatic work. In Google’s August 2025 Introducing Merchant API notice, Google states: The Merchant API replaces the Content API for Shopping as the primary interface for programmatic access.
The same announcement set August 18, 2026 as the Content API for Shopping shutdown date. That date has passed as of October 13, 2026, so Content API should be treated as a legacy interface rather than the current integration target.
The available material establishes the announced shutdown date, but it does not establish an undocumented extension or account-specific migration grace period. If an existing integration still calls Content API, plan its migration to Merchant API and test authentication, product creation, inventory updates, error handling and rate behavior in a non-production workflow before switching traffic.
Google’s Google Merchant Center API guidance positions API access alongside file uploads and automatic additions. An API is not mandatory simply because a catalog is large; choose it when the operational benefit of automated, frequent and controlled updates justifies the engineering cost.
Choosing a source combination for your workflow
Use a primary file or Sheet when
- Your catalog can be exported on a predictable schedule.
- Merchandising staff need to inspect or edit submitted attributes directly.
- You want a complete, auditable snapshot that can add and remove products.
Add a supplemental source when
- A separate file contains promotions, custom labels or other enrichment for products already in the primary source.
- Regional teams maintain local price or availability that must override the main values.
- You can keep product IDs, language and data-source labels aligned exactly.
Rely on website crawling when
- Your product pages expose stable, accurate structured data.
- Googlebot can crawl the pages without access restrictions.
- You accept that extraction timing and attribute coverage are controlled by Google rather than by your export job.
Choose Merchant API when
- Prices, stock or catalog membership change often enough that batch files become operationally slow.
- Your commerce, warehouse or pricing systems need direct synchronization.
- You have developers who can monitor failures and keep the integration current.
Many merchants combine methods: a primary file, platform connection or API for the catalog; a supplemental source for enrichment; and structured data or automatic item updates as an additional consistency check. The primary source remains the authority for whether a product exists.
Troubleshooting missing or stale products
A supplemental row does nothing
Confirm that the product already exists in the primary source, then compare the product ID, language and data-source label character for character. A supplemental source cannot create the missing item.
A product never appears from a website crawl
Check that automatic additions are enabled, the page is publicly crawlable, Googlebot is not blocked, and structured data contains the required attributes. Validate that the markup’s price and availability match what customers see. A page that renders data only after a blocked or unsupported process may not be extractable.
Price or availability is stale
Update the authoritative primary source first. Then inspect the landing-page markup and crawl access. Automatic item updates may reduce mismatches, but they are not a substitute for routine file, Sheet, platform or API updates.
Products are duplicated
Google does not add a duplicate discovered by automatic additions when the product is already supplied through another source. Review IDs and source assignments instead of creating a second record for the same item.
An API integration fails after the Content API date
Move the integration to Merchant API, review the current API documentation, and test each operation your application performs. Do not assume that an old Content API endpoint will continue to work because an account has not yet displayed an error.
Monitor source health after setup
After creating a source, review Merchant Center diagnostics and product status regularly. Look for fetch failures, disapproved items, missing attributes, price or availability mismatches and products that have not updated on the expected schedule. Record which system owns each field, keep product IDs stable and make one source primary so that corrections have a clear destination.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
