Google tell you just How Good Your Data Feed is!

Google has added yet another addition to Google Base, "Data Quality" (Fig 1.) This time however it is contained within your dashboard and informs you of how your data feed complies, broken down into 7 sections. Most customers come to me with the problem that they feel their feeds are inaccurate, poor quality or in some cases believe their feeds comply with all regulations and recommendations, however, appear low on results. On inspection I usually find this to be the contrary and they are falling down with poor, incomplete or incorrectly formatted feeds. The sections contained within this additional "Data Quality" option are set out within the original and updated attribute help documentation. If you, as a user have followed these to the letter then the results given to you here will be slim if any. Covered in the Data Quality tab are: Summary - This shows current active items and the date of which your feed was last updated. Although, this is not new information to be found on the dashboard, the following are. Invalid Identifiers - UPC (a number other than the 12 digit expected), EAN (13,8 or 14 digit numbers are all that are allowed), ISBN (ISBN numbers should be in a 10 or 13 digit format) Invalid Condtions - Anything other than new, used or refurbished. Long Titles - Google recommend a title shorter than 70 Characters. Missing Identifiers - UPC, EAN, ISBN. Although as stated time and time before, It may be hard to locate these, but Google do respect these highly. Missing Conditions - Everything has a condition, be it new or used. Short Descriptions - Descriptions play a very strong part in getting results, if no attention is placed here then you can't surely expect to be highly ranked. For more help on supplying this data correctly see my previous post here. If you find yourself with results in all sections, don't panic, if there is no immediate error in the dashboard and your items are active then this is not an immediate case for concern, however, Google provide this information to improve your feed and results and this should always be taken on board. These suggestions will indeed ensure your feed complies with Google's recommendations, however it does not include the many recommended attributes or custom attributes you may have placed within your feed on creation or optimisation. It is by no means a solution to every feed issue, nor is it going to produce top quality feeds, this comes from providing relevant information most often added in custom attributes and a close knowledge of your products and which attributes will compliment these within your feed. My opinion of this feature is, it provides an excellent starting point to Google Base Users that have no idea where to start when solving issues with their feeds and even lends a hand in improving the quality of data. Currently, however, if your Data Quality summary is showing a perfect round score of 0 then, firstly congratulations but secondly, if you are search results are poor then this isn't going to shed any light on why as it stand. If you are still struggling with your results even after following all pointers set out in your Data Quality summary then why not take a look here and see if it helps.

Required, Recommended and Optional. Three attributes explained!

Google Base have always had three categories of attributes for inclusion in your data feed. With updates being added at intervals I thought I would bring you up to speed on the current situation/regulations. First lets cover Required attributes. It is a given in the name that these are a must in ALL data feeds. If you don't include any of these then your feed will ultimately fail. If I were to be completely honest, I wouldn't see any reason why these attributes would be left blank or any reason in which they were unable to be filled. The following are REQUIRED attributes. Description - This should always be a well thought out and sensibly worded description. Google allows a maximum of 10,000 characters and recommend it be more than three words. Simply copying your title will not enhance your items listing so think about what you would want to know about the product if you were looking to purchase it yourself. Also bare in mind that this will go towards search results so include VALID information. Spamming of words will also not improve your listing and could lead to disapproval. ID - This is a unique ID given to your products. It is critical that no change is made to this attribute once your initial feed has been processed. Link - Pretty simple and self explanatory, however, this also comes with rules. The link given on your product MUST point to the item listed. Forwarding of any type is strictly prohibited. When first setting up your Google Base settings you will be required to place an URL. All items must correspond to this URL. Price - Again, simple, however, this must be the final price of your item, excluding VAT or incorrect pricing stated to place you ahead of competitors is prohibited and will have your items removed. Title - Make this clear, include valid important information. This is the first thing customers will see, so make sure you get your point across. Google recommend a maximum length or 70 characters. Recommended attributes are next on the list. Although these are not required,they are considered important. The reason Google don't make them required is that some users simply can't access the relevant information. If you find this the case, then please don't fall into the trap of filling these in simply so you have included them. This will do no good for your feed and in some cases actually harm the results or result in a failure in feed processing. The following RECOMMENDED attributes are Brand - The brand name associated with your item (e.g Nike, Sony etc) condition - Basically a condition which is recognisable, New, Used, Refurbished etc. image_link - When including an image, ensure that it is a full sized image, Google will create the thumbnail shown on listings for you. If you have an image then ensure you include the "HTTP://" when referencing the location and if you have more than one image separate these with a comma when including the locations within your feed. A maximum of 10 URLs can be used. If you aren't lucky enough to have an image for your product and are unable to acquire one leave the image attribute blank, do not construct an "image unavailable" or "coming soon" image. isbn - If you are selling a book, this should always be included for optimum search result placement. Every book that has been printed since 1970 is required to have an ISBN number. ISBN numbers are assigned in either 10 or 13 digit numbers, if you have both, preference should be given to the 13 digit number in your listing. mpn - MPN (Manufacturer's Part Number) is a code that is unique to an individual product provided by the manufacturer. upc - If your product has a bar code, this is usually found below this. It is Universal so if you are posting in multiple countries (e.g UK,US and DE) then this would be an excellent attribute to try and include. weight - This can include the weight of your item in terms of shipping. It can take the form of multiple units, (e.g lbs, oz, g, kg etc), however be sure to include the unit value as if this is not declared the default unit of pounds will be assumed. Although the Required and Recommended attributes are considered the most important, and yes, make a great deal of difference in feeds, Optional attributes can bring a whole new level or results if implemented in the correct fashion. Optional attributes are not to be confused with Custom attributes and are as follows color - The importance of this attribute in terms of clothing is clearly apparent. One color is allowed and is to be given in a simple one word text description, (e.g, blue) expiration_date - This states when your item is subject to change or when the listing will expire, Google's default is 30 days from posting date, however, as I recommend updating your feed more than once in a 30 day period you can update this attribute when uploading your fresh feed so as your items never need reach the initial feeds expiry date. height - This has to be given in number and unit of measurement, please ensure you include a unit after your number as there is no default value in place here, unlike the weight attribute. length - As with height, provide and number value and unit of measurement. model_number - Not to be confused with MPN, this is the unique ID code/model number, given by the manufacturer of the product. (e.g K800i) payment_accepted - Include all methods you accept, there is no maximum limit set for include. payment_notes - Include any relevant information for buyers on selected payment types. (e.g Cash on pickup only, Cleared funds before delivery, etc) price_type - If you do not have a fixed price or are willing to negotiate on the final sale price be sure to include this. It could go a long way to securing a sale over others with a fixed price. product_type - A more detailed categorisation of your item. quantity - This would represent the quantity of of items available. If you are currently out of stock of an item, simply enter 0. shipping - Include cost of shipping to various locations and detail different methods and charges available. size - This is a text format attribute and should not be confused with height or width. Values would read small, large etc. tax - Detail tax charges buyers will incur dependant on location etc. width - Along with height and length, this is yet again another attribute that required a number and unit of measurement. year - The year should be used where applicable, for instance wines,cars, etc. Including the current year date simply to input this attribute is pointless if it holds no relevance to the item in question. That's it for the attributes supplied by Google under the three categories, however you can learn more about Custom attributes and how to create them here. Happy optimizing!