Just starting
Launch clean from day one.
This is your complete checklist to launch clean from day one, without the expensive mistakes you pay for later.
Product · Google Shopping setup
Google Shopping setup checklist: 97 items
Everything you need for Google Shopping, packed into one sheet.
The same list I use the first time I open someone else's account. Priority, reason, and the exact location in the interface. Run it yourself.
Get the checklist
€39 · one-time, lifetime access
€13M+ ad spend managedGoogle Partner since 20188+ years on Google Ads
Before you go further
Are you making any of these mistakes without knowing it?
- You think your account is approved, but you never checked the Claim status.
- Your feed runs, but the price in the feed and the price on site do not match to the cent.
- You do not know whether you have item_group_id, or what it even does.
- You never checked whether your shipping policy is configured at all.
- You thought 'availability' was a detail, until you got a misrepresentation flag.
Recognise yourself in even one, and the sheet shows you exactly where to start.
Who it is for
For the owner getting ready for Shopping, or already burned by it.
Already tried and it failed
See where the holes are.
Account suspended, feed rejected, or campaigns simply not working. The sheet shows exactly where the holes are, in the order they get fixed.
Probably not for you if
You already have an agency doing this for you. Or you want theory, not concrete steps for your own account.
Why a checklist, not a course
A course gives you the feeling that you know. A checkbox tells you whether you do.
Course
You watch, you assume you know.
Checklist
Done or not done. No room to lie to yourself.
Why it is not the same as Search
Search ads run on keywords. Shopping runs on your product data.
The feed is the campaign. Price, availability, title, everything has to match the site exactly. The sheet covers that step by step, from zero.
The biggest risk: misrepresentation. One mismatch between the site and the account, and you get suspended. Check your feed free.
What is inside
Four tabs. 97 items, in the order they get done.
Tab 1
GMC + feed foundation
Account setup, verification, shipping, return policy, the 9 required attributes, misrepresentation prevention. Plus a glossary up front, so you know what every term means before you touch a row.
Tab 2
Feed optimisation
Every remaining feed attribute in priority order, title optimisation, custom labels, 2026 AI readiness (product_detail, video_link).
Tab 3
Campaign setup
Tracking checks before launch, campaign structure, bid strategy by spend level, brand and non-brand separation.
Tab 4
Ongoing optimisation
Weekly and monthly, for Search, Shopping and Performance Max. With a column for the last date checked.
How it is built
Built to be used, not admired.
01
Glossary built in
GTIN, MPN, item_group_id, misrepresentation. Every term explained in the same sheet, so you never have to go and Google it.
02
Exactly where in the interface
Not 'go to settings'. It says: 'Business information → Website → Claim'. Open it, click it, done.
03
Assign it to someone
An 'Owner' column on every item. If you have a developer or a VA, they know exactly what is theirs.
Numbers, not promises
Six real accounts. Six problems nobody caught in time.
GMC recovery · sports equipment
Feed problems nobody diagnosed for months. After the fixes, one account went to €873,000 in revenue. This is not the best result I have ever seen. It is the typical pattern when a feed gets cleaned up.
€873Krevenue
4.32×blended ROAS
€202Kin spend
Review sync
A wrong update cycle quietly killed the signal Google uses for ranking. Simple fix, once found. Nobody looked, because "everything seemed normal".
1,119reviews on the site
193in Merchant Center
Misrepresentation · multiple causes
Not one reason, a pile of small ones: wrong email in the policy pages, a GMC address that did not match the site, contact details different from the imprint. Together, a suspension that keeps coming back.
Product ratings · never activated
The client was convinced star ratings were showing. The Product Ratings program had never been activated. Competitors with stars, him without. A CTR gap he paid for every day.
Landing page not working · 329 products
The site loads fine in a browser. The server was blocking Google's crawler, treating it as an attack. Google sees a 404 and shuts down half the catalogue.
Mismatched product price
The feed update lags behind the site, or promotions and currencies are out of sync. Google disapproves the product. The client thinks campaigns "slowed down".
Every item in the sheet exists because one of these problems happened when it was missing. Clients anonymised. Numbers from real accounts.
No waiting in the dark
What happens when you pay.
Day 0
You email me, you get instructions and the link the same day.
Day 1
You open the sheet and start Tab 1.
Week 1
Account and feed are on solid ground, you carry on at your own pace.
that's me. hi.Google Partner since 2018
From me, personally
The same questions, answered once.
I kept answering the same questions over and over, one person at a time, in DMs. So I sat down and packed all of it into one place, with the exact location in the interface, not generic advice. This is that list.
Rachel, eCommerce brand. I am not a hero. I just have everything Google asks for, ready. So can you.
Every item has an instruction
Every item comes with instructions.
For items that need explaining, you get a screenshot of that exact screen and a short instruction. Not 'go to settings', but exactly where to click.
Example 01
Claim website
Merchant Center → Business information → Website → Claim. If it says 'Claimed by another account', you remove the tag from the old account first, then claim.
Example 02
Shipping and return policy
Merchant Center → Shipping and returns → Add shipping service. Without this, products stay 'Pending' and never enter the auction.
Example 03
item_group_id for variants
The same product in three sizes gets the same item_group_id and a different id. Get that wrong and Google reads them as duplicates.
If this looks complicated
It is normal for this to look like a lot the first time. It is not.
Pace
You go at your own pace
No deadline. Open it when you can, close it when a row is done.
97 rows
Not all at once
Stuck on one item does not mean stuck on everything. Skip it, come back later.
Help
If something is unclear, you write to me
You are not alone with a sheet and silence. I reply personally, usually the same day.
"I can guess my way through it." You can. But every account I have taken over thought it had everything covered, and every one had at least three holes. Not because the owner is careless, but because they guessed the order.
The offer
Exactly what you get for €39.
€39
One-time. Lifetime access, including future updates.
- 97 items, in 4 phases. From creating the Merchant Center account to weekly optimisation routines. You never have to guess the order.
- Glossary built in. GTIN, MPN, item_group_id, misrepresentation. Every term explained right where you see it.
- Exact location in the interface. Not 'go to settings'. It says exactly where to click.
- Owner column. Assign items to a developer or a VA and track who did what.
- Free future updates. Google changes things. You get the new version, no extra cost.
You email me, I reply personally, same day.
Not ready to buy
Then start free. Grade your feed first.
The free Feed Audit tool checks your current product feed and tells you what is broken right now. No email gymnastics, no call.
Questions
Google Shopping checklist FAQ
- Does it work for Shopify, WooCommerce, or any platform?
- Yes. The sheet covers Merchant Center and Google Ads settings, independent of the platform your store runs on.
- What format do I get?
- A Google Sheets link you copy to your own drive (File → Make a copy), plus an XLSX export if you prefer Excel.
- Is this the same as the free Feed Audit tool?
- No. The Feed Audit tool grades your feed right now. This sheet walks all four phases of preparation, from zero to ongoing maintenance.
- What if something is not clear?
- Email steph@adswithsteph.com. If you need deeper help after that, there is a consultation.
- Do I get future updates for free?
- Yes. Lifetime access means future versions too, at no extra cost.
Still not sure? Email me before you decide, not after.
What Google Shopping is, in short
The buyer sees the product image, the price and your store name, directly in Google search, before clicking anything.
You do not write ad copy. Google assembles the ad from the data already in your feed.