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Integrating with your Google Merchant Center allows you to promote your products and stores across Google platforms—like Search, Shopping, Maps, and Lens. This visibility helps drive traffic to your business, both online and in-store. This article will show you how to integrate the eTailPet system with your Google Merchant Center account. Get started now!

Google Merchant Center vs. Google Business Profile

These are two different major services and require separate account setups. Here are the purposes of each service:

• Google Business Profile: Manages your physical store's local map listing, hours, reviews, and basic contact info. 
• Google Merchant Center: Stores and manages your inventory data, product prices, and images to display items across Google Search, Maps, and Shopping.  

💡Please Note: If you have already set up for the Local Inventory on Google, you are already set up with your Google Merchant Center, as that is one of the services offered in the Merchant Center. This article will show you the other features of the Merchant Center in which you may be interested.

Prerequisites

Product Website Visibility

You will want to make sure all of the products you intend to sell online are set to Show On Website. If you need to change multiple products to that level of visibility, you can do so by going to Manage Catalog > My Products.

On the page you'll want to filter to the products you want to change, then do the following:

1. Select all the products you want to adjust (check boxes). If the results go across multiple pages, you can select all results on the left above the data table, as pictured above.
2. Under the Action Menu (Three-Dot-Stack button on the right), click the Batch Actions button.
3. In the Batch Action window, check the box for Show on Website > Yes.
4. Click the Save button.

Product Feed Activation

Before you start working on your Google Merchant Center, you will need to go to Content > Configuration and scroll down to the Enable Product Feed setting and make sure the box is checked. If you make a change, be sure to click Save. Later in the process, you will need to the link for the Google Merchant Local Inventory Feed TXT, which is used for Local Inventory and for your regular product listings with Google, highlighted below.

Get Started With the Google Merchant Center

1. Create Your Google Merchant Account

Go to Google Merchant Center Sign-Up and create your account by clicking here.
Fill out your business details and submit.

2. Select Google Services

Choose the services you'd like to enable; Google will walk you through this.

3. Verify Your Website

After entering your website URL, Google will request verification.

1. Click Fix It.
2. Choose I have access to my server in the lower right, as pictured below.
3. Select Add an HTML tag to my homepage (not shown).

To add the meta tag:

1. Log into your eTailPet Dashboard.
2. Go to: Content > Custom Content > Custom HTML Code. Click the Change button.
3. Paste the meta tag from Google into the Head column of the “/” Path as pictured below. You will not need anything in the Body column for this tag.
4. Save your changes in the lower right.
5. Return to your Merchant Center and click Verify.

4. Claim Your Website URL

After verification, click Claim URL to complete this step.

5. Create a Product Feed

Go to Products > Feeds > Add Product Feed.

Enter the following details:

6. Configure the Feed Fetch Settings

7. Verify Feed Import and Product Listings

• After setup, your products should begin importing automatically. This process can take up to 24 hours.
• Go to Products > Diagnostics in your Google Merchant Center to monitor:
  • Feed Errors
  • Disapproved Items
  • Policy Warnings
• Fix any issues you find to ensure all products are approved and eligible for display.

8. (Optional) Configure Tax Settings

To avoid listing issues related to Tax:

• Go to Tools & Settings > Sales Tax in your Google Merchant Center.
• Define tax rules under Surfaces Across Google settings based on your region.

✅ Final Notes

• Make sure your product pages remain publicly accessible until they are indexed.
• You can always refine your feed or Merchant settings post-initial setup.
• Be proactive in checking the Diagnostics tab to catch issues early.

Related Topics

Settings: Stores Tab

Product Batch Actions

Content Configuration

Custom Content

Local Inventory on Google Integration

Google Analytics and Tags

Google Business Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I have a question, but I can't find my answer here. How do I get more assistance?

A: You can ask any question at the number listed here. Contact our support team at (323) 370-0738 for the U.S. and (888) 370-2363 for Canada.