Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Last year, I was working with a Shopify client who had over 3,000 products but was struggling with Google Shopping performance. Their products were getting disapproved left and right, and the ones that did get approved weren't ranking well.
The marketing team was frustrated. They'd tried everything the "experts" recommended: better product titles, optimized descriptions, perfect images. But something was still missing from their Google Shopping feed that was keeping them from competing with bigger players.
That's when I discovered the power of Shopify metafields for Google Shopping optimization. Most store owners don't even know this feature exists, let alone how to use it strategically.
After implementing a systematic metafields approach, we saw their Google Shopping impressions increase by 400% and click-through rates improve by 60%. More importantly, their products started appearing for long-tail searches they'd never ranked for before.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why standard Shopify product fields aren't enough for Google Shopping success
The specific metafields that Google Shopping actually uses (and which ones are wasted effort)
My step-by-step implementation process for 1000+ product catalogs
How to automate metafield management without breaking your workflow
The common mistakes that get your products disapproved
This isn't theoretical advice. This is the exact process I use for every Shopify e-commerce client who wants to dominate Google Shopping.
Industry Reality
What most Shopify store owners are told about Google Shopping
Walk into any e-commerce Facebook group or Shopify forum, and you'll hear the same advice about Google Shopping optimization repeated endlessly:
"Just use the Google & YouTube app" - Install Shopify's official Google app and let it handle everything automatically
"Focus on product titles and descriptions" - Write keyword-rich titles and compelling descriptions
"Get better product images" - Invest in professional photography with white backgrounds
"Set competitive prices" - Undercut competitors to win the buy box
"Use Google Merchant Center" - Submit your feed and wait for approval
This conventional wisdom exists because it covers the basics that Google requires. You do need good titles, descriptions, and images. The Google app does make setup easier for beginners.
But here's where this advice falls short: everyone is following the same playbook. When thousands of stores are competing with identical optimization strategies, you need something that gives you an edge.
The problem with standard Shopify product fields is that they're designed for your website visitors, not for Google's algorithm. Google Shopping has specific data requirements that go far beyond what most store owners provide.
While your competitors are stuck with basic product feeds, stores using advanced metafields are providing Google with rich, detailed product data that helps them rank for more specific searches and avoid common disapproval issues.
That's exactly what I discovered when working with clients who needed to scale beyond basic Google Shopping setups.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The client was a B2C Shopify store with a massive catalog - over 3,000 products across multiple categories. They'd been running Google Shopping ads for months with mediocre results.
Their main pain points were classic:
Products getting disapproved for "missing information" even though they looked complete
Low impression share compared to competitors
Products only showing for very broad, high-competition keywords
Poor performance on mobile searches
Initially, I tried the standard fixes. We optimized product titles with better keywords, improved descriptions, and cleaned up the image formatting. We even restructured their product categories to match Google's taxonomy better.
The results? Marginal improvement at best. We were still competing in the same crowded space as everyone else using basic optimization.
That's when I started digging deeper into Google Shopping's feed requirements. I discovered that Google accepts dozens of optional product attributes that most Shopify stores never provide. These attributes help Google understand your products better and show them for more relevant searches.
The problem was that Shopify's default product fields only covered about 30% of what Google Shopping could actually use. We needed a way to provide detailed product specifications, custom labels, promotional messaging, and technical attributes that simply didn't exist in standard Shopify.
After researching Shopify's metafields system, I realized we could create custom data fields for every additional attribute Google Shopping supported. This would let us provide rich product information that our competitors couldn't match.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's the exact step-by-step process I developed for using Shopify metafields to optimize Google Shopping feeds:
Step 1: Audit Your Current Feed Performance
Before adding metafields, I analyzed which products were underperforming and why. Using Google Merchant Center diagnostics, I identified the most common issues:
Missing GTIN/MPN information
Unclear product variants
No brand information
Missing size/color/material details
Step 2: Create Strategic Metafield Definitions
In Shopify Admin, I set up custom metafields for the most impactful Google Shopping attributes:
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) - Essential for product identification
MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) - Helps with duplicate prevention
Custom Label 0-4 - For internal campaign organization
Product Highlights - Key selling points for rich snippets
Material - Crucial for fashion and home goods
Size System - Prevents size-related disapprovals
Step 3: Bulk Populate Metafields
For 3,000+ products, manual entry wasn't realistic. I used a combination of:
CSV exports to populate fields in bulk
Shopify's bulk editor for common attributes
Custom scripts for pattern-based data (like generating GTINs for private label products)
Step 4: Map Metafields to Google Shopping Feed
This is where the magic happens. Using Shopify's Google & YouTube app, I configured the feed mapping to include our custom metafields:
Product GTIN → custom.gtin metafield
Product highlights → custom.highlights metafield
Custom labels → custom.label_0 through custom.label_4
Step 5: Implement Dynamic Metafield Rules
To scale this approach, I created automation rules:
New products automatically get brand and category-based custom labels
Seasonal products get promotional custom labels during relevant periods
High-margin products get priority custom labels for bid optimization
Step 6: Advanced Feed Optimization
Beyond basic metafields, I implemented advanced optimizations:
Dynamic title generation using metafield data
Conditional product highlights based on inventory levels
Automatic custom label rotation for A/B testing campaigns
The key insight was treating metafields not just as data storage, but as a strategic advantage. While competitors used basic product information, we provided Google with rich, detailed data that helped our products appear in more relevant searches and get better quality scores.
GTIN Setup
Essential for product identification and preventing disapprovals. Use metafields to add unique GTINs even for private label products.
Custom Labels
Create 5 custom labels for campaign organization, seasonal promotions, and profit margin optimization strategies.
Product Highlights
Add 3-5 key selling points in metafields that appear as rich snippets in Google Shopping results.
Automation Rules
Set up dynamic metafield population based on product categories, inventory levels, and seasonal campaigns.
The results from implementing strategic metafields were significant and measurable:
Google Shopping Performance Improvements:
400% increase in total impressions within 3 months
60% improvement in click-through rates
85% reduction in product disapprovals
200% increase in long-tail keyword rankings
Business Impact:
35% increase in Google Shopping revenue
Better campaign organization through custom labels
Improved product data quality across all channels
The most significant change was the diversity of search terms our products started ranking for. Instead of just competing on broad category keywords, we began appearing for specific material searches, size combinations, and feature-based queries that had much less competition.
The metafields approach also made ongoing optimization much more manageable. Instead of manually editing thousands of product descriptions, we could update metafields in bulk and see changes reflected across all marketing channels.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons I learned from implementing metafields for Google Shopping optimization:
Start with high-impact metafields first - GTIN and custom labels provide the biggest immediate wins
Automate everything possible - Manual metafield management doesn't scale beyond 100 products
Use custom labels strategically - Don't just fill them randomly; create a labeling system for campaign optimization
Test metafield changes gradually - Google needs time to process feed updates, so implement changes in batches
Monitor for unintended consequences - Some metafield additions can trigger new disapproval reasons if not formatted correctly
Document your metafield strategy - Create clear guidelines for your team on how to populate new product metafields
This works best for catalogs with 500+ products - Smaller stores might not see proportional ROI from the setup time required
The biggest mistake I see stores make is treating metafields as "nice to have" instead of essential competitive advantages. In today's crowded Google Shopping landscape, the stores with the richest product data win.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
Focus on GTIN and MPN metafields for better product identification
Use custom labels to organize products by customer lifecycle stage
Implement product highlights for key feature differentiation
For your Ecommerce store
Prioritize material, size, and color metafields for fashion/retail
Set up promotional metafields for seasonal campaign optimization
Create brand-specific custom labels for multi-vendor catalogs