Google revealed it’s working to bridge the gap between two key product data sources that power its shopping results – website markup using schema.org structured data and product feeds submitted via Google Merchant Center.
The initiative, mentioned during a recent “Search Off The Record” podcast episode, aims to achieve one-to-one parity between the product attributes supported by schema.org’s open-source standards and Google’s merchant feed specifications.
Leveraging Dual Product Data Pipelines
In search results, Google leverages structured data markup, and Merchant Center product feeds to surface rich product listings.
Irina Tuduce, a longtime Google employee involved with the company’s shopping search infrastructure, says merchants should utilize both options.
Tuduce stated:
“We recommend doing both. Because, as I said, in signing up on the Merchant Center UI, you make sure some of your inventory, the one that you specify, will be in the Shopping results. And you can make sure you’ll be on dotcom on the Shopping tab and Image …