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Google Merchant Center Integration

This guide will walk you through the steps to integrate your store with Google Merchant Center.

Written by Matthew Schwartz

Google Merchant Center Integration Setup Process

After setting up the GTM integration as noted above, follow these steps to get Merchant Center set up:

Step 1: Sign Up for Google Merchant Center

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  1. Sign up for Google Merchant Center:
    Visit Google Merchant Center and click “Get Started.” Select or Sign in using your Google account.

  2. Fill in your online store URL:
    Select “Yes” to confirm you have an online store. Enter your CrystalCommerce store website address, for example: https://mystorename.crystalcommerce.com.

  3. Provide your offline store details:
    If you have a physical store, fill in the shop details.

  4. Continue to Google Merchant Center:
    After entering the necessary store information, proceed by clicking the continue button.

  5. Enter your business information:
    Provide your official business name, and country of operation.

  6. Create and Continue:
    Review your details and click “Create Account” or “Create and Continue” to complete the setup.

Step 2: Create a Google Cloud Service Account

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To interact with the Google Content API for Shopping, you'll need a service account:

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console

  2. Click on Select a Project, near the top of the page.

  3. Select an existing project, if desired. Otherwise click on New Project, at the top right corner of the current popup window.

  4. Fill in the Project Name carefully; it cannot be changed later.

  5. Select your organization / location, if applicable.

  6. Click on the Create button and wait a few minutes until the project is created

  7. Click on the menu icon ≡, at the top left of the page.

  8. Navigate to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts and click “+ Create Service Account”.

  9. Assign a name and click on continue.

  10. Under Role, select ApiGatewayAdmin. NOTE: you can easily find the option by typing in the filter search box above the roles list. Click on continue.

  11. After the service account is created, click the blue link in the 'Email' column. When the service account details are shown, navigate to Keys tab → “Add Key” → “Create New Key” → choose JSON.

  12. This will automatically download a credentials file to your computer. You’ll need this for authentication.

Step 3: Enable and Set Up the Content API for Shopping

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To use the Content API and manage your Merchant Center product data programmatically, enable the API in your Google Cloud project:

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console, then select your Project from the top of the page.

  2. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library, search for Google Content API for Shopping, select it, and click “Enable”.

  3. Make sure the Content API for Shopping is successfully enabled for your project.

Step 4: Add Client Email to Merchant Center

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Grant access to the service account email from your downloaded .json credentials file:

  1. In Google Merchant Center, go to ⚙️ Settings Icon → People and Access.

  2. Click Add Person.

  3. Paste in the client email which can be found in your Google Cloud Console → Select Project → → IAM & Admin → Service Accounts.

  4. Select the Access type --> Admin.

  5. Click the Add User button at the bottom of the page.

Step 5: Add Shipping Policy

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  1. Go to the Google Merchant Center Shipping Services page.

  2. Click Get Started to begin setting up your shipping policy.

  3. If prompted, specify the countries where your products will be available for purchase.

  4. Once the initial setup is complete, enter the shipping details according to the selected countries.

  5. After entering all necessary information, click Save to apply the shipping policy.

⚠️ Important Requirement: Configuring a shipping policy is mandatory for listing products on Google Shopping. Incomplete or incorrect shipping settings can lead to disapprovals or limited visibility of your products. Ensure all shipping details are accurate and complete to comply with Google’s policies and maximize your product reach.

Step 6: Add Sales Tax

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⚠️ Important Requirement: Setting up tax is mandatory.

  1. Go to the Google Merchant Center Sales Tax Settings page.

  2. Select the appropriate settings.

  3. Click the Save button.

Step 7: Google Tag Manager

Important notes:

  • If you've never created a Google Tag Manager account, begin at step 1 below.

  • If you already have a Google Tag Manager account and have previously entered your container ID into the GTM integration page in your CrystalCommerce admin, the Google Merchant Center integration page will automatically fill in the GTM field with the same ID. Both integration pages share the same value, so if you update one, the other will update to the same ID.

  • If you already have a Google Tag Manager account and GTM container ID, but have never entered the container ID into the CrystalCommerce admin, you may log in to your GTM account, find the container, then skip to step 2 below.

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You can verify your website using Google Tag Manager. Follow the steps below to create a GTM account and complete the verification process:

  1. Create a Google Tag Manager Account:
    ​

    • Go to tagmanager.google.com and sign in with your Google account.

    • Click "Create Account".

    • Enter your Account Name (e.g., your company name).

    • Set the Country where your business operates.

    • Enter your Container Name (usually your website URL).

    • Select "Web" as the target platform.

    • Click "Create" and accept the Terms of Service.

  2. Locate Your GTM Container ID:
    Once your container is created in your Google Tag Manager account, you'll see the Container ID in the top-right corner of the dashboard. It looks like: GTM-XXXXXXX.


    Copy it and paste it into the form in the Google Merchant Center Integration settings page in your CrystalCommerce admin, in the GTM Container ID field — but do not submit the form yet. After pasting it, return here to complete the remaining steps.

Step 8: Upload Credentials and Enable Integration

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Complete these steps in the Google Merchant Center Integration settings page in your CrystalCommerce admin.

  1. Click the button in the "Upload the JSON file" section, and choose the .json credentials file which you downloaded onto your device in a previous step.

  2. If you already have a Merchant ID, enter it in the "Google Merchant ID" field. Otherwise, leave the field blank and we’ll try to detect it automatically.

  3. Check the box next to "Enable Google Merchant Services"

  4. Click the "Save Settings" button.

Step 9: Verify Your Website in Google Merchant Center

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Go to the Google Merchant Center to complete your website verification.

  • Fill out the "Your Online Store URL" field with the URL below, but replace the 'yourdatabasename' part with your actual CrystalCommerce database name. (https://yourdatabasename.crystalcommerce.com/verify_google_merchant

  • In the verification options, select Google Tag Manager.

  • Click on Verify your Online Shop and then Claim if prompted.

Step 10: Complete Google Merchant Center Requirements

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  1. Go to the Google Merchant Center page.

  2. Scroll to find the heading labeled "Show your products on Google."

  3. Complete the recommended actions to start listing.

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