Google Base Feeder Support Thread [OLD]

[kburner]

Google has changed many of there listing rules and format requirements. You need to download the current mod. Then check your feed for errors once uploaded. You may have to tweak the mod or your listings, just look though this thread for answers.

Does anyone know if this mod works with product - book? Does it load the ISBN, ISBN13 and other book information?

Thanks, Kim

[PinkLeopard]

Does anyone know if this mod works with product - book? Does it load the ISBN, ISBN13 and other book information?

Thanks, Kim

Kim, I am not sure about the ISBN information.

But here is what it shows on the Google Merchant site (speaking just for me)

Item URL

Details

Price: $ 11.00
brand: ? (for some reason my shop name shows up)
condition: used
product type: Tops
payment notes: GoogleCheckout

Contact information at the bottom.

The feeds generated only show the links to your store.

Hope that helps

Bridgett

[PinkLeopard]

Hi,

I dont understand this quite so much, but when I click on create product feed it creates records (I turned on debugging too), but when I come to view my feed the file is blank. I CHMOD the feed folder to 777. Anyone know why this is happening?

Thanks


{EDIT}

I just checked the XML file by manually downloading it and opening it and the data is there, but when I try to open it in Tools > Google Base Feeder > View Your Product Feed - no data appears.

This is what has worked for me....

Before you make any changes to google_base.php do the complete install including the sql.

1. Configure the feeder (configuration/google feeder)
If you just opened a google merchant account::give it some time to activate. Make sure all the configurations are correct; like username & pw.

2. Tools/Create Product Feed

It will look something like this:

Google Base Feeder v1.7.4 started 2010/01/13 13:15:06
Feed file - /home/xxxx/public_html/shop/feed/domain_products.xml
Processing: Feed - Yes, Upload - No
Google Base File Complete In 0.763691 Seconds 277 Records

3. Below the Create Product Feed is this line:

NOTE: You may view your product feed file before proceeding to step 2. Click on view. It should produce your feeds.

4. 5th line down is:

Upload Product Feed: Click [HERE] to upload products feed to Google Base.

Now, Google does not work that fast. Personally, I would install the feeder do all steps wait a bit and then do the final upload. Again, that's just my opinion. You may get a fail in uploading. Don't panic. Try it again in a few hours.

Now here are a few tips that I have experienced. Again, this is just me. Watch the CAPS in the title. Google told me to fix that.
If you are using inches " in your description you need to change that too otherwise it displays very alien and you will get kicked back from google.

Hope that helps!

Bridgett

[ElTel78]

This is what has worked for me....

Before you make any changes to google_base.php do the complete install including the sql.

1. Configure the feeder (configuration/google feeder)
If you just opened a google merchant account::give it some time to activate. Make sure all the configurations are correct; like username & pw.

2. Tools/Create Product Feed

It will look something like this:

Google Base Feeder v1.7.4 started 2010/01/13 13:15:06
Feed file - /home/xxxx/public_html/shop/feed/domain_products.xml
Processing: Feed - Yes, Upload - No
Google Base File Complete In 0.763691 Seconds 277 Records

3. Below the Create Product Feed is this line:

NOTE: You may view your product feed file before proceeding to step 2. Click on view. It should produce your feeds.

4. 5th line down is:

Upload Product Feed: Click [HERE] to upload products feed to Google Base.

Now, Google does not work that fast. Personally, I would install the feeder do all steps wait a bit and then do the final upload. Again, that's just my opinion. You may get a fail in uploading. Don't panic. Try it again in a few hours.

Now here are a few tips that I have experienced. Again, this is just me. Watch the CAPS in the title. Google told me to fix that.
If you are using inches " in your description you need to change that too otherwise it displays very alien and you will get kicked back from google.

Hope that helps!

Bridgett

Hi,

I managed to do it, I turned on debugging and it tells me that the data is being written, for some reason in Zen Cart I just cant seem to view it, but it is there. I have also managed to upload it via Zen Cart no problem. My only problem now remains that the feed seems to be unrecognisable to Google Base, I keep getting an 'XML Formatting Error' as reported in my Google Base account.

Any ideas why, have I missed some setting somewhere in Zen Cart or my GB account?

Thank you for the reply, always appreciated :)

Terry

[ElTel78]

Hi, I found what was causing the errors. I had setup the payments wrong and in the content I was using the words 'Free Shipping', which apparently you are not allowed to use. I was testing this and it is now coming up 17 or 17 inserted (although I get a few warnings about expriration - which I am researching now).

On the topic of expriration, it is currently set to 365 days in Zen Cart. Apparently Base products expire after 30 days right? So should I set it to 30 days in Zen Cart to remove the warnings? If I remove those warnings I have no errors or warnings whatsoever, then I can build on my feed. I am going to be constantly refreshing my feed probably once a week anyway.

A couple of other questions. How long until these products within the feed to become active? And is there a way of optimizing a feed or does this great module already take care of the SEO side of it?

Thanks
Terry

[PinkLeopard]

Hi, I found what was causing the errors. I had setup the payments wrong and in the content I was using the words 'Free Shipping', which apparently you are not allowed to use. I was testing this and it is now coming up 17 or 17 inserted (although I get a few warnings about expriration - which I am researching now).

On the topic of expriration, it is currently set to 365 days in Zen Cart. Apparently Base products expire after 30 days right? So should I set it to 30 days in Zen Cart to remove the warnings? If I remove those warnings I have no errors or warnings whatsoever, then I can build on my feed. I am going to be constantly refreshing my feed probably once a week anyway.

A couple of other questions. How long until these products within the feed to become active? And is there a way of optimizing a feed or does this great module already take care of the SEO side of it?

Thanks
Terry

Terry...so it seems to be going in the right direction!

I get the expiration thingy too and my feeds seem to be okay.

It takes a couple of days for the feeds to become active..at least that is my experience.

You need to check your Google Merchant Dashboard. It will show everything...active products...etc...patience with Google is the key here.

Also, if you use quotations of any kind that will be kicked back by Google.

Bridgett

[PinkLeopard]

Terry, how are setting the expiration in Zen Cart?

Also, free shipping is kinda tricky with Google Feeder. I kinda adjustment mine because I got kicked back too.

Bridgett

[PinkLeopard]

I would like to change the details within the sql to fit my needs.

For example, it reads this now:

Details

Price: $ 11.00
brand: ? (for some reason my shop name shows up)
condition: used
product type: Tops
payment notes: GoogleCheckout

I like the price...brand I want to change...condition I was to change...product type I want to change.....


waving to numinix for help

or if anyone else knows that would be great too.

I would like it more personalized to my store.

[ElTel78]

Go to 'Google Base Feeder Configuration' and 11 options down you see it says 'Expiration Date Adjust'? It is set to 365, so after reading Googles guidelines realised that feeds expire after 30 days if not refreshed. So I changed it to 30 and all of the warning messages disappeared. I was going to update the feed every 2 weeks anyway as I am going to be constantly working on my new site as it is going to be a big one :/

At the moment I am planning how to change my content so products dont get removed. I think I have it figured out to keep both Googles natural listings (serps) and Google base both happy, unfortunatly the products I am promoting require similar descriptions so I have to be careful about duplicate content :)

With regards to your problem, have you tried making a few alterations within the Google Base Feeder Config under 'configuration' in your admin section? Thats where I am stripping down most of the data so mostly content will show in Google Base.

Numinix, a question for you...

Compressing the feed file option in 'Google Base Feeder Configuration', how does that work exactly? Does it strip down data within the feed itself or is it a zip compression to enable a quicker download/upload for bigger feeds?

Nice work on the module by the way, thanks :)

Terry

[kburner]

Kim, I am not sure about the ISBN information.

But here is what it shows on the Google Merchant site (speaking just for me)

Item URL

Details

Price: $ 11.00
brand: ? (for some reason my shop name shows up)
condition: used
product type: Tops
payment notes: GoogleCheckout

Contact information at the bottom.

The feeds generated only show the links to your store.

Hope that helps

Bridgett

Thanks, Bridgett...Does anyone have the Book product working with this mod?

I want Google to get ISBN, ISB13 and all data.

Kim