This page provides answers to common questions about showing your local products on Google.
Data Sources
What should I do if I don't have information about products available in each of my stores?
You can submit the required inventory details for each store where you have product information. Add other stores to your inventory feed when you have their local product information.
My online store has information about what I have in each store, but I am not able to provide that via data source. Can I still have LIAs?
Yes, Google might be able to extract inventory data for your top products and add it to your Merchant Center account. Learn about Add in-store inventory automatically from your online store to Merchant Center.
Are a description and image required for all of my local products?
Yes. Google requires you to submit the description
[description] and image link [image_link] attributes for each item in your product data. Google can use the descriptions and images you’ve already submitted in your product data for your local items. To use an existing product data source that has not been enabled for local inventory ads or free local listings, you will need to enable the local add-on and select your data source usage to online and local shoppers. Learn more About data mapping across product data and accounts.Do I have to provide exact inventory quantities?
No, quantity is an optional attribute. To let Google know which product is available at which store, you must provide the product availability. If you'd like to provide quantity, you may submit placeholder quantities that match your approximate inventory levels. For example, 10 = in stock, 1 or 2 = limited availability, and 0 = out of stock.
Note: Google does not display exact inventory quantities for local inventory ads and free local listings. Whether you submit exact quantities or placeholder quantities, ads and listings display "in stock" or "limited availability".
Are there alternatives to provide daily inventory data updates if my pricing and inventory don't change frequently?
Yes. You can only submit products that you know are in stock. Before you upload your daily inventory data, set the Availability
[availability] as "in stock".Note: If you want to submit your inventory data every hour, contact our support team through our Contact Us form.
Can I have one inventory data source for each store instead of a single inventory data source for all stores?
We recommend one single, local inventory data source; however, you may upload multiple inventory data sources if multiple data sources are easier for you. If you have stores in several countries and want to show your local products in each, you will need to submit a local inventory feed for each country and every language.
Can I show products that I have on display and that customers can order?
Yes. Use the on display in store feature.
Tracking
What insights do I get when I use Google Analytics to track my local storefront?
Google Analytics measures actions that customers take on your Google-hosted page for your store, such as page views and clicks to get directions or call your store. It’s important to measure these online behaviors to get the full picture of your local storefront’s performance. Learn how to set up Google Analytics.
General
Can I change the maximum radius for ads or free listings showing my in-store products?
No. Google does not allow changes to the maximum radius for free local listings showing your in-store products. For local inventory ads you are able to target by geographic locations.
What if my store is too busy to participate in Google inventory checks?
Google works with you to make sure the inventory verifications are scheduled during the best time for each store. Our goal is to minimize impact on your store operations. Learn more About inventory verification.
Can I direct customers from local inventory ads and free local product listings to my website instead of a Google-hosted page for my store?
Yes. If your website meets Google's requirements, you can use the product pages with in-store availability to direct customers to your website when they click on your local inventory ads. In order to direct customers to your website when they click on your free local listings, you need to meet the requirements of the store-specific product pages with in-store availability and price feature.
How do I prevent outdated store information from showing up on my local storefront?
Make sure you keep the details in your Business Profiles current for all of your stores. If you can’t regularly manually maintain your Business Profiles, you may want to use the API to manage your Business Profiles. Learn how to use the API.
How do I show the in-store pickup option on ads showing my in-store products?
You can select your pickup experience in your Local Inventory Ads add-on. You can choose the pickup today pickup experience and the pickup later pickup experience.
I don't have my in-store inventory, but am able to ship products for my stores for pickup. Can I participate in Local Inventory ads?
Yes, if your customers are able to select a product to be picked up in store at a later date and you are able to show when that later date is, you can participate in pickup later with product data.