Nexternal Solutions – Help Desk – Google Base Product Feed
Google Base or Google Product Search is a free comparison shopping service provided by Google. Google Base product results are displayed when a buyer searches Google for specific product information. When the customer finds the product they like, they are directed to the merchant’s website to purchase.
Nexternal makes it extremely easy not only publish your products to Google Base but to keep that product information updated. Additionally, once you provide Nexternal with your Google Base FTP information, we will update your Google Base account automatically every night.
There are two parts to setting up your Google Base Feed. First you will need to register and set up an account with Google Base. Next you will need to transfer some of your information from Google base into the Nexternal Order Management System.
Here are the steps to follow:
The first thing you will want to do is create a Google Base account at http://www.google.com/base/.
You will now need to configure your settings by clicking “Settings.”
On this page you will be asked to enter some information about your company.
Display Name: Your display name can be anything you choose but remember it will be displayed to your potential customers.
Description: This is optional, but will provide potential customers with more information about your company.
Website URL: If you are not using a domain alias (example: shop.yourdomain.com) the Website URL most be in the following format or it will be rejected; http://www.nexternal.com/ACCOUNTNAME. If you are using a domain alias put your domain alias in this field.
Save your settings and you are now ready prepare your items for upload.
Your company’s item list will now need to be setup within Google Base.
Click on “My Items”
Click on “Data Feeds”
Click on “New Data Feed”
You will now need to enter information regarding your product feed (the file containing your products that will be sent to Google).
Item Type: Most merchants should choose “Products” here, but your organization may differ.
Select the data feed you are registering: Here you will select Google Base.
File name: It isn’t imperative what you name this file, but it must end in .txt and must be the same name as that used in the Nexternal Order Management System (Products / Export / Marketplace Exports / Preferences / Google Base Options).
You will now need to sign-up for FTP access to Google. This will allow the Nexternal software to deposit your product file to Google. You can find your FTP Information in the Settings section or by going to http://www.google.com/base/updateftp.
You will need to choose an FTP username and password. This username and password will also need to be entered into the Nexternal Order Management System (Products / Export / Marketplace Exports / Preferences / Google Base Options).
Lastly you will need to enter your Google Base information in the Nexternal Order Management System (Products / Export / Marketplace Exports / Preferences / Google Base Options).
Google Base File Name: This should correspond to the file name chosen above. Google Base FTP User Name: This should correspond to the file name chosen above. Google Base FTP Password: This should correspond to the file name chosen above.
You should now be done setting up your automated Google Base Feed. Your feed will be uploaded within 24 hours and you may check the status of your product file upload by logging into your Google Base account.
Uploading to Google Base is an easy way to generate traffic to your online store and for the price it’s tough to beat. Nexternal also recommends feeding your products to the other marketplace we work with like Shopzilla, Yahoo Shopping and PriceGrabber. The set up is very similar to the Google upload and should only take you a few minutes for each marketplace.
If you have any questions on this topic feel free to contact us using the Nexternal Help Desk. You can also call us at 1-800-914-6161 or email us at ecommerce@nexternal.com.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
*** Just because the Nexternal’s software says the Google feed was successful, does not necessarily mean that Google accepted your data. It is imperative that you log into your Google Base account after the first feed has been sent to verify its status.
The three most common problems are:
A. The Website URL was not properly specified (See #3 above)
B. The file name specified in Nexternal’s software does not match the file name that is specified in Google.
C. The Item Type is not set to “Products”.
*** You may also want to consider exporting and manually uploading to Google the .txt file that Nexternal generates.
Export file: (Products > Export/Traffic Tools > Google Base). Upload to Google: (My Items > Uploads > Manual: Upload File).
eCommerce Ninja by day and husband & father by night. Since 2003 Ty has been part of the fast growing eCommerce industry both as an Account Manager and online retailer. Ty has played a vital role in the conversion, launch and day-to-day operations of hundreds of online businesses ranging from multi-million dollar corporations to one and two person companies.
