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Glossary
The language of feeds and catalog ads, in plain words.
Short definitions for the feed, ad tech and e-commerce terms you run into while deciding which products deserve the budget.
All terms, A to Z
Showing 36 of 107 terms
Additional Image LinkAdditional image link is the feed attribute that supplies extra product photos beyond the single required image_link, submitted to Google Merchant Center as…Read definitionAffiliate MarketingAffiliate marketing is a performance-based arrangement in which an online retailer pays a commission to an external website, blogger, or content creator for…Read definitionAge GroupAge group tells advertising platforms which life stage a product is designed for, sent through the g:age_group tag in an XML feed or an age_group column in a…Read definitionAggregatorAn aggregator is a system or platform that collects related items — products, content, or listings — from multiple separate sources and presents them together…Read definitionAnalyticsAnalytics, in the context of feed management, is the practice of collecting and interpreting the performance data a product catalog generates once it starts…Read definitionAPI (Application Programming Interface)An API, or application programming interface, is a defined contract that lets two separate pieces of software exchange data and trigger actions in each other…Read definitionAttributionAttribution is the process of identifying which touchpoints a shopper interacted with before converting — a Google Shopping ad, a retargeting banner, an…Read definitionAvailabilityAvailability, submitted as <g:availability> in Google Merchant Center feeds and availability in Meta Catalog, tells shopping platforms whether an item can…Read definitionAvailability DateAvailability date, submitted as <g:availability_date> in Google Merchant Center feeds, is the date and time an item scheduled as preorder becomes available to…Read definitionBatch ProcessingBatch processing is the practice of running a set of operations on a large group of records all at once, on a schedule or trigger, rather than handling each…Read definitionBehavioral TargetingBehavioral targeting is a digital advertising technique that shows shoppers products based on what they've actually done online — pages viewed, items added to…Read definitionBid ManagementBid management is the practice of setting and continuously adjusting how much an advertiser pays for clicks, impressions, or conversions across ad platforms…Read definitionBid StrategiesBid strategies are the specific rules an advertiser selects to translate a business goal — more conversions, a target return on ad spend, more visibility for…Read definitionBot FilteringBot filtering is the process of identifying and excluding non-human traffic — crawlers, scrapers, monitoring scripts, and automated bots — from analytics and…Read definitionBrandBrand, submitted as <g:brand> in Google Merchant Center feeds and brand in Meta Catalog, is the free-text name of the product's manufacturer or the brand under…Read definitionBreadcrumb NavigationBreadcrumb navigation is a secondary navigation element, usually displayed near the top of a page, that shows a shopper the path from the homepage down to the…Read definitionBulk EditingBulk editing is a feature that lets a merchant apply a single change to many products at once, instead of opening each listing individually to update its…Read definitionBusiness RulesBusiness rules are predefined conditions and actions that automatically transform product data within a feed — categorizing items, rewriting titles, adjusting…Read definitionChannel ManagementChannel management is the practice of overseeing how a merchant's products are presented, priced, and maintained across every place they're sold —…Read definitionColorColor is the product feed attribute that names the color of an item, submitted as g:color in an XML feed or as a color column in a CSV/TSV upload to Google…Read definitionConditionCondition, submitted as <g:condition> in Google Merchant Center feeds and condition in Meta Catalog, states the physical state of the item being sold,…Read definitionContent SyndicationContent syndication is the practice of distributing the same content — articles, product listings, or other structured data — to multiple third-party platforms…Read definitionConversion TrackingConversion tracking is the measurement of specific actions a user takes after interacting with an ad or listing — a purchase, a sign-up, an add-to-cart — that…Read definitionCustom LabelsCustom labels are five optional feed attributes, custom_label_0 through custom_label_4 in a spreadsheet feed, or the equivalent five g colon custom_label tags…Read definitionData FeedA data feed is a structured file — typically XML, CSV, or JSON — that packages a merchant's product or content records into rows of standardized fields,…Read definitionDemand ForecastingDemand forecasting is the practice of using historical sales data, seasonality, and market signals to predict how much of a product customers will want at a…Read definitionDynamic PricingDynamic pricing is the practice of adjusting a product's price automatically and continuously based on factors like demand, competitor pricing, and inventory…Read definitionE-commerce AnalyticsE-commerce analytics is the analysis of data generated across a retailer's online sales operations — traffic sources, product-level conversion rates, cart…Read definitionEngagement MetricsEngagement metrics are the quantitative signals that show how shoppers interact with a product listing before any purchase happens — click-through rate, time…Read definitionFeedA feed is the continuously regenerated flow of structured data — about products, inventory, content, or listings — from a source system to whatever channel…Read definitionFeed AutomationFeed automation is the use of scheduled rules and connected software to keep product feeds updated without a person manually editing files or re-uploading them…Read definitionFeed BenchmarkingFeed benchmarking is the practice of measuring a product feed's structure and performance against a defined standard — a competitor's listings, an industry…Read definitionFeed DistributionFeed distribution is the process of sending a product feed out from wherever it's generated to every marketplace, ad platform, and channel a merchant sells on,…Read definitionFeed OptimizationFeed optimization is the ongoing practice of improving the data in a product feed — titles, descriptions, images, and attributes — so that shopping platforms…Read definitionGenderGender is the product feed attribute that states which shopper demographic an item is designed for, submitted through the g:gender tag in XML or a gender…Read definitionGeotargetingGeotargeting is the practice of tailoring ads, product listings, and pricing to a shopper's geographic location — country, region, city, or a tightly defined…Read definitionGoogle Merchant CenterGoogle Merchant Center is the free platform Google provides for retailers to upload and manage their product data, acting as the gateway between a merchant's…Read definitionGoogle Product CategoryGoogle product category is the feed attribute, submitted as google_product_category in a spreadsheet feed or as the tag g colon google_product_category in an…Read definitionGTIN (Global Trade Item Number)GTIN, submitted as <g:gtin> in Google Merchant Center feeds and gtin in Meta Catalog, is the globally unique product identifier assigned by the manufacturer --…Read definitionHTML SitemapsAn HTML sitemap is a standard webpage — not a machine-readable file — that lists a site's main categories and pages in a structured, clickable format designed…Read definitionHTTP HeadersHTTP headers are the key-value pairs attached to every HTTP request and response that carry information about the request itself — separate from the actual…Read definitionHybrid MatchingHybrid matching is an approach to product identification and categorization that combines multiple matching techniques — exact identifier lookups like GTIN or…Read definitionImage LinkImage link is the feed attribute that tells a shopping channel where to find a product's main photo, submitted to Google Merchant Center as the <g:image_link>…Read definitionImage OptimizationImage optimization is the process of preparing product photography — resizing, compressing, and formatting images — so they load quickly without sacrificing…Read definitionImpression ShareImpression share is the percentage of eligible ad auctions in which a retailer's ad actually appeared, out of every auction it qualified to enter.Read definitionInventory ManagementInventory management, in the context of feed operations, is the practice of keeping stock levels and product availability data accurate and current so that…Read definitionItem Group IDAn item group ID is the feed attribute that ties multiple variants of the same base product — different sizes, colors, or configurations — together under one…Read definitionJavaScript Object Notation (JSON)JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data format built from nested key-value pairs and arrays, designed to represent structured data…Read definitionJoint VenturesA joint venture is a formal collaboration between two or more businesses that pool resources, audiences, or inventory to pursue a shared goal neither could…Read definitionKeyword AnalysisKeyword analysis is the research process of identifying which search terms shoppers actually use to find products, then evaluating those terms for volume,…Read definitionKeyword OptimizationKeyword optimization is the practice of applying researched search terms to product feed fields — titles, descriptions, and attributes — in the placement and…Read definitionKnowledge GraphA knowledge graph is a structured database of entities — people, places, organizations, products, and the relationships between them — that a search engine…Read definitionLanding Page OptimizationLanding page optimization is the practice of refining the page a shopper lands on after clicking a product feed-driven ad or organic listing, so that more of…Read definitionLead GenerationLead generation is the set of marketing activities aimed at identifying people who show genuine interest in a product and capturing enough information about…Read definitionLink BuildingLink building is the practice of earning inbound links from other websites to pages on your own site, most commonly category pages, buying guides, and…Read definitionListing QualityListing quality is a measure of how complete, accurate, and appealing a single product entry is within a feed — covering title clarity, image standards,…Read definitionLoad Time OptimizationLoad time optimization is the practice of reducing how long a webpage takes to become visible and interactive, typically by compressing assets, deferring…Read definitionLocal Inventory AdsLocal inventory ads extend standard product listing ads with real-time stock information from a retailer's physical stores, letting a shopper searching nearby…Read definitionLog File AnalysisLog file analysis is the practice of examining a web server's raw access logs to see exactly how search engine crawlers and shopping bots interact with a site…Read definitionLong-Tail KeywordsLong-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases — often four or more words — that individually have lower search volume than broad terms but…Read definitionMachine LearningMachine learning is a set of statistical techniques that let software learn patterns from data and make predictions without being explicitly programmed for…Read definitionMarket AnalysisMarket analysis is the practice of examining external conditions — competitor pricing, category demand trends, seasonal shifts, search interest — to inform how…Read definitionMaterialMaterial identifies what a product is physically made of — leather, cotton, oak, stainless steel — and is submitted through the g:material tag in an XML feed…Read definitionMetadataMetadata is descriptive information attached to a product that isn't the product itself but describes it — attributes like brand, material, category, or custom…Read definitionMPN (Manufacturer Part Number)MPN, submitted as <g:mpn> in Google Merchant Center feeds and mpn in Meta Catalog, is the manufacturer-assigned part number used to identify a specific product…Read definitionMultichannel MarketingMultichannel marketing is the practice of promoting and selling products across more than one marketing channel simultaneously — search ads, marketplaces,…Read definitionMultipackMultipack is a feed attribute, written as multipack in a spreadsheet feed or as the tag g colon multipack in an XML feed, that tells Google Shopping how many…Read definitionNavigation StructureNavigation structure is the overall organization of a website's pages into categories, subcategories, and menus that determine how visitors — and search engine…Read definitionNet ProfitNet profit is what remains from revenue after every cost of doing business — cost of goods, ad spend, shipping, fees, overhead — has been subtracted, and in…Read definitionNiche TargetingNiche targeting is the practice of narrowing a product feed's advertising focus to a specific, well-defined slice of the market — a particular hobby, product…Read definitionNormalizationNormalization is the process of reshaping inconsistent product data — mismatched units, casing, category names, or attribute formats — into the standard values…Read definitionOpen Graph TagsOpen Graph tags are HTML meta tags that tell social platforms and messaging apps how to render a preview when a page's URL is shared — specifying the title,…Read definitionOptimization ScoreAn optimization score is a single composite number, usually provided by an advertising or feed management platform, that estimates how much room a product…Read definitionOrganic SearchOrganic search is the unpaid traffic a website earns by ranking naturally in search engine results pages, as opposed to traffic bought through paid ads or…Read definitionOutreachOutreach is the deliberate act of contacting potential partners, publishers, platforms, or influencers to propose a specific collaboration — a product…Read definitionPatternPattern describes the visual design printed or woven into a product — striped, floral, polka dot, plaid — and is sent through the g:pattern tag in an XML feed…Read definitionPricePrice is the required product feed attribute that tells Google Merchant Center and Meta Catalog what a shopper pays for an item, submitted as the <g:price> tag…Read definitionPrice ComparisonPrice comparison is the practice — performed by shoppers, retailers, and dedicated third-party sites alike — of checking what a product costs across multiple…Read definitionProduct FeedA product feed is a structured file — usually XML, CSV, or JSON — that lists every item in a merchant's catalog along with the attributes shopping and…Read definitionProduct Listing Ads (PLA)Product Listing Ads, commonly abbreviated PLA and now marketed as Google Shopping ads, are advertisements that display a product's image, price, merchant name,…Read definitionProduct TypeProduct type is the feed attribute, written as product_type in a spreadsheet feed or as the tag g colon product_type in an XML feed, that carries a merchant's…Read definitionQuality ScoreQuality Score is a diagnostic metric search engines assign to keywords, ads, and — in feed-driven Shopping campaigns — product listings, reflecting how…Read definitionQuery ParameterA query parameter is a piece of data appended to a URL after a question mark, written as a key-value pair like ?color=blue, that tells the receiving page or…Read definitionRatings and ReviewsRatings and reviews are the star scores and written feedback that past customers leave about a product or seller, and in e-commerce they function as social…Read definitionReal-Time Bidding (RTB)Real-time bidding, or RTB, is the auction mechanism that decides which ad appears the instant a page loads or an app opens — a live bidding process that runs…Read definitionReturn on Investment (ROI)Return on investment, or ROI, measures the profitability of a given spend — typically ad spend on a feed-driven campaign — by comparing what was earned against…Read definitionRSS FeedAn RSS feed is a standardized XML format originally designed to syndicate blog posts and news headlines as a list of dated items, each with a title, link, and…Read definitionSale PriceSale price is the optional feed attribute -- <g:sale_price> in Google Merchant Center XML, sale_price in Meta Catalog -- used to show a discounted price…Read definitionSegmentationSegmentation is the process of dividing a broad customer base or product catalog into smaller groups that share a meaningful characteristic — behavior,…Read definitionShippingShipping is the composite feed attribute that reports per-item delivery cost and coverage, submitted to Google Merchant Center as one or more <g:shipping>…Read definitionShipping WeightShipping weight is the feed attribute that reports how much a shipped item weighs, submitted to Google Merchant Center as <g:shipping_weight> in the form of a…Read definitionSizeIn a product feed, size is the attribute that records which size of an item a given row represents, sent as g:size in XML or a size column in a CSV feed to…Read definitionSKUA SKU, short for stock keeping unit, is the unique alphanumeric code a retailer assigns internally to track one specific sellable item — down to the exact…Read definitionTaxTax is an optional Google Merchant Center attribute, submitted as <g:tax> in XML feeds, that explicitly tells Google how much sales tax to add on top of the…Read definitionTracking PixelA tracking pixel is a tiny, typically invisible graphic — often just 1x1 pixel — embedded in a webpage or email that loads a small image request when the page…Read definitionUnit Pricing MeasureUnit pricing measure is the Google Merchant Center attribute, submitted as <g:unit_pricing_measure>, that states how much product a single unit contains -- its…Read definitionURL ParametersURL parameters are the values embedded directly in a web address that tell a page or server how to filter, personalize, or track a specific visit, distinct…Read definitionVariantA variant is one specific buyable version of a base product — a particular size, color, material, or configuration — that shares the same core listing as its…Read definitionVideo LinkVideo link is the feed attribute that supplies a direct URL to a hosted product video, submitted to Google Merchant Center as the <g:video_link> tag.Read definitionVisibility ScoreA visibility score is a metric that estimates how prominently a website, product listing, or catalog segment appears in search results relative to its full…Read definitionWebhookA webhook is an automated notification that one system sends to another the moment a specific event occurs, delivered as an HTTP request to a pre-configured…Read definitionWidgetA widget is a small, self-contained piece of functionality — often a chunk of embeddable code — that can be dropped into a web page to display something…Read definitionWorkflow AutomationWorkflow automation is the use of software to run multi-step, repeatable processes without manual hand-offs between tasks — triggering an action, applying a…Read definitionYield ManagementYield management is a pricing strategy that adjusts prices dynamically based on demand, timing, and availability to extract the maximum possible revenue from a…Read definitionYield OptimizationYield optimization is the operational practice of continuously adjusting pricing, inventory allocation, and display or bidding rules to maximize the revenue a…Read definitionZero-Day VulnerabilityA zero-day vulnerability is a software flaw that has been discovered — often by attackers — but is not yet known to the vendor or fixed, meaning there is no…Read definitionZip Code TargetingZip code targeting is a precise form of location-based advertising that restricts or customizes ad delivery down to specific postal code areas rather than…Read definition
From definition to practice
Custom labels are just a field. What you put in them decides where the budget goes.
Feedance fills them with Product Score, 4T segment, Price War and Broken Size, so campaigns can be split by what actually sells.
