Adding GTINs Is Not Feed Optimisation
When most agencies talk about feed optimisation, they mean one-time setup tasks: adding GTINs, fixing product types, filling in required fields, ensuring products aren't disapproved.
This is hygiene, not optimisation. It's necessary but not sufficient. It gets your products showing. It doesn't get them showing for the right searches.
Feed optimisation isn't about what Google requires. It's about controlling which searches your products appear for. That's an ongoing commercial decision, not a technical setup task.
The agencies that treat feed work as "done" after initial setup are leaving the most important lever untouched. Query matching determines which traffic you buy. Everything else is downstream.
What Agencies Usually Do (And Stop)
Here's the typical agency feed workflow:
Initial Audit
Check for disapprovals, missing required fields, and obvious errors. Generate a report showing "X issues fixed."
Add GTINs and MPNs
Populate product identifiers where missing. Often done in bulk with varying accuracy.
Fix Product Types
Map products to Google's taxonomy. Usually done once and rarely updated for new products.
Declare "Optimised"
Move to bidding and campaign structure. Feed is considered "done" and rarely touched again.
What They Skip
- • Title optimisation for query qualification
- • Ongoing search terms analysis
- • A/B testing of feed attributes
- • Commercial segmentation via custom labels
- • Regular refinement based on performance
What "Good" Actually Looks Like in Mature Accounts
In accounts where feed optimisation is done properly, you see ongoing, measurable work:
Query-Qualified Titles
Titles are crafted to attract right-intent searches and repel wrong ones. Not keyword-stuffed, but strategically descriptive of product quality, material, and use case.
Regular Search Terms Analysis
Weekly or bi-weekly review of which searches trigger products. Feed adjustments made to correct mismatches. Negative keywords as a backup, not the primary fix.
Title Testing
Systematic testing of title variations to improve CTR and conversion. A change log showing what was tested, when, and what results it produced.
Commercial Custom Labels
Custom labels used for margin tiers, stock levels, seasonal flags, and promotional status. Enables strategic bidding based on commercial reality, not just product category.
Performance-Driven Updates
Feed attributes updated based on performance data. Products that underperform get title reviews. High performers get attributes that made them work applied to similar products.
Why Most Agencies Avoid It
Feed work is the least glamorous part of PPC. It's also one of the most impactful. Here's why agencies avoid it:
It's Invisible Work
Bid changes show up in reports. Feed changes don't. Agencies prefer work that generates visible activity.
Results Are Slow
Feed changes take time to propagate and affect matching. Bidding changes show impact within days. Slow results don't fit monthly reporting cycles.
Requires Coordination
Feed changes often need client platform access or developer involvement. It's easier to stay in Google Ads than coordinate across teams.
Specialist Skill
Good feed work requires understanding both technical feed structure and commercial strategy. Many account managers lack this combination.
The agencies that do feed work well usually charge more. They're not selling "Google Ads management." They're selling commercial control over where your budget flows.
Questions to Test Your Agency
Want to know if your agency actually does feed optimisation? Ask these questions:
"Show me your feed change log from the last 90 days."
What you want to see: Documented title changes, attribute updates, and the reasoning behind each. If there's nothing, they're not doing ongoing optimisation.
"Which product titles have you tested this quarter?"
What you want to see: Specific examples with before/after titles and performance comparison. Vague answers mean no testing is happening.
"How do you use custom labels commercially?"
What you want to see: Labels for margin tiers, stock status, seasonality, or promotional flags used to segment bidding. Not just category labels.
"What search terms triggered our products last week that shouldn't have?"
What you want to see: Specific examples and how feed changes are being made to prevent them. If they can't answer, they're not monitoring query matching.
If your agency can't answer these specifically, they're doing setup and calling it optimisation. You're paying for ongoing work that isn't happening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does proper feed optimisation include?
Proper feed optimisation includes query-qualified titles, complete attributes for filtering, regular search terms analysis, ongoing title testing, commercial segmentation via custom labels, and continuous refinement based on performance data. It's an ongoing process, not a one-time setup.
Why do agencies avoid product feed work?
Feed work is invisible and slow to show results. It doesn't generate impressive activity reports. It often requires coordination with the client's platform or development team. Many agencies lack the expertise or don't prioritise it because bidding changes are faster and more visible.
How can I tell if my agency is doing feed optimisation properly?
Ask for their feed change log from the past 90 days. Ask which titles they've tested. Ask how they use custom labels commercially. If they can't answer specifically, they're doing setup work and calling it optimisation.
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