For merchants who already maintain a flat feed
Start with a UTF-8 tab-delimited product file from your spreadsheet or feed exporter, using exact Google attribute headers. MFP also reads comma- or semicolon-separated files for local checking. A Shopify product export is a different schema and needs deliberate field mapping first.
This tool does not import XML, XLSX, a Merchant account or a Google Sheets URL. Download a flat text file before using it. Google's tab-delimited file instructions explain the spreadsheet export format and submission filename; MFP does not submit it.
1. Compare two small product feeds
Both files contain three synthetic general-merchandise products and these ten columns: id, title, description, link, image_link, availability, price, condition, brand and mpn. The sample brand, identifiers and shop.example URLs are invented practice data, not a feed ready to submit.
This walkthrough is tested with browser version 1.0.1. It uses the existing rules snapshot; a successful practice file does not qualify every Google feed format or category.
2. Review the first file in the free demo
- Open the free Merchant Feed Preflight demo. Select Tab · TSV as the field separator, then load
feed-before.tsv. - Set the context to United States, Shopping ads, USD and General physical retail. These are practice settings; choose your actual context for your own file.
- Read the context acknowledgement, check it and choose Review feed. Three rows are within the demo's 50-row limit; larger files are refused in full.
| Source row | Attribute | Problem | Correction in practice file |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | id | LAMP-001 repeats row 2 | Use LAMP-002 for the distinct second lamp |
| 4 | image_link | A literal space makes the URL invalid | Replace it with the intended well-formed example URL |
| 4 | price | 12.00 EUR conflicts with selected USD | Use the intended 12.00 USD practice price |
The expected result is 3 rows, 3 errors, 0 warnings and 3 not-assessed findings with rules snapshot gmc-file-rules-2026-10-21. On your own file, a currency mismatch means verify the source price and intended market; changing a currency label is not currency conversion. Preserve stable IDs for existing products. Never invent GTINs or manufacturer identifiers to clear a finding.
3. Rerun the corrected file and understand the boundary
Choose feed-after.tsv, confirm the same separator and context, acknowledge it again and review. You should get 3 rows, 0 errors, 0 warnings and 3 not-assessed findings. The three outstanding areas are account and website eligibility, AI content origin and product-specific requirements outside this snapshot.
Zero file errors does not mean Google approval. MFP does not fetch the example links or images. It cannot verify landing-page prices, image quality, shipping/tax settings, crawlability, identifier ownership or policy compliance. Requirements also change; compare with Google's current product data specification. Your actual category and target market can require additional fields.
4. Choose the workflow that earns its cost
Google Merchant Center already reports product and account issues. If your feed is already there, begin with those diagnostics. Spreadsheet duplicate filters and simple validation can also catch some mistakes without an additional paid tool.
MFP's practical advantage is a local review before an upload, with original values, row references and official requirement links. It cannot resolve account suspensions, replace Merchant Center diagnostics or automatically fix a feed. The free demo reviews a file of up to 50 rows and does not export a report; the full edition reviews up to 50,000 rows and exports findings CSV. Your source file is never edited.
These worked results are deterministic operator examples created by BLZN Works, not customer feedback, independent human usage or evidence of Google account approval.