SingleFeed

Google Base

Google Base has 7 types of custom attributes. Here are examples taken from Base Upload Instructions:

String Type: Any Text String

  1. Example: c:favorite_movie:string
  2. Example Value: Total Recall

Integer Type: Whole Number Value

  1. Example: c:revenue:integer
  2. Example Value: 32000000

Decimal Type: Number with a decimal point.

  1. Example: c:engine_displacement:decimal
  2. Example Value: 3.5

dateTime Type: Date and time, in ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss. (Times are based on the 24-hour clock.) You can also create a range of dates by including a start and end date, each in this format, and separating them with a forward slash.

  1. Example: c:birth_time:dateTime
  2. Example Value: 1979-10-12T03:44:26
  3. Example: c:dates_employed:dateTime
  4. Example Value: 2004-03-20T09:00:00/2006-03-10T17:00:00

Location Type: Location value. Addresses should be formatted as: street, city, state, postal code, country. Each location element should be separated by a comma.

  1. Example: c:interview_location:location
  2. Example Value: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA

URL Type: HTTP URL.

  1. Example: c:favorite_data_feed_management_company:url
  2. Example Value: http://www.singlefeed.com/

Boolean Type: Value may be either yes/no or true/false.

  1. Example: c:promo_offer:Boolean
  2. Example Value: true

Other examples include:

c:drum_lift_type:string

  1. Example Values: hoist, hydraulic, mechanical
    • Uses: This could be used for a forklift retailerc:cutting_depth:decimal
  2. Example Values: 2.5, 2.75, 3
    • Uses: This could be used for a power saw retailerc:caliber:decimal
  3. Example Values: .177, .22
    • Uses: This could be used for an air rifle retailer

c:serving_size:integer

  1. Example Values: 4, 6, 10
    • Uses: This could be used for a cappuccino machine retailer

c:adjustable_shoulder_straps:Boolean

  1. Example Values: True, False
    • Uses: This could be used for a lingerie retailer

c:customer_feedback:url

  1. Example Values: http://www.aesecurity.com/cufe.html
    • Uses: A million and one

c:customers_also_bought:url

  1. Example Values: [insert url]
    • Uses: Upselling other products

So how do you create your own custom attributes?

The c: tells Google Base that the attribute is a custom attribute (that’s an educated guess).
The part in between the colons (:) is the attribute name.
The final part is the kind of attribute.

Please note that attributes with two words are separated by an underscore ( _ ).

Once you enter these Google Base Custom attributes as headings in your feed, just fill in the corresponding field value in your feed for your product listings. You can leave a field blank if a product should not have a custom attribute associated with it.

As you can see from the examples above, these attributes are not hard to use and with a lot of knowledge about a product and just a bit of creativity, you can come up with a number of custom attributes.

Here are other examples to get you started:

  • c:hypo_allergenic:boolean (data in the feed can be true or false)
  • c:down:Boolean (data in the feed can be true or false)
  • c:thread_count:integer (data in the feed can be 200, 400, 600, etc.)
  • c:made_in:string (data in the feed can be USA, China, Egypt)
  • c:bed_size:string (data in the feed can be twin, double, queen, king)

I’m not a ‘beds or sheets’ expert, but I was able to come up with 5 custom attributes fairly easily. Why not start out by adding 2-3 custom attributes and take it from there. Eventually, Google Base will pick up on these attributes and make them into recommended (although not required) fields as they’ve done so for 22 categories. For example, if you sell computers, they recommend adding the following attributes:

  • battery_life
  • capacity
  • color
  • height
  • length
  • model_number
  • mpn
  • operating_system
  • optical_drive
  • processor_speed
  • recommended_usage
  • screen_size
  • tech_spec_link
  • upc
  • weight
  • width

These optional attributes aren’t custom attributes, so you don’t have to put a c:[insert_header]:[insert attribute type]. However, I’d still recommend taking the time to brainstorm additional attributes. My IBM (it wasn’t Lenovo when it was purchased) T43 could have the following custom attributes:

  • c:IBM_Active_Protection:Boolean
  • c:Fingerprint_Reader:Boolean
  • c:Touchpad:Boolean
  • c:Trackpoint:Boolean

Please note that you don’t have to turn SingleFeed’s current attributes into custom attributes. If you’re already submitting MPN, for example, SingleFeed is already processing it as a custom attribute.

Now it’s time to get started!