BugWP logo BugWP
Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → Google for woocommerce

How to Control Which Products Sync to Google Merchant Center

14 threads Sep 22, 2025 Plugin → Google for woocommerce

Content

Many WooCommerce store owners using the Google for WooCommerce plugin encounter a common challenge: they need more control over which products appear in their Google Merchant Center feed. Whether you want to exclude entire categories, hide variations, or prevent specific products from syncing, understanding your options is crucial for maintaining a clean feed and avoiding Google policy violations.

Why Product Control Matters

Based on community discussions, several scenarios require careful product selection:

  • Excluding products only available for in-store purchase
  • Hiding products with "Not Visible" status in WooCommerce
  • Preventing sale categories or promotional items from appearing in shopping campaigns
  • Managing variable products that create thousands of individual listings
  • Excluding products that don't meet Google's image or content requirements

Available Solutions Within the Plugin

1. Individual Product Visibility Settings

The most straightforward method is to control visibility product-by-product:

  1. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Products > All Products
  3. Edit a specific product
  4. Look for the "Google Listings & Ads" meta box
  5. Change the setting from "Sync and show" to "Don't sync and show"

This approach works well for stores with a small number of products to exclude, but becomes impractical for larger inventories.

2. Handling Variable Products

Many users report that variable products create separate listings for each variation, leading to thousands of unwanted products in Merchant Center. The plugin currently treats each variation as an individual product in the feed. To manage this:

  • You can set the parent variable product to "Sync and show" while setting individual variations to "Don't sync and show"
  • Alternatively, hide the entire variable product if you only want to show specific variations

Workarounds for Bulk Management

Category-Based Exclusion

While the Google for WooCommerce plugin doesn't include built-in category exclusion filters, community members have developed workarounds using custom code. These solutions typically involve hooking into the sync process to check product categories and prevent synchronization for specific categories.

Important Note: Custom coding should always be tested on a staging site first to avoid disrupting your live store.

Using Custom Fields for Conditional Logic

Some advanced users have implemented solutions that check custom post meta fields during synchronization. This allows for complex conditional logic where products are only synced if they meet specific criteria defined in custom fields.

Limitations and Considerations

It's important to understand the plugin's current limitations:

  • No native bulk category exclusion feature exists
  • Multilingual stores using WPML may face additional challenges
  • Changes to sync settings may take time to reflect in Google Merchant Center
  • Products set to "Don't sync and show" may still appear as "Issues to resolve" temporarily

Best Practices for Feed Management

  1. Plan your product structure carefully before connecting to Merchant Center
  2. Use consistent categorization to make future filtering easier
  3. Monitor your Merchant Center account regularly for policy violations
  4. Consider using a staging environment when testing custom solutions
  5. Keep detailed records of any custom code implementations

While the Google for WooCommerce plugin provides basic product visibility controls, stores with complex needs may need to explore custom development solutions or consider alternative feed management approaches. The key is to understand your specific requirements and implement a solution that maintains both your store's functionality and compliance with Google's policies.

Related Support Threads Support