In case you haven’t noticed, Google is working hard to take a leading role in the eCommerce ecosystem.
By leveraging the power of its search engines to directly benefit sellers, manufacturers, and direct-to-consumer brands, Google is building stronger brand loyalty. This is what led to the launch of Google Manufacturer Center (GMfC) in 2015.
Google Manufacturer Center is a free tool that allows manufacturers to control and enhance their brand and product presence across Google Shopping, Search, and other Google services.
GMfC was created to solve the problem of poor-quality product data. Once brands or manufacturers set up their GMfC account, they can manage their identity and product information directly. This also gives them the ability to moderate the information used in ads by their resellers, helping prevent inaccurate or outdated content from being shown.
Closing the Gap with Amazon’s Marketplace Lead
GMfC follows a similar path to Amazon’s Seller Central and Vendor Central programs, though there are key differences in features. The most important? With GMfC, brands retain control over their listings and product descriptions—unlike Amazon’s Vendor Central, where Amazon takes over.
Amazon has also made brand engagement more complex in recent years, adding to the confusion. As Google ramps up its competition with Amazon to dominate online sales, GMfC offers brands a compelling reason to make the switch or expand their presence.
What GMfC Offers to Brands
In a word: control.
Historically, sellers were the ones deciding how products were displayed on Google. GMfC changes that by giving brands the power to shape their own image and how their products appear across Google’s platforms.
Product data submitted through Manufacturer Center is used to enrich Google’s overall product catalog. These inputs are considered the "source of truth" and will override any previously submitted data in Google Merchant Center. As a result, brands can treat GMfC as the definitive source of accurate, consistent, and trustworthy product information.
Tools for Insights and Strategy
With GMfC, brands gain access to product analytics and performance reports, including impressions, click-through rates, and keyword insights. These tools help build more effective strategies based on real customer behavior.
Brands can also provide GMfC with detailed product information, such as important keywords and selling points. Not only does this help listings surface more often in search results, but it also enables brands to highlight key features directly within the Google product interface.
Improved Conversion Rates
With more accurate and enriched product data, listings are easier to find and more relevant. This leads to higher-quality traffic and better conversion rates. GMfC directly supports performance by optimizing what shoppers see.
Stronger Brand Loyalty
Consistent, high-quality content across Google’s many touchpoints builds brand recognition, consumer trust, and long-term loyalty. Your brand stays top-of-mind throughout the buyer journey.
Proven Results
The international furniture brand Safavieh saw a 46% increase in impressions and a 35% increase in clicks after testing GMfC. Johnson & Johnson experienced a 22% increase in impressions and a 27% increase in clicks. Many other brands have also seen double-digit growth in performance metrics after adopting the tool.
How to Access Google Manufacturer Center
GMfC is available to brands and manufacturers in over 90 countries worldwide. You can check the full list of eligible countries here.
At Shoppingfeed, we’ve integrated Google Manufacturer Center as a partner data manager. That means if your brand is already a Shoppingfeed client and you have a GMfC account, your product data will be automatically synced with GMfC—so you can start enjoying all of these benefits right away.
