Missing product IDDetected
Add a stable ID or SKU at source.
PRODUCT FEED ERRORS
Common product feed errors and how to fix them
Use this troubleshooting hub to classify a feed problem, understand whether Product Feed Scan detects it today and fix the upstream source without inventing product data.
- ✓ Free initial scan
- ✓ Up to 100,000 products
- ✓ No store connection
- ✓ No account required
Classify the error before choosing a fix
Detected means the current production parser or ruleset reports the problem. Guide only means it is a common feed risk but is not currently scored automatically.
Product identifiers
Duplicate product IDDetected
Make the source identifier unique and persistent.
Missing brandDetected
Populate the brand or manufacturer when applicable.
Missing GTIN and MPNDetected
Add assigned identifiers when they exist; never fabricate them.
Invalid GTIN checksumGuide only
Verify the assigned identifier using an authoritative source.
Content
Missing or very short titleDetected
Export a descriptive title of at least 20 characters.
Missing or very short descriptionDetected
Provide useful source copy of at least 50 characters.
Duplicated titleGuide only
Review whether repeated content represents variants or accidental duplication.
Images
Missing primary imageDetected
Add a public primary image URL.
Invalid image URL syntaxDetected
Use a syntactically valid HTTP or HTTPS URL.
Broken or low-quality imageGuide only
Test the resource and image quality separately; the current scan does not fetch every image.
Commerce data
Missing or malformed priceDetected
Export a positive amount followed by a three-letter currency.
Missing or unsupported availabilityDetected
Use in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder or backorder.
Landing-page mismatchGuide only
Compare the live page with the feed using destination diagnostics or another crawl.
Catalog structure
Missing product categoryDetected
Populate category, product_type or google_product_category.
Malformed XML or CSVDetected
Repair syntax, headers, delimiters or quoting before auditing rows.
Incomplete attributesPartly detected
Current rules cover the supported normalized fields, not every channel attribute.
Variant relationship problemGuide only
Review item grouping and variant attributes outside the current scoring model.
Fix the widest failure first
- 01
Make the file readable
Resolve access, transfer, encoding, compression and parse blockers before interpreting product data.
- 02
Repair critical records
Prioritize IDs, product links and prices that fail current critical rules.
- 03
Fix the source mapping
When hundreds of products share one failure, correct the generator instead of editing exported rows.
- 04
Re-scan the regenerated feed
Confirm that affected counts changed and that the repair did not introduce another structural problem.
Transparent coverage, no invented capabilities
METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Deterministic checks, documented limits
Product Feed Scan parses public XML and CSV feeds incrementally, applies versioned rules to supported fields and groups failures by impact. It does not predict platform policy decisions, modify feeds or guarantee channel approval.
Product feed error questions
VISIBLE FAQ
Questions about this guide
Which errors should I fix first?+
Start with an unreadable file, missing IDs, product links and malformed prices. Then address high-volume image, availability and content problems before medium-priority coverage gaps.
Does Product Feed Scan detect every error listed here?+
No. Each item is explicitly marked as detected by the current rules or as a guide-only problem that needs another tool or manual review.
Should I invent missing GTIN values?+
No. Use identifiers assigned by the manufacturer when they exist. The current rule flags records where both GTIN and MPN are absent; applicability still requires product knowledge.
Can the scanner fix feed errors automatically?+
No. Product Feed Scan diagnoses the source and exports affected rows. Changes must be made in the catalog, feed generator or mapping responsible for the value.
FREE PRODUCT FEED SCAN
Check your feed →Measure the catalog before fixing it.
Scan a public XML or CSV feed, review the free score and unlock the complete private report only if you need every affected product.