You may not have noticed, but Google has updated its product title guidelines in Merchant Center, which could affect the success of your Shopping Ads and free listings. Google recommends adding the brand name to a product title if it helps customers tell products apart.
Let's discuss what’s different, its importance, and what you can do to make it easier to find new updates.
What’s Changed
In May 2025, Google revised the guidelines for adding product titles on its structured data page. According to the updated recommendation, individuals must now have fewer contacts.
Most stores that sell products from various brands should include the brand name in their titles.
Emmanuel Flossie’s Take on It
E-commerce expert Emmanuel Flossie first noticed the shift. He noted that updating your product titles as soon as possible is a wise idea, even if it is not obligatory now.
He also said that improving your mobile app’s highlight can make your product more visible, attract more clicks, and ensure your listings are ready for new policies.
Why It Matters to SEO and PPC
Adding brand names to your products' titles improves your SEO and PPC results, not just because Google recommends it.
Here’s how:
- Improved CTR: Brand names attract more attention and are trusted more by shoppers. If you feature them in the title, you boost confidence and receive more clicks.
- Because of the focused queries, Google can display your products for people who are more interested in buying them.
- Better Quality Score for Shopping Ads: Google acknowledges and appreciates well-organized and meaningful data feeds.
What to Adopt and What to Avoid
✅ Adopt:
- Put the brand name at the beginning of the product title (e.g., Nike Running Shoes for Men).
- Use the official spokespersons for your feed if you have a personal brand name.
- Make sure the titles are easy to understand, short, and appropriate.
❌ Avoid:
- Only use your own store or domain name if you manufacture the product you’re selling.
- Do not use too many brands in your title or create titles that could be misleading.
- Do not include brands that are not related to the product.
Best Practices to Follow
Now that we understand why this is important, we can discuss how to benefit from it. In addition to rules, adding brand names to your product titles makes your store recognizable and helpful to customers when purchasing.
Whether you use Shopping Ads or display your items on the organic section of the Shopping tab, employing some clever tricks can help boost your click volume and increase sales.
Here’s how to do it right:
Final Thoughts
This update looks minor, but it is part of Google’s goal to make the Shopping section more useful for users. If you offer products from several brands, now would be a great time to set up your titles. It boosts exposure, clicks, and sales fast, and doing this may eventually be mandatory.
Today is the perfect day to improve your product titles for Google Shopping!
