Set up Merchant Center

We would like to introduce the beta version of the Merchant API. It is the new version of the Content API for Shopping and the future.

For information about how Merchant API can improve your integration and how you can help shape the future, see Announcing the Merchant API Beta.

Since the Content API lets you programmatically interact with Google Merchant Center, the first step to using the Content API is setting up and testing your Merchant Center account.

Note: If you already have a Merchant Center account, skip to step 3.

To create and test your Merchant Center account, complete the following steps:

1. To create a new Merchant Center account, complete the steps in Sign up for Google Merchant Center.
2. In Merchant Center, configure the following account settings:
   1. Verify and claim your website URL. Merchant accounts with approved third-party CSSs aren't required to claim a website.
   2. Set up tax settings (US only).
3. In Merchant Center, find the unique identifier of your account, which is the number at the top-right corner of the page, above the account email address.

4. Run a products.list request using the API Explorer.

   1. Enter your account ID in the merchantId field.
   Note: All other request parameters are optional.
   1. In the Credentials section, select Google OAuth 2.0 and API key.
   2. Click Execute.
   3. If prompted, sign in with the Google Account associated with your Merchant Center account.

If your Merchant Center account is configured correctly, the request succeeds and returns an HTTP response code 200. However, since you just created a new account, the products.list method might not return any products. Later in this guide, you will add a product and then call products.list again to confirm that the operation succeeded.