link is the URL of the product’s own page: it must start with http or https, follow RFC 3986, stay within 2,000 characters, sit on the domain verified on your account, be crawlable and open without a login, and any redirects must stay on that domain. Google fetches it to verify price and availability, so it has to work for a crawler in the United States, on desktop and mobile.
| Attribute | link |
|---|---|
| Requirement | Required for each product. |
| Format |
|
Google’s rules for link
- Use your verified domain name, the one verified during account setup or under Website Verification.
- Set all redirects to the same verified domain, and use as few as possible.
- The page must work on desktop and mobile, without registration or sign-in.
- Make sure Google can crawl it: robots.txt must not block the product paths.
Common mistakes, and the error each one becomes
- A relative path or a URL without a scheme. → Invalid URL [link]
- Links on a staging, marketplace or old domain. → Mismatched domains [link]
- Deleted products left in the feed, now returning 404. → Unavailable desktop landing page
- robots.txt disallowing product pages. → Desktop page not crawlable due to robots.txt
Where the value comes from on a connected store
| Shopify | The product’s online store URL with a ?variant= query for variants, on the store’s primary domain. |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | Each variation’s permalink as WooCommerce generates it, with the attribute query that selects the variation. |
The free feed check reads this attribute from any feed file and reports the defects above; every check is listed.
Questions merchants ask
Can the link carry tracking parameters?
Yes, if the page still opens the product and the parameters do not redirect off-domain. Google has separate attributes for ad tracking; the link itself should be the canonical product page where possible.
Do variants need their own link?
Each variant row should open its own variant, so Google’s crawler sees the right price, colour and stock. Platforms provide a variant query parameter for this.
Why does Google crawl my product pages at all?
To compare the page’s price and availability with the feed’s. The mismatch errors and the misrepresentation policy rest on that comparison.
Sources
- Link [link] — Google Merchant Center Help
- Product data specification — Google Merchant Center Help