What is Google Base? Will it work for me?

I have been using google base for some time and it has given me plenty of traffic. If you are selling items from your retail website and you want some traffic for relevant search terms in google this is the way to go. Grab a few of your keywords for what you sell, do a search on google, lets say “coach handbag” you will see at the top or bottom of the organic section of the page “Shopping results for coach handbag” this is where your items would show up. Having a google data feed setup would display your link  in this section. If your handy with an excel spreadsheet you can do this with ease and you will need to have a FREE google account to proceed.

Google Base is a place where you can easily submit all types of online and offline content, which we’ll make searchable on Google (if your content isn’t online yet, we’ll put it there). You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they do related searches. In fact, based on your items’ relevance, users may find them in their results for searches on Google Product Search and even our main Google web search.

• Cost: Free
• How to Submit: You can submit information about all types of online and offline content to Google Base, by either the standard web form or, if you have more than 10 items to submit, via a data feed. When you submit information via the web form, you can attach up to 15 digital files in the following formats: PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Text (.txt), HTML (.html), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Word Perfect (.wpd), ASCII, Unicode and XML. Please note: the files you upload may not exceed 20 megabytes total in size, and we reserve the right to review all items in order to ensure they comply with the Google Base Terms and Conditions.
• Languages: Google Base is currently available in English and German interfaces.
• Reach: Items you submit to Google Base might be found on Google properties like Google or Google Product Search.
• How it’s different: Google Base enables you to add attributes describing your content, so that searchers can easily find it. The more popular individual attributes become, the more often we’ll suggest them when others post the same items. Similarly, items that become more popular will show up as suggested item types in the Choose an existing item type drop-down menu.

Detailed instructions for providers in real estate, recipes, products.

1. Why should I use Google Base?
2. What are attributes?
3. Do I need a Google Account to use Google Base?
4. What kind of information can I submit?
5. How can I submit my item?
6. Do I need a website if I want my item to appear on Google properties?
7. In what formats can I submit my data feed?
8. Where will my item appear?
9. How will you control for irrelevant items like pornography or SPAM material?
10. How can I increase traffic to my items?

1. Why should I use Google Base?

If you have information you want to share with others but aren’t sure how to reach them, Google Base is for you. You can easily submit all types of online and offline content to Base, and if your content isn’t online yet, we’ll put it there. You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they do related searches. In fact, based on your items’ relevance, users may find them in their results for searches on Google Product Search and even our main Google web search. The main benefits of Google Base include:

• Free content hosting
  Google Base represents a new opportunity to put any kind of content online, even if it isn’t a web page.
• Distribution
  By bringing offline content online, Google Base is more accessible and useful. Even online content becomes more ‘discoverable’ when users are able to refine their search results based on attributes. You can also link users to your own website, thus making your content far more accessible to the world.
• Ease of Use
  Now you can go to one place to upload content to Google. You can post individual items by completing a simple web form or submit a data feed with ten or more items in standard formats such as TSV, RSS 1.0 and RSS 2.0.

Best of all, Google Base is entirely free. And you’re always in control; you can edit or archive your items whenever you want.

2. What are attributes?

Google Base lets you describe your items with detailed information called attributes, which will help searchers find your content more easily when they search on various Google properties.Attributes are words or phrases that help describe the characteristics and qualities of your items. For any given attribute you may enter multiple values separated by commas.For example: If you’re describing a recipe you want to share, your attributes might include ‘Theme: Breakfast’, ‘Main Ingredient: Eggs, Chicken’, and ‘Servings: 4′.

3. Do I need a Google Account to use Google Base?

Yes, to publish your own items, you must create a Google Account.

4. What kind of information can I submit?

Google’s goal is to organize the world’s information, and that includes almost anything you might want to contribute, whether it’s your store inventory, collection of original poetry, or research paper on cancer receptors. You can submit your information using either the standard web form or, if you have more than 10 items to submit, via our data feed options.When you submit information via the web form, you can attach up to 15 digital files in the following formats: PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Text (.txt), HTML (.html), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Word Perfect (.wpd), ASCII, Unicode and XML.Please note: the files you upload may not exceed 20 megabytes total in size, and we reserve the right to review all items in order to ensure they comply with the Google Base Terms and Conditions.

5. How can I submit my item?

To submit an item using our standard web form, visit Google Base and click on ‘Post your own item’. On the Post an Item page, choose an item type from the drop-down menu or create your own item type in the text box below. Then click “Next” to add details, edit, review and publish your item. In about 15 minutes, your item will have a unique web address and be visible to the world. If you have a website that you’d like to lead searchers to, be sure to include an attribute as type “Web URL” which includes the page’s full URL.If you’d like to submit more than ten items, you might want to consider submitting a data feed instead of doing so by hand (learn more about feeds).

6. Do I need a website if I want my item to appear on Google properties?

Nope. If you don’t have a website, Google will host your content (for free) on a unique web address.

7. In what formats can I submit my data feed?

Google Base will accept feeds in TSV, RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 Atom 0.3, and Atom 1.0 formats. This means that content providers who already have RSS feeds can easily submit their content to Google Base.

8. Where will my item appear?

We’ll host your item online if you don’t already have a website, and show it to anyone who searches for its unique URL or finds it while searching for related topics. Based on relevance, your item may appear on Google properties like Google Product Search and our main Google web search. Some example Google searches which include items from Google Base are:

• jobs
• homes for sale
• indian recipes

 

9. How will you control for irrelevant items like pornography or SPAM material?

All items that are uploaded into Google Base must comply with our Editorial Policies and Program Policies. Items that don’t meet these policies may be taken down based on our own checks or in response to user complaints.

10. How can I increase traffic to my items?

You can increase the likelihood that your items will appear when searchers enter a relevant query by including highly structured information with each item. This means including rich attributes that accurately represent your content. You can learn more about improving the quality of your items here.