How Inaccurate Product Data Impacts Ad Performance

Anirban Sen
Apr 12
4 min read

Updated: Apr 15

Bad product data can waste your ad budget and hurt your campaign results. Here's what you need to know:

Common mistakes: Wrong GTINs, mismatched inventory, incorrect pricing, and missing details can cause ad rejections, lower visibility, and wasted clicks.
Key impacts:
- Ads get rejected, reducing reach.
- Higher costs from wasted clicks and poor targeting.
- Fewer conversions due to mismatched details.
- Increased CPC (cost-per-click) to stay visible.
Fix it: Regularly check your product data for accuracy, update your feeds, use tools like Google Merchant Center, and monitor performance daily.

Example: McNeela Music fixed GTIN errors in their product feed, leading to better ad visibility, lower costs, and higher revenue. Accurate data matters - don’t let mistakes derail your campaigns.

4 Ways Bad Product Data Hurts Ad Performance

Poor Ad Rankings and Reduced Visibility

Mistakes in product data can tank your ad rankings and make your products harder to find. Missing or incorrect GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers) can mess up categorization, meaning your ads won't show up for the searches you want. Plus, if Google's algorithms catch these errors, your products lose valuable exposure to potential buyers.

Increased Costs from Ad Rejections

Errors like invalid GTINs or mismatched pricing often lead to automatic ad rejections. This not only wastes your ad budget but also means lost sales. Here’s how rejected ads can impact your bottom line:

Problem	Financial Impact
Paused Campaigns	Missed sales opportunities
Time-Consuming Reviews	Higher management costs
Reduced Reach	Increased customer acquisition costs
Wasted Budget	Lower ROI

Fewer Clicks and Conversions

When the product details in your ads don't match what's on your site, it erodes customer trust. This mismatch can lead to:

Fewer clicks on your ads
Higher bounce rates on landing pages
Fewer conversions
A loss of credibility with potential customers

Higher Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

Bad data means you may need to increase your bids just to stay visible, driving up your cost-per-click and stretching your budget thin.

"Product feed optimization and management" – SenWired

Now that we’ve covered how poor data impacts your ads, it’s time to look at ways to fix these problems.

✨ Product Data Feed Optimization Technique That Crushes It ...

4 Steps to Fix Product Data Issues

Follow these four steps to improve your product data and enhance ad performance.

Check Data Quality Regularly

Every month, review key data points to ensure accuracy:

GTINs: Confirm they’re correct.
Pricing: Make sure prices reflect the current market.
Inventory: Verify that feed inventory matches your website.
Descriptions: Ensure they’re complete and accurate.

Update Product Feed Content

Keep your product feed aligned with search trends and Google's requirements:

Use product titles that include relevant search terms.
Write detailed descriptions with precise specifications.
Upload images that meet size and quality standards.
Assign products to the correct categories.

Consistency across sales channels reduces customer confusion and avoids ad disapprovals.

Use Data Management Tools

Tools like Google Merchant Center Diagnostics can help maintain feed accuracy by identifying issues such as:

Invalid or missing product identifiers.
Required attributes that are incomplete.
Pricing mismatches.
Policy compliance issues.

Set up automated alerts and create custom dashboards to catch and fix problems quickly.

Track Feed Performance Daily

Monitor your product feed every day to keep it optimized:

Look for disapproved items.
Confirm inventory stays synced.
Double-check price accuracy.
Verify shipping details.

Daily monitoring ensures your feed stays accurate and supports better campaign results.

Real Example: Cost of Wrong Product Data

Incorrect GTINs Caused Ad Issues

McNeela Music faced major setbacks in their Google Shopping campaigns due to incorrect GTINs in their product feed. A significant portion of their inventory was affected, leading to widespread ad disapprovals.

The problem originated from an inventory management system that failed to sync GTINs properly between the warehouse database and the product feed. This mismatch resulted in reduced ad visibility, lower click-through rates, and higher CPC.

Fixing the Data Turned Things Around

McNeela Music quickly addressed the problem with help from Senwired's data analytics team. They followed a two-step approach to resolve the issue:

Data Audit and CorrectionA detailed audit uncovered GTIN inconsistencies across multiple categories. The team systematically corrected these errors using precise optimization methods.
System IntegrationAutomated tools were introduced to verify data, ensuring consistent product information across all platforms. This prevented future GTIN mismatches and maintained data accuracy.

In just three months, the results were clear. Their product feed was almost fully approved, leading to better ad visibility, improved click-through rates, increased revenue, and lower CPC. This case highlights how maintaining accurate product data can directly improve ad performance and ROI.

Conclusion: Keep Product Data Accurate

Keeping product data accurate is essential for running successful ad campaigns. Even minor inconsistencies in your data can hurt ad performance and impact your bottom line. Errors in product data can lead to higher CPCs, reduced visibility, and frequent ad rejections.

To avoid these issues, regularly validate and manage your product data - especially for platforms like Google Shopping. This helps protect your ad rankings and visibility while preventing costly mistakes that could derail your campaigns.

Businesses that prioritize accurate product feeds often see noticeable improvements in ROI. With clean data, you can achieve better ad rankings, higher click-through rates, and lower CPCs. To keep your data in top shape, follow these steps:

Check data quality monthly to catch errors early.
Update your product feed regularly to reflect current inventory and pricing.
Use automated validation tools to streamline the process.
Monitor feed performance daily to identify and fix issues quickly.

Maintaining accurate product data isn’t a one-and-done task - it’s an ongoing effort. Treat your product feed like a key business asset. By doing so, you’ll reduce wasted ad spend and see better results across all your advertising channels.