Reaching customers amid competition from other online stores is becoming increasingly difficult. One of the ways to reach a wider audience is advertising on product comparison sites. For that, you need an XML feed.
In today’s article, you’ll learn what an XML feed is and how to easily create one directly in your WooCommerce store.
What is an XML feed?
An XML feed is a file containing data about your product catalog that you want to list on product comparison sites. Thanks to an XML feed, these shopping platforms can load up-to-date information about your offer and display it to customers.
With tools that automatically generate and update XML feeds, you can easily create feeds for your store as well. If there are multiple relevant comparison sites for your product range, nothing prevents you from using several of them—although in most cases you will need a separate feed for each one. The requirements of individual platforms differ slightly.
Do I need an XML feed for a WooCommerce store?
If you want to advertise on product comparison sites, then yes. The advantage of advertising on comparison sites and shopping search engines is undoubtedly a high conversion rate. Customers visit these platforms with the intent to buy, so there is a high chance that a purchase will actually happen.
TIP: Want to learn more about product comparison sites and how to choose the right one for your store? Check out our article about product comparison sites.
Thanks to product comparison sites, you can reach a much wider audience that might not otherwise visit your online store, and you can advertise side by side with your competitors.
What’s more, you don’t pay for product impressions. A fee is usually charged only when a customer clicks through to your store. And at that point, the sale is often just around the corner.
The position where your products appear is determined not only by the price you are willing to pay per click, but also by the quality of your offer.
What does an XML feed for product comparison sites contain?
An XML feed contains data used to present your product to customers and ensure it is properly categorized in the comparison site’s listings. Each comparison site or search engine may have slightly different requirements for XML feed data, but in general it includes:
- product name
- product ID
- product description
- product category
- product price
- product availability
- brand/manufacturer
- product image URL
- product URL
- product SKU
- product dimensions/weight
Because each platform has different requirements, you will need a separate feed with the required fields for each comparison site. Some platforms also distinguish between mandatory and optional fields. Optional fields are not strictly required, but they improve your listing both for customers and for the comparison site itself.
More relevant data in the feed = a higher-quality feed.
A higher-quality feed (and therefore your listing) can move you higher in the displayed results. This leads to more clicks and therefore more potential sales.
How to create an XML feed in WooCommerce and connect your store to product comparison sites?
Do you have a WooCommerce-based store and want to start advertising on product comparison sites? We have good news. Creating XML feeds in WooCommerce is easy with the right plugin. The advantage of generating a feed using a plugin is that it pulls the data into the file that you already have filled in for your products in the store. This way you can create even large feeds with thousands of items simply by clicking through the store administration.
In the following guide, we will create an XML feed using the Toret plugin.
Toret XML Feeds
Easy XML feed generation directly in WooCommerce
With Toret XML Feeds, you can easily create feeds for well-known Czech, international, and global comparison sites (Heuréka, Zboží.cz, Google Shopping, Glami, and many more). The plugin lets you create an unlimited number of feeds and fine-tune them in detail.
How to generate an XML feed in WooCommerce
1. In the XML Feeds plugin interface, enter the feed name and select the comparison site it is intended for. After clicking “Create,” the feed will appear at the bottom of the screen.
2. In the feed settings, choose which products the feed should be generated for. You can include all products or only products from selected categories. Specific products or categories can be excluded from feeds. You can set exclusions directly in the detail of a specific product/category.
3. If the comparison site uses categories, you need to map them to your store categories. The fields for comparison-site categories include autocomplete, which helps you find the appropriate categories on the platform.
4. In the settings, you can just as easily edit default values and other feed attributes, such as the product name format, the description used, generation options, and more. Finish the setup by clicking “Save.”
5. After you finish your edits, click “Generate feed.” You have now generated an XML feed of your product offer.
6. To keep your XML feed always up to date, it needs to be generated automatically on a recurring basis. You can ensure this using CRON, which you set up in your hosting provider’s client area.
In the CRON column, you’ll find the feed URL. Copy it and paste it into the designated field on your hosting, where you also set how often it should run. The CRON interval is individual—it depends on whether you generate the XML feed all at once or in batches. Ideally, the entire feed should be updated at least once per day.
TIP: The XML Feeds plugin documentation will guide you through feed setup and generation in detail.
7. Once your feed is ready, you can start registering your store on the chosen comparison site. Registration is done by filling out a form and creating an account, which then goes through an approval process. In the table below, we list registration links for the comparison sites for which you can generate feeds using the XML Feeds plugin.
| Comparison site | Registration |
|---|---|
| Heuréka.cz | https://heureka.group/cz-cs/pro-e-shopy/registrovat-novy-e-shop/ |
| Heuréka.sk | https://heureka.group/sk-sk/pre-e-shopy/registrovat-novy-e-shop/ |
| Zboží.cz | https://klient.seznam.cz/registration/zbozi/ |
| Google Shopping | https://www.google.com/retail/ |
| Glami | https://www.glami.cz/info/pridat-obchod/ |
| Pricemania | https://admin.pricemania.cz/registrace-obchodu |
| Srovnáme.cz | https://www.srovname.cz/muj-obchod/registrace |
| Najnákup.sk | https://www.najnakup.sk/registracia |
| Árukereső.hu | https://www.arukereso.hu/admin/ |
| Compari | https://www.compari.ro/admin/ |
8. The final step is to enter the XML feed URL during your store registration on the chosen comparison site. Open the feed by clicking “View”…
…and copy the URL from your browser’s address bar. Then paste this URL into the designated field on the selected comparison site.
After registration is completed and your store is approved, the selected comparison site can start loading your product offer.
TIP: Besides feed generation itself, it’s also important to evaluate the performance of your campaigns on comparison sites. For data tracking, you can use the Product Comparison Sites plugin. This plugin also lets you display customer reviews and certificates from comparison sites directly in your store.
Don’t underestimate the power of product comparison sites
Now you know that XML feeds are the communication bridge between product comparison sites and your store. Thanks to them, you can list your products on comparison sites and shopping search engines where you can reach potential buyers. XML feeds and comparison sites are an effective marketing tool that can level the playing field for small and large online stores alike—and bring you new customers.
Use the XML Feeds plugin to generate XML feeds in your WooCommerce store. It makes creating feeds for comparison sites easy and keeps your listings on these platforms always up to date.