Google Base Guide

Basics of Google Base

What is Google Base?

Google Base is a free Google service that helps you publish virtually any kind of information - be it your latest riveting screenplay, your physical business locations, or a listing for your slightly dented 1989 Honda Accord - on Google Base or other Google properties.

To post an item, simply visit Google Base, click on "One at a time," select the type of information you're submitting (or create your own item type) and click "Next >." After you've entered and reviewed your item's formatting, click the "Publish" button. Within a few hours, your item will be visible to the world.

Your item will fall into one of several categories based on its content. This category determines which Google property will display your item. For example:

Your screenplay and robot schematics may appear on Google Base.
Your business locations may appear on Google Maps.
Your humble Honda may appear on Froogle.

What information types can I submit?

You can submit any type of information. Common information types include:

Course Schedules
Events and Activities
Housing
Jobs
News and Articles
People Profiles
Products
Recipes
Reference Articles
Reviews
Services
Travel Packages
Vehicles
Wanted Ads

Please know that all information submitted to Google Base must comply with Google's Program Policies:

http://base.google.com/base/base_policies.html

What can I post to Google Base?

You can post most anything as long as your items are consistent with our Program Policies. For example, your post must comply with all applicable laws and regulations of your target country.

How much does it cost to create and display a Google Base item?

Nothing. You can create and display any number of items using Google Base for free.

What is the difference between Google Base and Froogle?

Froogle is Google's product search service, or online shopping search engine. Google Base is a free Google service that allows you to publish your information for inclusion in Google search results. To include your products in Froogle, you must post your information to Google Base.

Will Google Base host my item if I don't have a website?

If you don't have a website to host your item(s), Google Base will create and host a unique URL (web address) where searchers can visit and view your content. Like Google Base, this hosting is completely free. This URL will be activated within a few hours after you publish your item(s).

To view the URL for an item, click on the item's title or on the "item URL" link on the "Active items" page. When viewing your item's page, you can see the item's URL in your browser's address bar.

How do I submit a large number of items?

If you want to submit multiple items, even hundreds or thousands, you don't have to enter each one individually. To submit multiple items all at once, simply create and send us a bulk upload, a specially-formatted text or XML file containing all the relevant information we need to create your items:

http://base.google.com/base/overview.html

You can post as many items as you like. However, if you plan on sending us more than 100,000 items, please contact us so we can make the appropriate changes to your account.

Do I need a Google Account to use Google Base?

You can access Google Base and experiment with its features at any time. However, before you can publish your information on any Google properties, you must have a Google Account.

You can create a Google Account by clicking on the "Create an account now" link on the lower-right hand side of the Google Base sign in page.

Where will my item appear?

Items submitted to Google Base will appear in relevant Google searches; which searches will depend on the type of information and the attributes you submit. For example, a Google search for jobs in san francisco or ice cream recipe allow users to refine the results using Google Base items with relevant attributes.

You can increase the likelihood of people finding your content by submitting as much relevant detail about your content as possible. This means including as many attributes as you can that accurately represent your content. To get a sense of which attributes to use, compare your items with other providers submitting similar content by searching Google Base.

You may also want to review our suggestions for optimizing your rankings, which will help increase your content's visibility.

Depending on the content submitted, yours items may also appear in other Google domains such as Froogle, Froogle Local, or Google Maps.

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