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Popularity rank

Popularity rank is an optional Merchant Center product attribute in which a store states how well a product sells compared with the rest of its own catalogue.

How it works

The store sends popularity_rank as a number from 0.0 to 100.0, with at most one decimal and no % sign. The higher the value, the better the product sells against the store’s other products. Google says the attribute is mainly meant for conversational experiences such as AI Mode in Google Search, to help shoppers choose. It can be used in all countries.

Google does not prescribe a formula. It asks for an accurate ranking that reflects how the product is selling. When popularity changes substantially, Google advises updating the value, for example through a supplemental feed.

A percentile rank is one way to compute popularity_rank. Our guide to filling in popularity_rank covers which sales window to use.

Formula

Percentile rank = products that sold fewer units than this one ÷ all products × 100

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop has 3,000 products. In December its Christmas mug set outsells 2,985 of them: 2,985 ÷ 3,000 × 100 = 99.5. In February the set sells nothing, so no product sells fewer, and its February rank is 0.

Not to be confused with

  • Best sellers report — Google’s ranking of the market by estimated units sold on Google, where rank 1 is the top. Popularity rank is your own figure about your own catalogue.
  • Custom label — a free-form field for grouping products in your campaigns, such as a “bestseller” tag. Its values mean whatever you decide; popularity rank has a scale set by Google.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “Our best product gets 1, as in a top list.” Right: the top of the scale is 100, so 1 puts a product near the bottom. Google’s own example gives a best-selling smart watch 97.5.
  • Wrong: “Rank last month’s top sellers highest and leave it.” Right: left unchanged, the mug set keeps 99.5 in February, when it sells nothing. In our study of 1.4 million products, 71% of bestsellers were in the top for no more than 3 months out of 13.

Sources

  • Popularity rank [popularity_rank] — purpose, scale, format, accuracy, updates, examples. Checked 2 October 2026 (archived copy of 17 June 2026).
  • ProductAttributes — Merchant API: popularityRank, optional, 0.0 lowest to 100.0 highest. Checked 2 October 2026.
  • Understand the market — Merchant API: best sellers ranked by category and country. Checked 2 October 2026.
  • GetProfit study: 1,404,808 products in 130+ stores over 13 months — how long bestsellers stay in the top.