Trace the data path
A shopping surface may use submitted feeds, a platform catalog, indexed public pages or a combination. Identify the route documented for your target surface rather than assuming every assistant scrapes the same HTML. The OpenAI onboarding guide documents partner product feeds; Google describes Merchant Center and UCP tooling. Those are specific access paths, not a universal distribution switch.
Keep eligibility separate from appearance
A well-formed product record can still be outside a surface’s category, market or merchant rules. An eligible item may not appear for a particular shopping question. Record the query, region, product variant, time and visible result before making a visibility claim. A single absence is not proof of a penalty.
Audit the facts you control
Build a small canonical sample of products with clear identifiers, images, prices and availability. Validate each destination’s schema and keep a delivery log. If your source data and public page disagree, resolve that conflict before interpreting ranking or recommendation results.