Google Merchant Center setup: fix errors and disapproved products

Setting up Google Merchant Center takes an hour. What costs weeks afterwards are disapproved products and, at worst, a suspended account, because the shop page and the product data don’t match. Here’s what Google requires from a shop selling in Germany, which eight points lead to disapprovals according to Google’s policies and how to fix them, what has to be in the feed, and when a CSS partner comes in.

1. Merchant Center setup: what Google requires from your shop

You need a Google account to create the Merchant Center account. Google then asks for your business details, whether you sell online, in store or both, your payment and shipping options, and how your products get into Merchant Center. Two things are worth knowing beforehand:

• The country is final. According to Google, the country you choose during setup can’t be changed later. If you sell from Germany, choose Germany.
• Products come in several ways. Google can take product data from your online store automatically during sign-up, you can upload it manually, or a connected platform such as Shopify syncs it.

Before the first product is approved, your website has to meet Google’s requirements. According to the Merchant Center policies, these include:

• Contact details clearly visible on the website, such as a contact form, an email address or a phone number.
• A return policy in your product data and easy to find on the website.
• Clear payment and billing terms, with the total cost before and after purchase.
• A secure checkout with a valid SSL certificate and at least one conventional payment method. Users must be able to add products to the cart and complete the purchase, including as private individuals: fields such as company name must not be mandatory.
• Landing pages in the language of the product data.

For Germany, two obligations from the product data come on top: the price in the feed includes VAT, and shipping costs are mandatory for Shopping ads and free listings in Germany. If you can’t give exact shipping costs, Google says to estimate on the high side.

Google doesn’t check the imprint, the cancellation policy or the order button as separate items, but German law requires them anyway. What that involves is in Google Shopping in Germany. I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice.

2. Merchant Center errors: eight reasons for disapprovals and how to fix them

The following eight points come from Google’s policies and product data specification. Each one can get individual products disapproved, and some can hit the whole account.

1. Contact details are missing or hidden. Fix: a contact page with email and phone number, linked from the header or footer.
2. No return policy that can be found. Fix: add your return conditions in Merchant Center and link them on the website. Google requires them to explain returns and refunds precisely.
3. Shipping costs are missing. Mandatory in Germany. Fix: set up shipping settings in Merchant Center, estimated on the high side rather than the low side.
4. The checkout doesn’t work as required. No valid SSL certificate, no conventional payment method, or a mandatory company name field. Fix: run through a complete purchase once as a private individual.
5. The price doesn’t match. Google requires the feed price to match the amount on the landing page and at checkout, including VAT in Germany. Otherwise the product is disapproved. Fix: feed the shop and the feed from the same source, and change sale prices in both at the same time.
6. Availability doesn’t match. According to Google, availability must match on the landing page, in structured data, at checkout and in the data source. If a product is “in stock” in the feed and “out of stock” on the page, it’s disapproved. Fix: send stock levels more often.
7. The image breaks the image rules. Promotional overlays such as “Buy now”, watermarks, borders, or an image smaller than 500 × 500 pixels. Google doesn’t show such images, and you get a notice in Diagnostics. Fix: a product image without text; Google recommends at least 1,500 × 1,500 pixels.
8. The GTIN is missing or wrong. If a product has a manufacturer GTIN and you leave it out, it can be disapproved. A wrong GTIN limits visibility. Fix: enter the real GTIN, never make one up, and for products without a GTIN provide brand and MPN.

The serious case: misrepresentation

The most serious category is what Google calls “Misrepresentation”. It covers listings and pages that deceive users or leave out important information, such as refusing returns despite a clear refund policy, or hiding where products actually ship from. For egregious violations, Google says accounts are suspended upon detection and without prior warning. For most other violations, a warning email comes first, with 7 or 28 days to fix the issue.

How to request a review

Fix first, then request. In Merchant Center you’ll find disapproved products on the Needs attention tab of the Products page. For product issues, choose I fixed the issue or I disagree with the issue, then Request review. According to Google, a review can take up to seven working days. Important: after an unsuccessful review a cool-down can start, and Google can extend it after each further unsuccessful attempt. So only request a review once everything really is right.

3. Feed basics, and when a CSS partner comes in

What has to be in the feed

Google’s product data specification lists a few attributes that are always required:

• ID, title (up to 150 characters), description (up to 5,000 characters), link to the product page, image link, availability and price.
• Brand for almost all new products, GTIN for products with a known GTIN, MPN if there’s no GTIN.
• Condition if the product is used or refurbished.

On top of that come attributes for specific cases, such as variants, unit prices or EU energy labels. The title is the most important field you control. Write what customers search for, meaning brand, product type and the decisive feature, not your internal item name.

Automatic item updates

According to Google, automatic item updates are on by default. Google compares price and availability with your landing page, using structured data on the page among other things. If Google finds a mismatch, though, the product can be disapproved instead of updated. Clean structured data on the product page isn’t optional extra polish.

When a CSS partner comes in

In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and 21 countries in total, Shopping ads run through comparison shopping services (CSS), according to Google. Google Shopping is one of them, and you can use several at the same time. Choose the CSS only once account and feed run cleanly. How the choice works, and why I don’t leave accounts on the default setting, is covered in CSS partners for Google Shopping.

Once feed and account are in place, the campaign comes next. Shopping ads run in Google Ads through Shopping or Performance Max campaigns. When Performance Max fits is covered in Performance Max campaigns: when they work and when they don’t.

The bottom line

• Choose the right country during setup; it can’t be changed later.
• Contact details, a return policy, clear payment terms and a secure checkout are prerequisites. In Germany, gross prices and shipping costs in the feed come on top.
• Price and availability must be identical in feed, page and checkout. These are the most avoidable disapprovals.
• Images without text, watermarks or borders, at least 500 × 500 pixels. Real GTINs, or brand and MPN.
• Serious misrepresentation can mean suspension without warning. Fix first, then request a review.
• The CSS comes once account and feed run cleanly.

Is your Merchant Center stuck, or are you unsure what to do first? For one specific question, such as which disapproval to fix first or whether Shopping is worth it for your shop, the Clarity Session is the right step: from €390, a 60-minute video call with up to three links or documents reviewed first. If Shopping campaigns are already running and you want account, feed connection and measurement fully checked, the Google Ads audit from €1,900 is the bigger step. Whether the session fits is something you can check first in a free intro call. Book a free intro call.

FAQ

How long does a Merchant Center review take?

According to Google, a requested review can take up to seven working days. Approved products can then appear on Google within 24 hours.

Why was my Merchant Center account suspended without warning?

For egregious misrepresentation violations, Google says it suspends accounts upon detection and without prior warning. First check contact details, returns, payment terms and whether prices and shipping on the page are right. Only request a review once everything is fixed, because unsuccessful attempts can be followed by cool-down periods.

Do I need a GTIN for every product?

No. You need a GTIN for products the manufacturer has assigned one to. For your own products without a GTIN, provide brand and MPN. A made-up GTIN does more harm than good.

Can I run Shopping ads without a CSS partner?

Yes. Google Shopping is itself a comparison shopping service you can advertise through. A CSS partner is an alternative, not an obligation.