What is Google Merchant Center compliance?
Google Merchant Center (GMC) is the account through which your products reach Google Shopping, free listings and Performance Max campaigns. To show there, a store must follow Google's Shopping ads policies: they cover the merchant (who sells), the site (what the shopper sees) and the product data (what the feed contains).
Being compliant is not just about having legal pages. Google compares three sources: what you declare in Merchant Center, what your product feed contains and what your site actually displays. Most suspensions come from a gap between these three sources, not from fraud.
Compliance is assessed across the whole site. A single product page with an unproven claim, or a single contradictory policy page, can be enough to justify a suspension.
Which policies does Google check?
| Policy family | What Google expects | Checklist categories |
|---|---|---|
| Misrepresentation | An identifiable merchant, accurate information, no misleading promises | Identity, policies, product pages |
| Website requirements | A secure, complete site where you can actually place an order | Checkout, site and technical access |
| Product data quality | A feed that mirrors the site exactly: price, availability, shipping | Consistency between site and feed |
| Prohibited or restricted products | No product Google refuses to promote | Product pages |
Misrepresentation is the hardest ground to fix, because Google does not say which page is at fault. It covers very different situations: missing contact details, a vague return policy, fabricated reviews, an unproven certification claim, a fake countdown timer. That is why the checklist breaks these points down one by one.
Why does a Merchant Center account get suspended?
- Incomplete or inconsistent identity — A business name that differs between site and account, a missing address, two different addresses across pages.
- Missing, vague or contradictory policies — A return window with no number, shipping costs nowhere to be found, conditions that contradict each other from page to page, template text left untouched.
- Promises nothing backs up — “Certified”, “clinically tested”, “lifetime guarantee”, health claims, media or label logos with no justification.
- A feed that does not match the site — Different prices or availability, declared delivery times shorter than those announced on the store.
- A site that cannot really be used — A broken checkout, empty pages, dead links, pages blocked for Google's crawler.
How to use the GMC compliance checklist
- 1
Open your store in another tab, in private browsing
You will see the site as a new visitor does, with no session or saved cart.
- 2
Go through the categories in order
Identity, policies, product pages, checkout, feed, technical. Only tick a point if you have just verified it.
- 3
Open Merchant Center for the feed category
Compare the configured prices, availability, shipping services and return policy with what the site shows.
- 4
Deal with blocking points first
The count of blocking points left matters more than the score: a single one is enough to fail a review.
- 5
Come back after each fix
Your progress is saved on your device. The “what is left” filter shows your list of fixes to make.
Which points should you fix first?
| Severity | What it means | When to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Blocking | A classic ground for a misrepresentation suspension or product disapproval | Before any review request |
| Important | Weakens the case or gets part of the catalog disapproved | Before submitting, as far as possible |
| Recommended | A good practice that builds trust, without being a Google requirement | Once the rest is in order |
Start with what takes minutes to verify and weighs the most: business name and address, a return policy link in the footer, shipping costs and times stated in numbers, identical prices between feed and site. Then move on to product page claims, which take longer to review because they span the whole catalog.
Warning, suspension, product disapproval: what is the difference?
| Situation | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Product disapproval | Some items stop showing, the account stays active | Fix the data or the page of the affected products |
| Warning | Google flags an account-level issue and gives time to fix it | Fix it before the deadline to avoid suspension |
| Suspension | No product shows anymore | Fix the whole site, then request a review |
A product disapproval is handled in Merchant Center's diagnostics, item by item. A suspension is handled on the site: as long as the cause is still live, the review request cannot succeed.
What to do after a Google Merchant Center suspension
- Do not create a second account — Opening a new account to get around a suspension violates Google's policies and makes things worse.
- Fix everything before requesting a review — A request sent too early is rejected, and the number of requests is not unlimited. Use the checklist until no blocking point is left.
- Check the whole site, not just the page mentioned — Claims also hide in meta tags, images and the product feed.
- Keep a record of your fixes — Note what was changed and where: it helps you write a precise review request.
To see what an automated check of your pages picks up, run the free store audit.
Going beyond the checklist
A checklist relies on your own reading of the site. Yet the costliest gaps are the ones you no longer see because you know your store too well: an old mention in a meta tag, a policy page generated from a template, a timeframe that differs between two pages. GClimb analyses your store's pages and lists the compliance issues to fix, ranked by priority.
On the feed side, check your titles with the product title scorer. On the profitability side, calculate your break-even ROAS before restarting your Shopping campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
What is a misrepresentation suspension in Google Merchant Center?
It is a suspension issued when Google considers that the store conceals or misstates information about the merchant, its products or its terms of sale. It covers missing contact details, vague or contradictory policies, fabricated reviews and unproven promises.
How many points does the checklist contain?
44 points across six categories: business identity, policies and legal pages, product pages and claims, checkout, consistency between site and feed, technical access. 19 of them are classed as blocking.
Does a score of 100 guarantee my account will be approved?
No. The checklist is a self-assessment: it depends on the accuracy of your answers, and the decision belongs to Google. Its purpose is to make sure nothing is forgotten before you submit products or request a review.
Do I need a phone number to be compliant?
Google asks that the merchant can be reached and that contact details are visible. A phone number is not the only accepted method: an email address or a working contact form is fine, provided customers get an answer.
Can I create a new Merchant Center account after a suspension?
No. Creating an account to get around a suspension violates Google's policies and can lead to related accounts being suspended. The only lasting route is to fix the site and then request a review of the suspended account.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in your browser, on the device you are using. Nothing is sent to our servers. The Reset button clears your progress.
Does the checklist apply to dropshipping stores?
Yes. The same policies apply whatever the logistics model. The points to watch first are then the delivery times you actually meet, reviews imported from a supplier and the product identifiers in the feed.