Short answer: Merchant Center most often disapproves products because of a price or availability mismatch between the feed and the site, poor or missing images, a missing GTIN or brand, and unclear delivery and returns information. A suspension of the whole account usually means the site does not inspire trust: business details or terms of sale are missing, or prices are wrong. The fix starts in the Diagnostics tab, not with a new feed.
For an online shop, Shopping ads and free product listings on Google are often the most profitable channel, because the shopper sees the photo, the price and the shop straight away. All of it depends on one place: Google Merchant Center. When something goes wrong there, products quietly disappear from the results, and shop owners often only notice when sales drop.
How Merchant Center works
Your shop sends Google a feed: a list of products with title, description, price, availability, image, brand, product code and category. Google compares the feed with your site and with its own policies. Products that pass can appear in Shopping ads, Performance Max campaigns and free listings on the Shopping tab.
The most common reasons products are disapproved
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Price mismatch | The price in the feed differs from the price on the site, often because of sales or caching | More frequent feed updates, correct structured data for price, a cache that does not serve old prices |
| Availability mismatch | The feed says in stock, the site says out of stock | Automatic stock synchronisation |
| Poor image | Logo, text over the image, a border, low resolution, a placeholder image | A clean product photo on a neutral background, with no promotional text |
| Missing GTIN or brand | Branded products without a barcode in the feed | Add the GTIN (EAN) where one exists; for your own products, state clearly that there is no GTIN |
| Page not available | 404, a redirect, Google’s crawler blocked | Working links and a robots.txt that does not block product pages |
| Prohibited or restricted content | Medicines, supplements with questionable claims, weapons and the like | Check the policies for the category and rewrite the descriptions |
Account suspension for misrepresentation
The hardest problem is a suspension of the whole account for so-called misrepresentation. Google does not tell you the exact reason, but it almost always comes down to the site not looking trustworthy enough. Check:
- that the site shows full business details: company name, address, company and VAT numbers, phone and email;
- that there are clear terms of sale, delivery, returns and complaints;
- that prices, discounts and delivery costs are shown before checkout is completed, with no surprises;
- that every payment method works and the site runs on https;
- that the descriptions make no exaggerated claims, such as guaranteed health effects.
Once you have made the changes, request a review. The number of review requests is limited, so do not submit one until everything really is in order.
Making the feed better, not just valid
Titles
The product title in the feed is the single biggest factor in which searches a product appears for. A good pattern: brand, product type, model, key attribute, size or colour. Instead of an internal code and a series name, the title should contain the words shoppers actually type.
Categories and attributes
Fill in product category, product type, condition, colour, size and material where relevant. More data means more precise matching and better filtering on the Shopping tab.
Delivery and returns
Set delivery costs, delivery times and your returns policy directly in Merchant Center. Google shows them alongside the product, and clear terms increase clicks.
Additional images
As well as the main image, add photos of the product from several angles and in use. The main image has to be clean; the additional ones can show context.
Regular maintenance
- Check Diagnostics once a week for new errors and warnings.
- Before every sale, make sure new prices reach the feed in time.
- After changes to the site, theme or plugins, check that the feed still works.
- Watch for products with impressions but no clicks: the problem is usually the title, the image or the price.
Frequently asked questions
Are listings on the Shopping tab free?
Yes, free listings exist alongside paid Shopping ads. They need a working Merchant Center account and a valid feed.
How quickly do products come back after a fix?
Individual products usually return within a few days of being reprocessed. A review of a suspended account takes longer.
Can I generate a feed from WooCommerce?
Yes. There are plugins that generate and update the feed from WooCommerce automatically, including product variations.
Conclusion
Merchant Center rewards shops that are accurate and transparent. A tidy feed, matching prices and clear terms are the foundation of any successful Shopping advertising. We manage feeds and Shopping campaigns as part of our Google advertising service; if your products have been disapproved or your account suspended, get in touch.
Related: Performance Max campaigns · Product descriptions that rank and sell
