Any online store that advertises on Google Shopping sooner or later faces a threat or blocking of its Merchant Center account, and this is a serious problem. Up to 80% of sales often depend on the status of your Merchant Center account, and the consequences of a suspension are felt immediately. We've previously discussed blocking products in Merchant Center, but today we'll talk about account blocking in general. This is something broader and more important, as blocking Merchant Center automatically results in stopping ads from appearing in Google Shopping.
So, let's go.
Merchant Center blocking - stopping product displays across all Google services.
All Merchant Center accounts undergo two types of verification:
- Robotic verification of product compliance on the website and in feeds, which operates continuously;
- Manual moderation checks for compliance with the terms of online trading in the online store, which is performed periodically.
If everything is fine, no messages are sent; if there are violations, an email is sent about the violations and the deadline for fixing them.
Basic principles of Merchant Center account verification:
- Full compliance of information on the website, in feeds, and in the Merchant Center account;
- No conflict with Merchant Center rules;
- Compliance with legislation in the country of sale.
The most common reasons for Merchant Center blocking:
➊ Business information
Discrepancies between business information in the Merchant Center account and on the company website.
➋ High percentage of rejected goods
If an account has more than 10% of rejected products for one type of error, this will result in the Merchant Center account being blocked. These issues can include pricing issues, website language versions, attributes, and so on. A full list of reasons for product blocking in the Merchant Center is available here.
➌ Misrepresentation
The most complex category of Merchant Center blocking errors and reasons, as it involves even the slightest distortion of information for the user when making a purchase. In this type of reasons, you should pay attention first of all to the following points:
👉 Delivery and payment;
Delivery and payment details are mandatory for Merchant Center moderation. Delivery methods, rates, and payment methods must be described as clearly as possible. This information must be duplicated in the Merchant Center "Returns and Exchanges" tab.
👉 Return and exchange;
Having a return and exchange policy on your website is a mandatory moderation point and should be described accordingly, even if your company does not offer returns and exchanges. We've already described returns and exchanges in more detail on our website, you can read more about it here. Return and exchange information should be duplicated in the "Returns and Exchanges" tab in the Merchant Center.
👉 Placing an order in the shopping cart.
This could include mandatory user registration upon purchase, contacting a manager to place an order, questionable financial transactions, and so on.
It's impossible to list all the possible reasons for misleading information, as each site is unique.
We can say one thing: every word on your site is important, and you shouldn't neglect Merchant Center's moderation rules.
➍ Incorrectly registered sale of 18+ products
If you sell 18+ products (alcoholic beverages, adult products), this must be properly documented on your website and marked accordingly in the Merchant Center.
➎ Advertising of services
Advertising services in Merchant Center are prohibited.
➏ Advertising of prohibited types of goods, namely:
- Copyrighted goods;
- Medical goods;
- Dangerous goods;
- Goods high in fat, salt and sugar;
- Goods for illegal activities;
- Promising goods;
- Counterfeit and replica goods;
- Goods expressing religious views.
➐ Mismatch between the language versions of the site
This problem is relevant for multilingual websites, namely when the content on the declared version of the site does not correspond to the declared language.
➑ Minimum order amount mismatch
Some online stores don't process orders below a certain amount, so this should also be reflected in the shipping and payment section of Merchant Center.
➒ The site is defined as incomplete
If your site lacks a logo, an "About Us" page, or has non-functional pages with a 404 status, the system will recognize your site as incomplete and block Merchant Center.
➓ The site is defined as not an "online store"
The philosophy behind defining a site as an "online store" is as follows:
A user can make an order on the site 24/7, pay for it, select courier delivery, and receive the goods at their door.
If there is an inaccuracy or something is wrong at any of these stages, for example, scheduling, courier delivery, or online payment, your Merchant Center will be blocked.
If your Merchant Center is blocked, the most important advice is to take your time.
How do I unblock my Merchant Center account?
👉 Find out and fix the reasons for blocking
Read the reason provided in the email, carefully review your website, and check all information in the Merchant Center against your website. It should match as closely as possible, from business information to products in your feeds.
👉 File an appeal
The review process typically takes 72 hours.
If you receive a rejection, don't rush to appeal again, as you can only attempt three appeals.
If the moderation process fails three times, your Merchant Center account will be permanently blocked.
If there's no apparent reason for the block, don't skimp on money – request a paid consultation from your colleagues. The cost is significantly less than the losses incurred, and people who work in various business sectors have more information and experience in unblocking your Merchant Center account.
Useful links for Merchant Center moderation questions:
- Merchant Center Support;
- On distortion of facts;
- Advertising of adult products;
- General rules regarding product advertising.
We hope you found this article helpful. This information is based on our own experience working with the Merchant Center.
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