Over the years, our team has seen a variety of Google Merchant Center errors on ecommerce websites. If left unattended, these mistakes can manifest into something even bigger – feed rejection or possible account suspension.
Listed below are the most common Merchant Center mistakes that we help clients resolve. At Feedonomics, we understand that the key to a healthy Google Shopping campaign is a Google Merchant Center account that is free of warnings and errors. To that end, we’ve provided solutions so that you can avoid these blunders.
Google Shopping
Common Types of Google Shopping Disapprovals
Unavailable mobile/desktop landing page: Products are out-of-stock or discontinued.
Solution: Ensure that you remove these products from the feed source. To safeguard clients’ feeds, Feedonomics can set a condition to only send in-stock products.
Promotional overlay on image [image link]: Images have text overlay which does not comply with Google’s policy.
Solution: Update different images in the feed to resolve the issue. The original images with the text overlay can remain as is on the website.
Pro tip: Utilize Automatic Image Improvements, a new feature in Merchant Center, that simplifies the process of updating product images with promotional overlays.
Mismatched [price] (page crawl)/Automatic item updates active [price]: The prices in the feed do not match with the website.
Solutions:
- We recommend that you send your most up-to-date data in the feed.
- Feedonomics can import/send the data hourly or crawl your website so you don’t have to manually do it on your end.
Note: Sometimes price mismatch is the result of the landing pages’ format. If that is the case, we are happy to help provide further guidance.
Images are too small: Google has specific requirements for image sizes, depending on the products’ categories.
Solution: The clients will need to update different images in the feed to resolve the issue.
Note: In some instances, a feed management platform partner like Feedonomics, can do an image padding service to help with the issue.
Suspension Issues
Tax: Tax is not set up correctly in the Google Merchant Center (GMC).
Solution: Take steps to update this information at the account level in the Merchant Center rather than the feed.
Shipping: Shipping is not set up correctly in the Merchant Center or the feed.
Solution: Update shipping information at the account level in the Merchant Center rather than the feed.
Note: There are times when merchants have special shipping set-up which cannot be done in Google Merchant Center alone. In this situation, Feedonomics can work with them to coordinate the set-up between the feed and the Merchant Center.
Availability/Price: Availability and/or pricing in the feed does not match with the website.
Solutions:
- Make sure that you send the most up-to-date data in the feed.
- Feedonomics can import/send the data hourly or crawl your website so you don’t have to manually do it on your end.
Inappropriate images: Inappropriate images are being used which does not comply with Google’s policy.
Solution: You’ll need to use different images in the feed to resolve the issue. However, you can keep the original images on the website.
Main Takeaway
Use the above guidelines as a resource to help prevent Google Merchant Center product data feed errors. It’s important to be proactive so that you can avoid data feed rejection. However, if you need help with any of these issues, Feedonomics’ dedicated FeedFillment™ team can help ensure your feeds are running smoothly and to resolve any optimization issues.
Brian Roizen is the Cofounder and Chief Architect of Feedonomics, a full-service feed optimization platform that optimizes product data for hundreds of channels. He has been featured on numerous podcasts and eCommerce webinars, and regularly contributes to Search Engine Land and other industry-leading blogs. Brian graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
