My Google Merchant Center account has been suspended, what should I do?
Have you ever woken up one morning to a Google warning message about your Merchant Center account stating "**Warning of suspension of data quality for your Google Merchant Center account**"? Google tells you that your account or one of your products is suspended but you can't figure out why. Don't panic! Account or product suspension happens far more frequently than you might think, and fortunately there are solutions to the most common reasons. Here are the main reasons why your Merchant Center account may be suspended!
First and foremost, let's take a look at some of Google's main policy areas regarding prohibited content and practices on the Merchant Center account. For example, some content may be considered infringing or dangerous by Google and may lead to dangerous behavior. Other content, while not prohibited, may be restricted. This applies in particular to adult content such as alcoholic beverages or gambling.
In addition, certain practices are considered forbidden by Google and may result in account or product suspension. From the moment Google perceives network abuse or malicious content, it may suspend your account. This applies to irresponsible use or collection of data or false product declarations. The latter is one of the most common causes of product suspension in Google Shopping. Last but not least, ads must meet high professional and editorial standards. Failure to meet these standards may result in a warning, or even immediate account suspension if the offence is serious.
First of all, don't panic.
You will initially receive a warning from Google, which will generally give you one week to resolve the problem before suspending your account. If you don't resolve the problem, be aware that your products will no longer be displayed in Shopping ads, which can be problematic for your campaigns.
It is therefore advisable to do some research on your account in order to understand the problem. As a first step, we recommend that you investigate any possible data feed errors and correct critical notifications on your account if you have any, then reload your updated feed. Once you've done this, you can submit your account for further review by Google.
Note: the review may take up to 7 days. You'll be notified when the process is complete.
Occasionally, one or more products may be suspended. In many cases, the reason is non-compliance with Google's product data specifications. It's even possible for a product to be suspended in certain countries, depending on the policies of that country. Depending on the severity of the problem, product suspension may affect your Merchant Center account. If the suspension only concerns specific countries, you can exclude these ads from these countries.
If your products receive a warning or are suspended, there may be a problem in your product flow. As a first step, you can go to your Merchant Center Diagnostics page to search for item problems. A link will tell you more, and provide you with a series of steps to follow to resolve your problems. Once the errors have been corrected, you can submit your data to Google for further examination. This procedure takes up to approximately 12 hours.
Product suspension problems are generally linked to a mismatch between the product feed and the product reality. This may concern its price or availability. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to enable automatic item updates.
Another recurring problem concerns the overlapping of promotional images, a problem that can be corrected automatically thanks to Google's "automatic image enhancements " feature, which you can activate.
When you import items into your Merchant Center account for the first time, Google runs an initial review to check that your products comply with Google Shopping policies. If the review is favorable, your products will appear in Shopping ads; if not, your account will be suspended immediately and a detailed e-mail will be sent to you.
Please note that every Merchant Center account is regularly reviewed by Google. A warning e-mail will systematically be sent to you with information on the problem observed and the time you have to resolve it. Please note that if the infraction is flagrant, the account will be immediately suspended without warning.
Google will review your account again at the end of the warning period. If the review is favorable, the warning will be cancelled, otherwise your account will be suspended. You can then try to resolve any problems with your account. If you think you've resolved all the errors, you can ask Google to carry out a new review. Please note, however, that if the review is still unfavorable after the second request, you will not be allowed to request a review again for 7 days. The request review button will be blocked during this period.
Understanding why your Merchant Center Account has been suspended can sometimes be complicated. At Feedcast, we provide advice and solutions to help you lift your suspension. To assist you, we provide a detailed documentation of the most common reasons and solutions to remedy the problem. If you're a subscriber, you'll get help from our support team to take the necessary steps. And if you're not a subscriber, we're here for you! You'll have access to the same documentation, as well as to the in-app chat where you can ask our team any questions you may have.
What are Google Shopping's policies?
First and foremost, let's take a look at some of Google's main policy areas regarding prohibited content and practices on the Merchant Center account. For example, some content may be considered infringing or dangerous by Google and may lead to dangerous behavior. Other content, while not prohibited, may be restricted. This applies in particular to adult content such as alcoholic beverages or gambling.
In addition, certain practices are considered forbidden by Google and may result in account or product suspension. From the moment Google perceives network abuse or malicious content, it may suspend your account. This applies to irresponsible use or collection of data or false product declarations. The latter is one of the most common causes of product suspension in Google Shopping. Last but not least, ads must meet high professional and editorial standards. Failure to meet these standards may result in a warning, or even immediate account suspension if the offence is serious.
Merchant Center account suspension: what to do?
First of all, don't panic.
You will initially receive a warning from Google, which will generally give you one week to resolve the problem before suspending your account. If you don't resolve the problem, be aware that your products will no longer be displayed in Shopping ads, which can be problematic for your campaigns.
It is therefore advisable to do some research on your account in order to understand the problem. As a first step, we recommend that you investigate any possible data feed errors and correct critical notifications on your account if you have any, then reload your updated feed. Once you've done this, you can submit your account for further review by Google.
Note: the review may take up to 7 days. You'll be notified when the process is complete.
Google Shopping suspension on one or more products
Occasionally, one or more products may be suspended. In many cases, the reason is non-compliance with Google's product data specifications. It's even possible for a product to be suspended in certain countries, depending on the policies of that country. Depending on the severity of the problem, product suspension may affect your Merchant Center account. If the suspension only concerns specific countries, you can exclude these ads from these countries.
If your products receive a warning or are suspended, there may be a problem in your product flow. As a first step, you can go to your Merchant Center Diagnostics page to search for item problems. A link will tell you more, and provide you with a series of steps to follow to resolve your problems. Once the errors have been corrected, you can submit your data to Google for further examination. This procedure takes up to approximately 12 hours.
Product suspension problems are generally linked to a mismatch between the product feed and the product reality. This may concern its price or availability. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to enable automatic item updates.
Another recurring problem concerns the overlapping of promotional images, a problem that can be corrected automatically thanks to Google's "automatic image enhancements " feature, which you can activate.
Request a review from Google?
When you import items into your Merchant Center account for the first time, Google runs an initial review to check that your products comply with Google Shopping policies. If the review is favorable, your products will appear in Shopping ads; if not, your account will be suspended immediately and a detailed e-mail will be sent to you.
Please note that every Merchant Center account is regularly reviewed by Google. A warning e-mail will systematically be sent to you with information on the problem observed and the time you have to resolve it. Please note that if the infraction is flagrant, the account will be immediately suspended without warning.
Google will review your account again at the end of the warning period. If the review is favorable, the warning will be cancelled, otherwise your account will be suspended. You can then try to resolve any problems with your account. If you think you've resolved all the errors, you can ask Google to carry out a new review. Please note, however, that if the review is still unfavorable after the second request, you will not be allowed to request a review again for 7 days. The request review button will be blocked during this period.
Understanding why your Merchant Center Account has been suspended can sometimes be complicated. At Feedcast, we provide advice and solutions to help you lift your suspension. To assist you, we provide a detailed documentation of the most common reasons and solutions to remedy the problem. If you're a subscriber, you'll get help from our support team to take the necessary steps. And if you're not a subscriber, we're here for you! You'll have access to the same documentation, as well as to the in-app chat where you can ask our team any questions you may have.
Updated on: 09/02/2024
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