Editorial and technical requirements

What's covered under this policy

These website quality standards ensure that your store website is accessible, transparent, and user-friendly. Core areas include:

Website functionality & accessibility: Ensuring your store website is online, fully functional (free of broken links or placeholders), and accessible without navigational barriers (such as login requirements or forced sign-in).
Business transparency & trust: Ensuring customers can easily find clear contact information, business details, and a complete return and refund policy.
Purchase integrity: Ensuring all customers within your target country can easily and successfully complete a purchase and checkout transaction without technical blocks.

Website needs improvement

Websites that are not fully-functional, lack business-specific content, provide unclear information, or display incomplete product details.

Examples: The website contains broken navigation links, is missing policy pages, or has placeholders of text or placeholders for images.
Recommendation: Ensure all links across the website are working and point to relevant content. Verify that all business information on your website is tailored to your brand, complete, and easy for shoppers to understand.

Learn how to fix this issue.

Site inaccessible

Landing pages or associated site domains are not accessible to customers or do not host your product pages.

Examples:

Expired domains: The domain has expired, is no longer registered, or is inactive.
- Recommendation: Check with your domain register to ensure your registration is active and up to date.
Temporary service disruption: Your site is down or experiencing temporary server hosting disruptions.
- Recommendation: Work with your hosting provider to ensure your website is stable, online, and running smoothly.
Error response pages: Landing pages or product URLs that return HTTP error codes (such as `404 Not Found`, `500 Internal Server Error`, etc.).
- Recommendation: Repair or redirect broken URLs to match active pages on your site.
Parked domains: The website domain points to a placeholder page, an ad-filled directory, or a generic search listing site instead of hosting your unique store.
- Recommendation: Ensure your domain points to an active server hosting your product pages. Your website should provide customers with unique, valuable content and shouldn’t be full of advertising listings and links.

Insufficient contact information

Websites that are missing required contact information, have unverified business details in Merchant Center, or both.

Examples: A website that is missing core contact methods (such as a valid email address or phone number), or a site where the displayed contact information contradicts the account details inside Merchant Center.
Recommendation: Provide clear, accessible contact details on your online store. Ensure these details are validated with the information provided within your Merchant Center account.

Missing return and refund policy

Websites that are missing clear return and refund information.

Examples: Store return policy pages that are empty, return requirements that are incomplete, or refund conditions that are not clear or easy to find.
Recommendation: Ensure that all critical return and refund information is complete and easy to find. Outline all return conditions, including acceptable timeframes, return methods, associated shipping fees, and specific details regarding refund processing cost and times.

Login required

Websites that necessitate user registration or account creation to browse, or those featuring navigational hurdles that render content unnecessarily complex or bothersome to explore.

Examples:

Compulsory sign-in or registration: Users are compelled to provide credentials or establish an account merely to examine products, check pricing, or navigate the storefront.
- Recommendation: Confirm that all landing pages and product details remain available to the public without authentication requirements.
Intrusive overlays or interstitials: Pop-ups for subscriptions or full-page advertisements obstruct the viewing of items or impede general navigation.
- Recommendation: Make certain that all promotional elements or pop-ups are easily dismissable so browsing remains continuous and unobstructed.
Mandatory application installation: The site requires the download of specific mobile apps or unique browser extensions to access product landing pages.
- Recommendation: Ensure your online store is entirely reachable via common, updated web desktop and mobile web browsers without requiring additional software.

Users cannot complete purchase

Websites that prevent shoppers in the designated country from completing a transaction with ease, or those that lack fundamental checkout capabilities.

Examples:

Broken checkout funnel: The "Add to Cart", "Buy Now", or checkout buttons are broken, unresponsive, or lead to error pages.
- Recommendation: Verify that your shopping cart and checkout pipeline are fully functional and thoroughly tested across all popular devices.
Excessive checkout requirements: The checkout process forces customers to enter non-standard details (like a business registration number or VAT ID) to complete a standard purchase.
- Recommendation: Remove non-essential fields from your checkout flow. Ensure that standard fields (like shipping address and billing details) are straightforward and operational for all valid IP addresses in your target country.

Options to fix

Here's what you can do if your product is disapproved or if your Merchant Center account is impacted:

Product disapproval

Products that don't comply with our policies may be disapproved and won't be eligible to serve.

Read our Shopping ads policies to learn what we don't allow.
Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data feed. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
  - If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
  - If you remove the violating products from your feed, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
  - For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
  - If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
  - For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
  - ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your feed. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
  - You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your feed before attempting to appeal in bulk.
  - How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
    - Option 1 - Under all products
      - Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
        
        Navigate to the specific issue.
        
        Select “View fix”
        
        Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
        
        Review any informational prompts that appear.
        
        Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
      - Option 2 - Product details page
        
        From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
      - Third-party platforms
        
        If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
        
        If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.

Account disapproval

For most violations, we'll send you a warning email detailing the policy violation and give you 7 or 28 calendar days to fix your issue. However, we may not issue a warning for egregious policy violations.

Read our Shopping ads policies to learn what we don't allow.
Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data feed. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
  - If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
  - If you remove the violating products from your feed, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
  - For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
  - If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
  - For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
  - ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your feed. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
  - You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your feed before attempting to appeal in bulk.
  - How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
    - Option 1 - Under all products
      - Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
        
        Navigate to the specific issue.
        
        Select “View fix”
        
        Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
        
        Review any informational prompts that appear.
        
        Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
    - Option 2 - Product details page
      - From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
  - Third-party platforms
    - If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
    - If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.

Note: Account reviews typically take 7 business days, but may take longer for complex reviews. If you remove violating products, the warning will be removed. If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center. In the case of account suspension, we will approve the account and allow products to be displayed again.

Account issue that limits product visibility

Your account has an issue and is operating with reserved functionality, therefore your products have limited visibility. Check your email for a notice with details about the issue and steps to resolve it. Common issues include policy violations or missing account information.

Read our Shopping ads and listings policies to learn what we don't allow.
Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data feed. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
  - If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
  - If you remove the violating products from your feed, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
  - For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
  - If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
  - For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
  - ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your feed. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
  - You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your feed before attempting to appeal in bulk.
  - How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
    - Option 1 - Under all products
      - Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
        
        Navigate to the specific issue.
        
        Select “View fix”
        
        Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
        
        Review any informational prompts that appear.
        
        Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
    - Option 2 - Product details page
      - From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
  - Third-party platforms
    - If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
    - If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.

To ensure a safe and positive experience for customers, Google requires that retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations in addition to our policies. It's important that you familiarize yourself with and keep up to date on these requirements for the place where your business operates, as well as any other places your ads are shown. When we find content that violates these requirements, we may block it from appearing. In cases of repeated or egregious violations, we may ban you from advertising content with us.

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