💡 What Is Google Merchant Center Misrepresentation?
Google Merchant Center (GMC) is the platform where you upload your product data to run Shopping ads. The Misrepresentation policy means your products, prices, business identity, and shopping experience must all be honest and accurate. If what Google or a customer sees in your product listing does not match the reality of your website and checkout process, your products will be disapproved or your entire Merchant Center account can be suspended. This checklist walks through every area where misrepresentation can occur — in plain language — so you can fix each issue step by step.
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Make sure the price in your product feed exactly matches the price shown on your website
When Google crawls your website, it checks that the price it finds on the product page matches the price in your Merchant Center feed. Even a difference of a few pence or cents will cause a disapproval. Check every product where the feed price differs from the live website price and update whichever is wrong. The feed and the website must always match.
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Do not show a lower "sale" price in your feed that is not actually active on your website
If you submit a sale price or promotional price in your feed, that discounted price must be the actual, live price on your product page right now. Showing a sale price in your Shopping ad but charging the full price at checkout is a direct misrepresentation violation. Either activate the sale on your website or remove the sale price from your feed.
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Include all mandatory taxes and fees in the price shown — or display them clearly before checkout
In countries where taxes must be included in the displayed price (such as most EU countries and the UK for consumer-facing products), your feed price must include VAT or local sales tax. In the US, taxes are typically shown at checkout — but if you add mandatory fees (such as shipping insurance, environmental fees, or handling charges) that inflate the total, these must be disclosed upfront, not hidden until the final checkout step.
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Set up automatic feed updates or fetch schedules so your prices stay current
Prices change — but if your Merchant Center feed is not updated frequently enough, it will show old prices that no longer match your website. Set your feed to refresh at least once per day. In Merchant Center → Products → Feeds → click your feed → edit the fetch schedule. If you use a content API or feed management tool, ensure it updates prices in real time or multiple times per day.
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Do not add hidden charges or inflated shipping costs that significantly change the total price
Setting a very low product price but then charging excessive, undisclosed shipping fees at checkout — making the real total much higher than advertised — is a form of price misrepresentation. Your shipping costs must be disclosed clearly before the final checkout step, and must not be used to artificially understate the product price.
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Use the correct currency for every country you target in your feed
If you sell to customers in multiple countries, each country's product data must use the correct currency for that market. Showing prices in USD to UK customers, or GBP prices to EU customers without conversion, creates confusion and can be flagged as misleading pricing. Set up country-specific feeds or use feed rules to ensure the correct currency is used per target country.
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Ensure your product title accurately describes the actual product — no misleading keywords or exaggerations
The product title is the most visible part of your Shopping ad. It must describe the exact product being sold — brand, product name, key variant (colour, size, material) — without inflated claims, misleading keyword stuffing, or descriptions that do not match the actual item. Example: calling a generic USB cable a "Premium Apple-Compatible MFi Certified Cable" when it is neither Apple-branded nor MFi certified is a misrepresentation.
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Make sure your product description matches what is shown on your landing page — no hidden details or contradictions
Your product description in the feed should be consistent with the description and specifications shown on your website product page. If your feed says a coat is "100% cashmere" but your website says "cashmere blend," that inconsistency is a misrepresentation. Align all product information between your feed and your website pages.
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Use real product images that accurately show the actual item being sold
Your product image must show the actual product a customer will receive. Using a generic stock photo, an image of a more expensive product, an image of the packaging only (when the product is inside), or an image with dramatically different colours than the actual product is misrepresentation. Use genuine, accurate photographs of the actual product.
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Submit accurate product variants — do not list a product in a size or colour that is not actually available
If your Shopping ad shows a product in red but red is sold out or never stocked, and the customer discovers this after clicking, that is a misrepresentation of availability. Only submit variants (size, colour, material) that are genuinely in stock and available for purchase. Mark out-of-stock items as "out of stock" in your feed immediately — do not leave them as "in stock."
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Submit accurate GTINs (barcodes) — do not use fake, incorrect, or made-up product identifiers
The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number — the barcode) must be the real, manufacturer-assigned identifier for the product. Submitting a GTIN that belongs to a different product, inventing a GTIN, or submitting a GTIN that does not match the product's actual barcode is a misrepresentation that can cause product disapprovals and feed-level suspensions.
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Do not label a used, refurbished, or second-hand product as "new" in the condition field
The "condition" attribute in your feed must accurately describe the product's state. Labelling a refurbished phone, a returned item, or a used product as "new" is a straightforward misrepresentation violation. Use "refurbished" or "used" as appropriate. Google cross-checks condition claims against product page descriptions.
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Display your full business name, contact information, and physical or registered address on your website
Google requires that Shopping advertisers clearly identify who they are. Your website must show your real business name (the same one registered in your Merchant Center account), a working email address or phone number, and a business address. An anonymous website with no contact information will fail Merchant Center's transparency check during review.
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Make sure your Merchant Center account business name matches the name displayed on your website
The business name you registered in Merchant Center must match what customers see on your website. If your Merchant Center says "ABC Retail Ltd" but your website prominently says "ShopBest" without any mention of the registered name, Google may flag this as a misrepresentation of your business identity. Align your Merchant Center name and website branding.
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Add a clear Privacy Policy to your website that covers how customer shopping data is handled
A Privacy Policy is a mandatory requirement for Merchant Center. It must be clearly linked in your website footer, must cover what data you collect during the shopping and checkout process, how you use it, and how customers can request its deletion. Without a Privacy Policy, your Merchant Center account may be suspended regardless of your product data quality.
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Do not impersonate another brand, manufacturer, or retailer in your product listings
Using another brand's name in your product titles, descriptions, or images without authorisation — to make your product appear to be from that brand when it is not — is both a misrepresentation violation and a trademark issue. Only use a brand name in your feed if your product genuinely is that brand. If you are a reseller, your brand attribute should be the manufacturer's brand, not your own.
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Display your return and refund policy clearly on your website
Merchant Center requires that your return and refund policy is easy to find and honest. It must state: whether returns are accepted, the time window for returns, who pays return shipping, and how refunds are processed. A missing or misleading refund policy — or one that is contradicted by how you actually handle returns — is a transparency violation.
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Ensure your landing page loads correctly and the product shown in the ad is available to buy
Every product URL in your feed must lead to a working page where that exact product can be purchased. If the URL returns a 404 error, leads to a different product, or shows the product as unavailable — while your feed still lists it as in-stock — that is a misrepresentation. Test every product URL regularly, especially after website changes.
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Make sure the checkout process is fully functional and customers can actually complete a purchase
Google's reviewers test your checkout flow. If the "Add to cart" button is broken, the checkout page errors, payment cannot be completed, or a required form field has no submit button — your account can be flagged for misrepresentation because you are advertising products that cannot actually be purchased. Test your full checkout flow regularly on multiple devices.
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Do not require unnecessary account creation before customers can complete a purchase
Forcing customers to create an account or verify their email before they can check out — when this was not mentioned in the ad or product listing — creates a barrier that misrepresents the ease of purchase. Always offer a "Guest Checkout" option, or clearly state on the product page that account creation is required before purchase.
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Ensure the final checkout total matches the advertised price — no surprise charges at the last step
The total amount charged at checkout must be consistent with what was shown throughout the shopping journey. Adding new charges at the final payment step — such as undisclosed platform fees, processing fees, or currency conversion charges — that were not shown on the product page or cart is a checkout misrepresentation violation.
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Do not show "In Stock" for products that are actually out of stock or on a very long backorder
Advertising a product as available when it is out of stock, discontinued, or on a months-long backorder misleads customers about availability. Update your feed's availability field to "out of stock" as soon as a product sells out, and update it back to "in stock" only once it is genuinely available to ship within your stated timeframe.
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Make sure your website uses HTTPS throughout — especially on product pages and checkout
Merchant Center requires that your website, and especially your checkout process, uses a secure HTTPS connection. An HTTP-only checkout page (no padlock icon in the browser) is both a security risk and a Merchant Center policy violation. Contact your hosting provider to ensure SSL/TLS is active on your entire domain — not just the homepage.
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Ensure the shipping cost in your feed matches the actual shipping cost shown on your website and at checkout
Google displays shipping costs in Shopping ads based on your feed data. If your feed says "Free shipping" but your website charges £4.99 for delivery — or if your feed shows £2.99 shipping but checkout charges £6.99 — that is a misrepresentation. Align your feed shipping settings, your website shipping policy page, and your checkout shipping calculator to all show the same figures.
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Only advertise "same day delivery" or "next day delivery" if you can genuinely fulfil those commitments
Advertising fast delivery times you cannot reliably meet is a misrepresentation of your service. Only set delivery speed attributes (such as "same_day_shipping" or "next_day_delivery") in your feed if your fulfilment process can genuinely deliver within those timeframes for the majority of orders. Be honest about cut-off times (e.g. "order before 2pm for next-day delivery").
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Set up accurate shipping settings in Merchant Center — including all countries, methods, and conditions
In Merchant Center → Shipping settings, you must accurately configure every shipping service you offer: the countries you ship to, the cost per service, any weight or price thresholds for free shipping, and estimated delivery times. Inaccurate or incomplete shipping settings cause mismatches between what Shopping ads show and what customers experience at checkout.
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Do not advertise "Free Returns" if your actual policy charges customers for return shipping
Showing "Free Returns" in your Shopping ad or product badge when customers actually have to pay for return shipping is a misrepresentation of your returns policy. Only enable the "free returns" attribute in your feed if return shipping is genuinely covered by you at no cost to the customer.
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If you ship internationally, disclose customs duties and import taxes clearly on your website
International orders often incur customs duties or import taxes that are not included in the product price. If customers may be charged import duties on delivery, this must be clearly disclosed on your product page and in your shipping policy — not hidden until after purchase. Failure to disclose known import costs is a checkout transparency violation.
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Remove any promotional "sale price" from your feed as soon as the sale ends on your website
A sale price submitted in your feed must be active at the same time on your website. If your sale ended last week but your feed still shows the sale price, your ad is showing a false discount — which is misrepresentation. Set sale price effective dates in your feed using the "sale_price_effective_date" attribute so the sale price automatically deactivates at the right time.
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Ensure any Google Merchant Center Promotion (coupon codes shown in Shopping ads) is genuinely redeemable
If you run Merchant Center Promotions (the "X% off with code" badges that appear on your Shopping ad), the coupon code must actually work at checkout. A promotion badge that appears in a Shopping ad but whose coupon code is expired, already used, or simply does not work is a misrepresentation. Test every active promotion code before submitting it to Merchant Center Promotions.
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Do not use fake "was/now" crossed-out pricing unless the higher "was" price was genuinely charged before
Showing a crossed-out "original price" that was never actually charged — to create a false impression of a discount — is deceptive pricing and a misrepresentation violation. The "original price" (submitted as the regular "price" field when a "sale_price" is active) must have been the genuine selling price for a reasonable period before the sale began.
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Only advertise bundles in your feed if the bundle is genuinely sold together as described
If your feed lists a product as a bundle (e.g. "Camera + Lens + Bag"), the landing page must sell exactly that bundle together at the listed price. If clicking the ad leads to a page where only the camera is sold and the accessories are separate purchases, that is a misrepresentation of what is being sold. Use the "is_bundle" attribute only for genuine, pre-packaged bundle offers.
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Do not use urgent or false scarcity claims in your product titles or descriptions
Adding language like "Last 2 in stock — buy now!" to your product title or description when you have hundreds of units is a misrepresentation of availability. Product titles and descriptions in your Shopping feed must describe the product — not include pressure tactics or false availability claims. Additionally, Google's feed content policies prohibit promotional language in product titles.
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Ensure every product URL in your feed goes directly to the specific product page — not a homepage or category page
Your product feed's "link" attribute must point to the exact product page for that specific item. Linking all products to your homepage, a category listing page, or a search results page — where customers then have to search for the specific product — is misrepresentation of the landing experience. Each product must have its own unique, direct URL.
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Make sure your website language matches your Merchant Center target country's language
If you are targeting UK customers, your product pages should be in English. If targeting French customers, in French. Running Shopping ads in English for German customers, with a German-language landing page, is confusing and can be flagged — but more critically, running ads for a country and then sending customers to a page in a completely different language is a user experience misrepresentation.
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Ensure your website does not look like a placeholder, "under construction" site, or low-quality doorway page
A website that appears to be a thin-content placeholder — very few pages, no real product information, no About page, no genuine content — will be flagged by Google's reviewers during a Merchant Center review. Your website must look and function like a genuine, established retail business with real product pages, a real checkout, and real contact information.
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Do not use automatic redirects that take customers somewhere different from the URL in your feed
If your feed's product URL automatically redirects to a different page — such as a different product, a different website, or a geographic landing page swap that changes the product or price — Google may flag this as a deceptive redirect. The URL in your feed must lead customers to the exact product page your Shopping ad represents, without unexpected redirects.
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Submit the correct "mobile_link" attribute if your mobile product page URL differs from your desktop URL
If your website serves different URLs on mobile vs desktop (e.g. a separate "m.yoursite.com" mobile site), both URLs must show the same product with the same price, availability, and information. Use the "mobile_link" attribute in your feed to specify your mobile product URL. If the mobile page shows different information than the desktop page, this is a consistency misrepresentation.
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Work through this entire checklist and confirm every issue is genuinely fixed — not just edited in the feed
Merchant Center misrepresentation reviews are conducted by Google specialists who visit your actual website. Fixes must be visible on your live website and in your Merchant Center feed simultaneously. Updating your feed without updating your website — or vice versa — will not pass review. Confirm that both are aligned before requesting a review.
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Request a review in Merchant Center after making all fixes
In Google Merchant Center → go to the "Account Issues" or "Products" section → find the misrepresentation notice → click "Request Review." In your review request message, list every specific change you made: the prices you corrected, the shipping costs you aligned, the product information you updated, the website pages you added (Privacy Policy, contact, returns policy). Specific, detailed appeals have a higher approval rate.
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Re-fetch your feed in Merchant Center after making changes so Google sees your updated data
After updating your product feed file or data source, trigger a manual fetch in Merchant Center so the updated data is processed before the review. In Merchant Center → Products → Feeds → click your feed → click "Fetch now." Without this step, Google may review your account against old, uncorrected feed data even after you have made fixes.
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If your account is suspended and your appeal is rejected, work with a Merchant Center specialist
Merchant Center misrepresentation suspensions are among the most difficult to overturn independently because the violations span across your feed data, your website, and your checkout experience simultaneously. If you have fixed everything genuinely and your appeal is still denied, a specialist who handles Merchant Center account reinstatements regularly can identify what Google's reviewers are still finding and guide you through a successful second appeal.
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