u/Merchanzia

Misrepresentation is the number one reason ecommerce stores get suspended on Google Merchant Center, and most of them have no idea what actually triggered it.

Google does not tell you what specifically went wrong. You get a generic policy link, a vague checklist, and a cooldown timer. Meanwhile your ads are off and your business is losing money.

I keep seeing the same mistakes come up over and over in this community. Most people fix the obvious things and still get rejected because the real issues are in the details. Here is a full breakdown of what Google actually checks and what most stores miss.

Important before anything else

You only get 3 review attempts total. After that the account is permanently suspended. Do not submit a review until everything below is properly sorted.

Step 1 - Fix the technical foundation

Google checks these before anything else. One broken page or unreachable email is enough to fail the review.

• Your customer service email must be at your own domain. A Gmail address does not reflect a legitimate business
• Scan your store for broken links and 404 pages. Every button must lead to a working page
• Confirm your domain is running on HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate
• Check your page speed. Slow stores create poor user experience which factors into trust
• If you duplicated your Shopify theme, remove any old Google Analytics or Merchant Center tracking codes from previous theme copies. Duplicate codes can appear as misrepresentation because the old code may be linked to a different account

Step 2 - Policy pages are where most stores fail

Having the pages is not enough. The content needs to be complete and every single policy page must have your full business contact details at the bottom.

The About Us page is the most underestimated item. A generic paragraph that could apply to any store is a trust problem. Google wants something authentic and specific to your business.

Contact Us page must have:

• At least two ways to reach you
• Customer service hours with timezone clearly stated. Most stores miss the timezone and it costs them the review
• Your usual response time
• A working contact form
• Link to your FAQ page

Shipping Policy must have:

• Shipping costs or free shipping threshold
• Geographic restrictions if any
• Daily order cutoff time
• Transit time and shipping time stated separately in business days
• Business contact details at the bottom

Return Policy must have:

• Return window after delivery
• Who pays return shipping and under what conditions
• Any restocking fees
• Return address
• How long the refund takes after the return is received
• Even if you do not accept returns you must state that clearly. No return policy at all is not acceptable to Google

Every other policy page including Privacy Policy, Payment Policy, Terms of Service, Track Your Order and FAQ must also have your business contact details at the bottom.

Step 3 - Header and footer

Both are checked on every page of your store.

Your footer must include your logo, all policy pages linked, company name, business address, contact details, About Us, Track Your Order and Warranty page if applicable. Payment method icons and social media profiles are optional but strongly recommended for trust.

Missing the business address in the footer is one of the most common things we see. A lot of stores have all the links but no physical address visible.

Your header must have your logo, a working home link, collection links that lead to pages with actual products, and links to About Us, Contact Us and Track Your Order.

Step 4 - Product and collection pages

Misleading content on even a few product pages can block reinstatement for the whole account.

Remove all of these before submitting a review:

• Unrealistic discounts and inflated compare-at prices
• Countdown timers and false scarcity claims
• Guarantee language of any kind
• Health claims, income promises, or any trigger words
• Fake reviews or unverifiable endorsements

If you are a new store do not add promotions yet. Get approved first then add them gradually. Early discounts are one of the most common triggers we see.

Every collection in your navigation must have products in it. Empty collections make the store look incomplete to Google.

Step 5 - Align everything inside GMC

After fixing the store, open your GMC account and check that every setting matches your website exactly.

• Domain claimed and verified and matches your live store
• Shipping settings inside GMC match your Shipping Policy exactly
• Return policy inside GMC matches your website return policy
• Business name in GMC matches the company name on your store word for word
• Email address has no trailing period after the domain ending
• No white text on white background anywhere on the store

One last thing about creating a new account

A lot of people give up on their suspended account and think creating a new GMC account with a new email will solve the problem. It will not. If you are using the same store, the same domain, the same products or the same business details, Google will connect the accounts and the new one will get suspended too. In some cases it can also put your other existing accounts at risk. The only real fix is resolving the compliance issues on the existing account first.

This is the full picture of what Google evaluates. Most suspensions are not caused by one big thing but by several small issues combined. Fix everything systematically before using a review attempt.

Happy to answer any specific questions in the comments.