Introduction
Not all Google Merchant Center policy violations are equal. Some disapprove a few individual products; others immediately suspend the entire account. Some are fixed in 10 minutes; others require days of technical restructuring.
Understanding the exact nature of a violation — its severity level, root causes, the signal it sends to Google, and the precise correction it requires — is the key to quickly resolving a suspension and preventing relapse.
This guide covers the 12 most common GMC policy violation types in 2026, ranked by severity, each with: identification signals, most common causes, and step-by-step fixes.
Before consulting this guide, identify the exact violation reason in the GMC interface (Dashboard → Notifications → Account issues), then go to the corresponding section. For automatic verification of all active violations on your pages, use the MyGoogle audit.
Severity Levels of GMC Violations
Google distinguishes several sanction levels depending on the nature of the violation:
| Level | Impact | Action timeframe | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product disapproval | Individual products not served | Immediate correction recommended | Invalid GTIN, too-small image |
| Account warning | No immediate impact, correction deadline | 7 to 30 days depending on violation | Missing legal pages (if new) |
| Temporary suspension | All products stopped | Review required after correction | Misrepresentation, Shopping policy |
| Suspension + escalation | All products stopped, extended delays | In-depth correction + dossier | Repeat misrepresentation |
| Permanent block | Account permanently closed | Appeal only | Counterfeiting, fraud |
Violation 1: Misrepresentation
Severity: Very high — account suspension
Misrepresentation is the #1 suspension cause on Google Merchant Center. It covers any misleading or inaccurate presentation of your business, products, or commercial offers.
6 most common causes:
- Price inconsistency between feed and product page
- False limited-stock messages displayed permanently
- Artificial countdown timers that reset on each page load
- Fictitious strikethrough prices never actually charged
- Product descriptions claiming attributes the product doesn't have
- AI-generated images showing a different product than delivered
Fixes: synchronize feed/page prices within 24h of every price change; remove all artificial timers and stock messages; document all strikethrough prices with proof of previous pricing.
Violation 2: Unauthorized / Restricted Products
Severity: Very high to critical — suspension or permanent block
Totally prohibited on Google Shopping: prescription medications without pharmacy accreditation, controlled substances, firearms (with very limited exceptions), counterfeit goods, unauthorized adult content, dangerous products.
Subject to restrictions (require specific program): alcohol, gambling, OTC medications, health supplements (claims restrictions), medical devices, financial products.
Fixes: identify all products in restricted categories; check available programs in your country; activate required programs before listing; remove unauthorized health claims from descriptions.
Violation 3: Shopping Ads Policy
Severity: High — account suspension
Most common violations:
- Hidden fees (processing fees, service charges not mentioned before cart)
- Non-transparent differential pricing
- Undisclosed subscriptions (discounted product in exchange for undisclosed subscription)
- Landing page not containing the advertised product
- Unverifiable superlative claims ("the best," "cheapest guaranteed") without source
Fixes: display all applicable fees on the product page; ensure landing page matches advertised product; remove undocumented claims.
Violation 4: Missing or Incomplete Legal Pages
Severity: High — account suspension or warning
Required pages: Return policy (both on site AND configured in GMC settings), Legal notices (company registration, VAT, address, legal representative), Contact page (postal address, professional email, phone number), Privacy policy.
Critical point: configuring the return policy in GMC interface is mandatory in addition to having a return page on your site. Missing either one is a violation.
Violation 5: Feed/Page Price Inconsistency
Severity: High — product disapprovals escalating to suspension
Most common technical causes: feed update delay when prices change on site; VAT included on site but not in feed (or vice versa); promotions applied on site side only; incorrect currency in feed.
Fixes: force feed update after each price change; verify exported prices include VAT for EU markets; synchronize promotions between CMS and feed simultaneously.
Violation 6: Non-Compliant Images
Severity: Medium — product disapprovals
Non-compliant image types:
- Insufficient resolution (below 100×100 px minimum, 250×250 px for clothing)
- Overlaid text on main image (prices, promotions, watermarks, logos)
- Placeholder or generic stock image unrelated to actual product
- AI-generated image showing different characteristics than actual product
Fixes: verify resolution of each image; remove all text overlaid on main image; replace placeholder images with actual product photos.
Violation 7: Incorrect Product Data
Severity: Medium — product disapprovals
Most common errors:
- Invalid or missing GTIN (wrong format, doesn't match product variant)
- All-caps titles or promotional text in title
- HTML in the feed description field
- Missing color/size/gender attributes for clothing
Fixes: validate each GTIN with GS1 validation tool; fix non-compliant titles; enrich short descriptions; add required variant attributes for fashion products.
Violation 8: Inaccessible Site or Degraded User Experience
Severity: High — account suspension or mass disapprovals
Types: pages returning 404/500 errors; robots.txt blocking Googlebot; Cloudflare/WAF blocking unrecognized User-Agents; intrusive interstitials blocking content on mobile; HTTP instead of HTTPS; pages requiring login to see prices.
Fixes: remove products with 404 pages from feed; check robots.txt allows Googlebot; remove intrusive pop-ups; migrate to HTTPS; configure WAF to allow Googlebot.
Violation 9: Non-Compliant Return Policy
Severity: High — account suspension
What GMC specifically requires:
- Return policy configured in GMC interface (Settings → Shipping and returns → Return policies)
- Consistency between GMC configuration and site return page
- Minimum return window compliant with applicable local law (14 days minimum in EU)
Fixes: configure return policy in GMC interface; verify consistency between GMC configuration and site return page; ensure return window meets local legal minimum.
Violation 10: Incorrect or Misleading Structured Data
Severity: Medium to high — product disapprovals, GEO impact
Most common errors:
- Schema.org price different from displayed price
- Incorrect availability format (using text instead of URI "https://schema.org/InStock")
- Non-standard currency code ("€" instead of "EUR")
- Incomplete Product schema (missing Offers)
- Schema data conflicting with visible page content
Fixes: verify Schema.org price matches displayed price; use full URI format for availability; use ISO currency codes; complete Product schema with all required fields; validate with Google Rich Results Test.
Violation 11: Restricted Category Without Appropriate Program
Severity: High — disapproval or suspension
Categories requiring specific configuration: Alcohol program (required, country-specific), Pharmacy/Healthcare (specific accreditation in some countries), Health claims products (restrictions on medical claims), Financial products (specific program, geographic restrictions).
Fixes: identify all products in potentially restricted categories; check available programs in your country; activate required programs; remove unauthorized claims from descriptions.
Violation 12: Circumvention Attempt
Severity: Critical — likely permanent block
What constitutes circumvention: creating a secondary account during active suspension; cloaking (showing different content to Googlebot vs users); dynamically modifying page content to appear compliant only during crawls; using redirects to hide content from Google.
Consequence: detected circumvention generally results in permanent block without standard appeal. If you believe you accidentally triggered this type of violation (e.g., misconfigured A/B testing), contact GMC support immediately with a detailed context explanation before submitting any review.
Prioritization Summary
| Violation | Severity | Critical deadline | First action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misrepresentation | ★★★★★ | Immediate | Check feed/page price consistency |
| Prohibited products | ★★★★★ | Immediate | Remove products from feed |
| Circumvention attempt | ★★★★★ | Immediate | Contact support before anything |
| Legal pages | ★★★★ | < 48h | Create/complete + configure in GMC |
| Shopping Ads Policy | ★★★★ | < 48h | Remove hidden fees, unverifiable claims |
| Return policy | ★★★★ | < 48h | Configure in GMC + site consistency |
| Inaccessible site | ★★★★ | < 24h | Check errors, robots.txt, HTTPS |
| Price inconsistency | ★★★ | < 24h | Sync feed after each change |
| Non-compliant images | ★★★ | < 72h | Fix resolution, remove text |
| Product data | ★★★ | < 72h | Validate GTIN, fix titles |
| Structured data | ★★★ | < 72h | Validate Schema.org |
| Restricted categories | ★★ | < 7 days | Activate program or remove products |
FAQ {#faq-en}
What's the difference between a product disapproval and an account suspension? A product disapproval affects individual products — they're no longer served but the rest of the account works. An account suspension stops all products simultaneously. Mass disapprovals (particularly for misrepresentation) can escalate to account suspension if uncorrected.
Can you have multiple violations simultaneously? Yes. An account can simultaneously have product disapprovals (invalid GTIN) and an account suspension for misrepresentation. Both levels must be addressed: individual disapprovals in Product Diagnostics, and the suspension in Account Notifications.
If I fix a violation, is it automatically lifted or must I submit a review? For individual product disapprovals, the fix is often automatically lifted at the next Google crawl (without manual review). For account suspension, you must fix all violations then click "Request a review" in the GMC interface.
Can a Schema.org structured data violation trigger a GMC suspension? Indirectly, yes. If structured data contains a price different from the displayed price, it's a misrepresentation violation that can trigger suspension. Simply absent or incomplete structured data doesn't cause direct suspension but disapproves products and reduces GEO visibility.
My return policy is on my site but I'm suspended for "non-compliant return policy." Why? The return policy must be configured at two levels: on your site AND in the GMC interface (Settings → Shipping and returns → Return policies). Having only a return page on your website is insufficient — the GMC configuration is mandatory.
Identify All Your Violations Before Submitting
Submitting a review with active violations remaining is the primary cause of failure. Each rejection extends the delay before the next attempt.
MyGoogle scans your product pages in 30 seconds and identifies all active GMC policy violations: price consistency, legal pages, non-compliant images, incorrect structured data, user experience. You get the precise, prioritized list of what must be fixed before submitting.
Launch the free audit — no installation required, immediate results.