Google Merchant Center Suspended - Misrepresentation

[MichaelDIY]

Hello Shopify Experts,

I launched my website www.diymobilityparts.com over the summer and about a month later my GMC account was suspended for misrepresentation. I have been working on corrective actions (policy updates, alignment with GMC, etc) for several months now and the account is still suspended. The responses I receive from the GMC team are vague in nature (if not generic misrepresentation emails). I removed the product feed to narrow the scope down and currently only have one product listed in GMC manually. Is there anyone who would be willing to take a look and provide any tips.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

[EmmanuelFlossie]

It's nice to see the AI reply above 🤣

You have the word vendor on your product landing page, this may make it sound like you have sellers on your website, instead of you selling the item itself.

I recommend removing the word vendor. And using the word brand.

Having images with watermarks, is not allowed.

You may have more issues, so make sure to check:

https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-video/307426020
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150127
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6363310/follow-the-merchant-center-guidelines
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/4752265
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/13693865
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6149970
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/9158778
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150244
https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-guide/241068758

[MichaelDIY]

EmmanuelFlossie - Thank you for the feedback. Great resources and good catch on the vendor/brand. I have updated that on the Shopify. Sanjnalal mentioned that the privacy policy has some generic content in it. I was using the shopify automatically updated privacy policy and was wondering if that could be a problem?  I just recently updated the privacy policy, but prefer to use the shopify managed template if possible.

Let me know if you find anything else within the shopify website that is missing or could use an adjustment.

[sanjnalal]

Hi MichaelDIY, 

I went through your website here's what I could see: 

1. Your privacy policy: 

Speficially this one: 

• Our payment processors, who collect payment information (e.g., bank account, credit or debit card information, billing address) to process your payment in order to fulfill your orders and provide you with products or services you have requested, in order to perform our contract with you.

This is very vague. You need to state who exactly are your payment processors. Google explicitly states avoiding vague or incomplete explanations that could create doubt or appear deceptive.

2. Your return policy - after reading there is a lot ambiguous statements there. again, Google has a very strict rule on returns and exchange policies be unambiguous. 

3. Some product pages don't have detailed descriptions or dimension's. Example: Some products have very basic descriptions like “High-quality wheel for walkers,” which doesn't explain key features or compatibility. I would say if possible add installation instructions too. If product descriptions or titles include statements like “best,” “high-quality,” or “guaranteed compatibility” without evidence, Google may flag this as misleading.

• Ensure these claims are supported by:
  • Customer reviews or testimonials.
  • Certifications or standards compliance (if applicable).

4. Check broken links 

5. Also please ensure your product feed is always updated with the information on your website. 

6. Please list payment methods explicitly. 

This could be some of the reasons. Hope this helps! 

[MichaelDIY]

Hello Sanjnalal - thank you for providing review comments. I had a couple questions for you because I am having trouble correlating some of your recommendations to my website. Could I get some clarification on these:

#3. Most of my listing are very detailed or at least in my opinion (I might have tunnel vision at this point). I was wondering if you could direct me to a specific product that might be lacking to help jump start me.

#6. I have the payment information listed in my shipping policy and the exact payments accepted are stated. What would you recommend?