Suspended Google Merchant Account - Misrepresentation

Suspended Google Merchant Account - Misrepresentation

Clever-Clogs
Visitor
1 0 0

Hi community,

 

I am having a nightmare with getting my new side project's products registered with Google Merchant. I sorted all the product issues they came back to me with however upon requesting a review, they keep coming back with 'Suspended due to Misrepresentation' and every time I ask for guidance on what I need to look at they keep avoiding the question.

 

This is what they show me:

 

Based on the information available about your business, there is reason to believe that customers are being misled on Google. Review the Misrepresentation policy and make changes to your Merchant Center and/or online store.

 

I do not drop shop and despatch the products myself. I am happy to address anything which needs to be looked at however I need to know what needs fixing.

 

My project website is https://clever-clogs.co/ if anyone would like to take a look. I may be missing something and it is glaring me in the face however any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Many thanks,

 

Brett

Replies 3 (3)

EmmanuelFlossie
Shopify Partner
3384 258 817

I recommned adding your business details in the footer of all pages (address, email,phone, business name, business id, business hours)

 

Your contact page should have an address, phone number, business name, contact form, business hours, business response time, social links.

 

Make sure on the product landing page you show if an item is in or out of stock.

 

In addition to the above info specific to your website, below are the most common reasons. So if you like to learn more, continue to read.

 

Misrepresentation refers to trust related signals about your business.
 
For instance, inconsistencies may arise when the actual physical location of your business aligns differently from the information provided on your website, Google Merchant Center settings, public social media profiles, or other connected accounts. All these details must align and reflect the physical reality of your business.

Be clear about your business model and how you operate.

Operating your business in one geographic region while asserting that the corporate entity is based in a different jurisdiction.

Not providing an official business name and not having this matched accros the web.
 
The practice of setting up a virtual address or business in a location where your company does not operate is a typical example of misrepresentation.
 
Additionally, the overall quality of your website can be a form of misrepresentation. Therefore, it's essential to improve your website and populate it with original, high-quality content and not to copy-paste information from other websites.

Not including social links such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
 
Trust indicators such as your Google Business Profile, Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation, and genuine customer reviews are critical to fostering a sense of legitimacy and reliability.

Show certificates from offiical 3rd party sources.
 
Neglecting to include essential policies such as shipping, returns, privacy in the footer of your website can lead to misrepresentation. Instead, ensure all necessary policies are articulated and accessible to users for transparency and compliance.

Another example of this could be advertising a discounted price for an item, even though the product has not been sold at its alleged original price in recent history.

Copying content from other websites, including details items such as "About Us" pages or policy statements, is regarded as misrepresentation. 

Not having an original authentic about us page.

Failure to maintain inventory or lack of knowledge regarding stock quantity levels.

Missing or limited contact method.

Do not have any placeholder text or images.

Do not have any redirects or broken links.

If you have published a blog post, make sure customers can read the article.

Any discrepancy on your website or in your Google Merchant Center account that deviates from absolute truthfulness can be perceived as misleading, which could potentially be the reason for suspension.

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

Get in touch with Emmanuel: a Google Shopping Specialist, Google Ads Diamond Product Expert, and also a a Google Product Expert Education 2021 & Tailwind 2023 Award winner.
Need Google Merchant Center or Google Shopping support?.

Shantaviaa
Visitor
1 0 0

Hi its 2024 and I am having a similar problem. I have a new business my website is mummumlife.store. I got flagged by Google for misrepresentation. I have registered business. The name of my business is Revrency LLC. I don't know if this is the reason for the misrepresentation. From what I have checked it's not illegal to have a different name for your website than the old name. I have made the necessary updates and requested a review but still got flagged for misrepresentation. I don't know what to do I am stuck. Everyone I seek help from is requesting money that I do not have to pay for a consultation. If there is any good samaritan out there who can help I am asking you to reach out to me. My contact details are on my website. It is sad to see how people who have the money to start large corporations are putting things in place to block small businesses. 

ketanjani
Visitor
2 0 0

Here are 4 solutions that can help you fix the suspension:

 

Fix 1: Contact information

Google wants the best experience for the visitors they send to your website, so to achieve this it's important so they can reach you with multiple contact options.

It’s required to have your full address, customer email support, and optional phone number in the footer and on the contact page.

I also highly recommend adding these details to every legal page.

 

Fix 2: Shipping information

To provide visitors with the right information it's essential to make a shipping information page.

You need to make sure that you explain the:

“Transit time” + “Shipping time” will be.

It's even better to mention the cutoff time from the fulfillment center and the average delivery days.

To make it easy for you, here is the template we use to mention this the right way, so the algorithm can understand it directly:

Cutoff time 22:00 (GMT+01:00)

Central European Standard Time (Amsterdam)

Order processing time 1-3 days, delivery on Mon-Fri

Delivery time 4-8 days, shipping on Mon-Fri

 

Fix 3: Return information

Don’t leave any important policies behind, it’s bad for business and trust from potential buyers. To keep things clear, have separate policies for refund & return. Also, ensure refunds are based on delivery day rather than purchase day. Then, link to the footer of all pages.

 

Fix 4: Payment information

As easy as it sounds, make sure to have a payment information page. It's a trigger if you don't have it for the GMC algorithm.

You need to:

•⁠ ⁠Create a separate policy page.

•⁠ ⁠Link it to the footer of all pages.

•⁠ ⁠Detail payments, fees, and acceptable payment methods.

•⁠ ⁠Ensure it's clear and easy to read.