Google - Account suspended due to policy violation: Website needs improvement

Technical Q&A
1

OK, I’m exhausted from trying to deal with Google and Meta, and the fact that you can’t really have a successful business without doing so.

I’m getting the error shown in the subject line from Google. Of course, while they have every tool that exists on the Internet at their disposal, they don’t give specifics in their robo-messages. Nothing on Search Console nor Merchant Center jumps out at me.

The points they make are:

1. Review your domain name to ensure it is accurate

2. Ensure there are no broken links on your website

3. Ensure there are no placeholder images or text on your website

4. Ensure that the product details and categories on your website match those in your product data

To the best of my knowledge, I have no issues with any of the above.

I asked for help and, surprisingly, got a response from a real person. Other than the above, which was again emphasized, I was told:

As per checking the account extensively and based on the tests that I ran, 
I noticed that the website is inaccessible to some areas. One example is 
Singapore. Please note that as per Google's policies, it is required that 
all users should be able to access your website regardless of the location, 
IP address and device used.

Really? If that is what is keeping me from getting their approval, then I just give up. Is that even within my control? Has anyone ever seen this particular reason for a suspension before? And, if so, how do I deal with it?

Thanks, in advance, for any advice you may be able to offer.

Regards,

Jason Roberts

2

The IP of repurposedgallery.com is 23.227.38.65 and is a Shopify registered IP address. Good.

Your domain registrar appears to be Aplusnet in MN. Their name servers do not appear to be responding to a ping (ns1.aplus.net, etc.). Not necessarily a problem, but very unusual. The IP for ns1.aplus.net comes back as 209.235.144.103 which is owned by Internet Names for Business (http://internetnamesforbusiness.com/) which appears ancient as it doesn’t have a security certificate on the website and the copyright date at the bottom is from 2007…not a good sign.

My quick theory is that some locations (Singapore) can’t resolve how to get to repurposedgallery.com because your name servers are not responding to their queries.

My recommendation would be to move your domain to a reputable provider, like Shopify. We use Google because of their influence and it wasn’t very expensive. I think Shopify is $14 / year?

Here are the instructions to transfer ALL of your domain records to Shopify:
https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/domains/add-a-domain/connecting-domains/transferring-domains#add-an-existing-domain-to-your-shopify-store

Good luck. Let me know if I can help.

Steve
sil-craft.com

3

While you may have a suspension for website needs improvement, knowign Google, they will only show you one violation, even if you have multiple such as misrepresentation.

From experience, it is not enough to just look at the specific metioned violation but all potential.

For example your contact page should have an email, business name, telephone number.

For example customized products as the main item is not allowed because Google requires products to be in stock, as the custom product is not in stock due to it still needing to be created, will be a reason for suspension.

Policy: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150127#:~:text=Unavailable%20promotions

https://repurposedgallery.com/products/folded-book-art-custom-order

You may have a lot more issues, so have a look at the following:

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

4

Thank you both, @Hal9000b and @EmmanuelFlossie . I genuinely appreciate your input, but it pretty much confirmed that I just don’t want to deal with Meta and Google. Spending the day on it today, dealing with GTINs, getting notices that my descriptions aren’t long enough, having to apply target genders to my products… It’s not worth it.

Thank you, again.

5

Hi Emmanuel, I am struggling with the same issues. (Website needs improvement.) I fixed it and then i got misrepresentation, I fixed that and now it is back to Website Needs Improvement.

  • Review the domain name you entered in Google Merchant Center to make sure it’s accurate. ( Confirmed Entered Correctly)
  • Make sure there are no broken links on your website. (Confirmed No Broken Links)
  • Make sure there are no placeholder images or text on your website. (Unable to find any placeholder images or text)
  • Make sure that the product details and categories on your website match those in your product data. ( Unable to find any product details that do no match)
  • Make sure that the information on your website is complete and specific to your store and products. For example, your return and/or refund page must be accurate and specific to your business, and not just a generic page. ( Confirmed this to be accurate )
  • Make sure that your website contains complete and reliable information about your business. ( Provided as much information as I have )
  • Make sure that you maintain a verified phone number and business address on your website. ( Confirmed this information is also correct. )

Would you be able to take a quick look to help pinpoint anything that may be incorrect.

I dont think i have any more hairs left to pull out.

My site is hottrendsonline.com

6

Please note that checking a website is a big task, so the below is just an example, you should check every policy.

For example, images can not have text, branding or logos: https://hottrendsonline.com/products/car-radio-multimedia-video-player

7

Thanks for the info however i am aware no branding etc allowed.. I have already upload new images to GMC without branding or logos which google displays. I have no other errors other than the overall website needs improvements. When checking all my products, there are no errors to fix, all products are flagged for the main issue. I have gone through all their suggested policies, and i believe I have done all the necessary changes but no luck. I have been trying to fix this for about 2 months now.

Anyway thanks for the quick look. May have to call it quits for a while and try again in a couple of months.

Anyway, thanks again.

8

For example having multiple add to cart buttons on 1 page, might not be what Google wants. Google expects 1 product per page. If you offer bundles, make sure it is optional and works with the original first add to cart button.

For example you have a lot of reviews for having a website that is only 113 days old. Sounds to me, the reviews are fake.

Please note that I have not checked your website in detail as it is a big task, but there can be more issues.

9

Hi Emmanuel, I really appreciate the time you took to review my site. I have disabled the bundles and upsells, as well as the sticky add to cart, so there should only be one Add to cart button now. As for the reviews, most of them are imported from the Suppliers website when I import the product to shopify. I will try to see how I can remove most of them so it looks more natural. I know checking website is a big task so I dont expect you to do any sort of deep dive, I was merely hoping that you would look at the main things like contact info is there, policy pages are there, payment and shipping pages look accurate etc. Social Icons etc.

They sent me a new link point to these errors, so I will go through these thoroughly later again.

The website may be incomplete, as indicated by placeholder text or images. (I am not able to find any placeholder or text images)
The website may be missing important information, featuring poor product descriptions, or creating a broken browsing experience. ( I have gone through every product and rewrote the descriptions so I think i am good there)
The website may also display irrelevant or inconsistent product categorization. For example, your business sells swimwear, but your return policy discusses technology products. ( I will go through this later and confirm my product categorizations and policies match)

Once again, thanks for your suggestions, As I really do not know what else to try.

10

Hi Emmanuel, My most recent review from Google Support. The sent me an email and this is what they said.

For this merchant, we recommend making the following improvements:

  • Generic Returns or About Us page text

Any suggestions on what they are asking. My Returns page and About Us page are not Generic. They are actually very detailed in my opinion. If you get a moment to provide a suggestion, it will be greatly appreciated

11

For returns, make sure that your returns policy is written specifically for your business. For example use a company that specializes in returns policies, to write you one.

The about us page, make sure it is not AI text, not copied, check only for guides on how to write about us pages.

12

Hi @EmmanuelFlossie My GMC account also got suspended due to ‘ Website need improvement’. I revoked a missrepresentation suspension, after that i just got the new one of Website needs Improvment.
Would you be able to take a quick look to help pinpoint anything that may be incorrect.
my site : zayaashop.com

13

@jonbllaca06

I would add a contact form on your contact page.

When drop shipping, you have a lot more issues, because Google sees thousands of merchants sell the same exact thing.

Meaning your not bringing anything unique to the table.

I don’t see much of an issue, so it will be due to dropshipping with no trust signals. Work towards having real reviews, build up trust etc.

14

Hi, thanks for your reply. I understand the point about building trust and adding reviews.

Could you please guide me on:

  1. How I can add product reviews to my store in a way that looks professional and helps build customer trust?

  2. Since I’m starting out and don’t yet have real customers leaving reviews, what would be the best approach?

  3. Besides reviews, what other trust signals would you recommend I add so that my site doesn’t look like a typical dropshipping store?

Thanks so much for your help!

15

Add a reviews app from Shopify Store. Engage with your customers to leave a review. If you don’t have customers, you shouldn’t have reviews. Adding fake reviews is not advised. Also to note, you’re entering an area of e-commerce that is saturated, and full of fraud and scams. Downloading a picture and representing a product as your own,

Screenshot 2025-09-05 141337
Screenshot 2025-09-05 1413371437×758 80.5 KB

as this example shows, is dishonest. This is not a Zayaa jacket. And if you’re misrepresenting some random product I see, What else are you misrepresenting? This isn’t trustworthy. It is the exact opposite. So, if you are truly trying to build trust and gain legitimate customers, I recommend you follow a different path. This one product has thousands of sellers, just like you, who try to make customers believe it’s “their premium collection”. And customers are becoming more aware. This type of commerce had its place in the early 2000s, but it’s so over-saturated that you would likely give up and quit. So my suggestion is find something you can keep actual stock, or make yourself.

1 Like
16

  1. Use apps such as judgme, loox etc here is a full list of supported platforms: How to submit product reviews data - Google Merchant Center Help

  2. Start advertising on other platforms, start working on organic sales

  3. By not being a typical dropshipping store.

17

Hi,

I’m a bit confused about broken links on my store. Some online checkers show that I have broken links, while others don’t. I also contacted Shopify support, but they weren’t able to help me.

Do you know if these checkers are accurate, or is there a more reliable way to confirm whether my site actually has broken links?

Thanks in advance!

broken links
broken links1784×923 204 KB