Merchant Centre Error

Shopify Discussion
1

Hi Shopify Community! :waving_hand:

I’ve been a member for a while now, though this is my very first post. I’m reaching out because I’m at my wits’ end trying to resolve a Merchant Centre error that’s been limiting my product visibility in the U.S.

The error reads:

“Website or online store needs improvement> > Limits visibility of all products in United States> > During the review you requested on Jun 17, 2025, Google found this still to be an issue. Before you request another review, make sure you meet the requirements.> > There was a problem identified with your website. Update your entire website to provide a useful and transparent shopping experience for customers> > Make sure your website meets the following requirements> > - Your website should have a domain name that matches the uploaded domain name> - Your entire website shouldn’t have any broken links> - Your website shouldn’t contain any placeholder images or text> - The product details and categories should match those that you provide in your product data> - Your website shouldn’t contain generic information and shouldn’t miss crucial information about products> > Google found this issue through a manual check”

I’ve reviewed Google’s policies and gone over my site multiple times, but I just can’t seem to pinpoint the issue. :weary_face:

Would anyone be open to taking a quick look and letting me know if I’ve missed something obvious? I’d be so grateful for any insights or advice.

My website is: Vital Edge Recovery (WWW.VitalEdgeRecovery.com)

Thanks so much for reading and for any help you can offer!

Warm regards,
Andy B.

2

Hi Andy, welcome to the community and thanks for sharing the details — I can definitely see why you’re frustrated.

I took a look at your site (www.vitaledgerecovery.com) and wanted to share a few things I discovered that might be triggering the “Website or online store needs improvement” error from Google Merchant Center:

Here’s What We Found:
The site loads correctly and visually looks strong overall, but…

There’s an issue with the header/logo area.
When you scroll down the page, the logo section remains quite large and ends up pushing down or overlapping the product listings awkwardly. This layout behavior can:

Interfere with content visibility

Be seen as poor UX on mobile and desktop

Violate Google’s requirements for “clear and transparent presentation”

Google does manually review for things like:

Layout problems that obstruct product access

Broken or awkward scrolling behavior

Placeholder elements or unused space above key content

Suggestions to Fix It:
Consider enabling a “shrink header on scroll” feature (some themes have this built-in).

If not available, a developer (or some simple CSS/JS) can help make the header collapse smoothly when users scroll, improving the page structure and visual flow.

Double-check your mobile experience to ensure the same issue isn’t worse on smaller screens.

Fixing this layout issue could potentially resolve the “needs improvement” error. Once corrected, I recommend requesting a new review in Google Merchant Center with a note explaining what was improved.

Let me know if you’d like help adjusting the code — happy to assist further!

3

You are making claims and statements, which is not allowed. Even if they are factually true. All claims and statements on the website and in the data feed needs to be removed. For example you say: Recharge, recover, and reset - naturally.

Your business address seems to be a virtual address. Only business addresses where you are physically located are allowed.

Missing contact link in the footer of all pages.

You will have more issues, so make sure to check the guides and policies below:

https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-video/318699100
https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-guide/304792695
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

:warning: Important: Please be cautious—there are individuals impersonating Google Ads Product Experts, including those falsely using my name (Emmanuel), to sell services. No legitimate Product Expert or Google representative will contact you privately to offer services. If you receive such messages, report them as spam.
:prohibited: Also beware of cheap service providers (e.g., on Fiverr) offering to fix Google Merchant Center issues. Many make blind edits and immediately request a review—without understanding the actual policy violation. Because Google limits the number of review requests, this reckless approach could lead to a permanent suspension of your account.

4

Thank you for the reply!!

I didnt think something as simple as that could have triggered such an error! I will implement this and see if it helps.

Thank you again!!

Regards,

Andy