A new e-commerce store owner seeks guidance on driving traffic to their website and resolving technical issues. They’ve built a site, attempted SEO, and set up Google Merchant Center (GMC), but are struggling with limited traffic and unclear next steps.
Main Issues:
GMC policy violation triggered after installing a menu app, granting collaborator access, and adding placeholder collections
Violation message cites website improvement needs: broken links, placeholder content, and incomplete product information
Uncertainty about which professional to hire (e-commerce manager, SEO specialist, marketing consultant)
Key Recommendations Provided:
Fix GMC violations by: removing placeholders, adding complete contact details with proper address/postcode, ensuring 500+ character product descriptions, displaying stock status, and verifying business registration details
Google stopped providing specific suspension details since 2020 due to spam issues, making troubleshooting harder for legitimate merchants
Consider hiring: SEO specialist for optimization, GMC expert for compliance, digital marketing specialist for strategy, or full-service e-commerce agency
Traffic generation options: paid advertising (Google/Facebook/Instagram) for immediate results, or long-term SEO optimization (12+ months)
Use platforms like Upwork or Shopify Partners directory to find qualified professionals
Status: Discussion remains open with the owner working through GMC compliance issues before addressing broader marketing strategy.
Summarized with AI on November 2.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
Or really find a local business consultant and start addressing fundamental business philosophy issues.
I don’t want to waste time and money on getting it wrong
be self aware of how big a cliche that is for a new merchant, you don’t know what you don’t know you will always get it wrong unless all the variable dice roll the right way.
Hello there @Boops_1 my main suggestion would to check on Upwork (which I personally prefer to Fiverr) and find anyone who has SEO experience as well as email marketing experience (preferably with Klaviyo) and has helped promote a Shopify store before. I think these are the two major avenues you need to help promote your store on a much wider scale.
Thanks Paul. What I meant was, I’ve already spent hours trying to figure out what I don’t know and I probably need to throw some money at promoting, but I imagine that’s incredibly easy to get wrong without the right guidance. That search you shared is very interesting, I’ll be combing through that some more. Thanks!
A professional who specializes in e-commerce can help you with various aspects of your online store, including SEO, marketing strategies, and troubleshooting issues with platforms like Google Merchant Center. They can provide a holistic approach to improving your website’s performance and driving traffic.
Also, since you’re new to SEO and need a marketing plan, hiring someone with expertise in SEO and digital marketing can be beneficial. Look for someone with experience in Shopify stores who can help you optimize your site, address issues with Google Merchant Center, and develop a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Ah yes, placeholders is not good, as google sees this as an unfinished website. Which is a reason for suspension.
First finish your website, so that everything is working.
Make sure to add your contact details (business addrss, email, business name, business hours) in the footer of all pages. Also add a contact form on your contact page. Don’t say vat number is not applicable, just remove this.
The address you added looks incomplete. Missing postcode, missing unit or house number.
Make sure if boops group is a limited company that it is factually the case.
Make sure to add descriptions that are at least 500 characters long.
Make sure to add if an item is in or out of stock on the product landing page.
You may have a lot more issues, as the above are just examples, so make sure to check:
Thanks alot. I should add that the website was working fine for a couple of weeks until that one day of changes. How long would it take Google to pick up on a violation - is is pretty quick, or is it possible I failed 7 days ago and it only just caught up?
Normally you get an email regarding the suspension. If you don’t have, you can check in your GMC account the email history, and check the date. Click on the cog icon > email
Thanks, I got the email from GMC ok, there were a couple in quick succession. It’s unfortunate that Google can’t include the issue that triggered the violation
I know, once suspended, google does not share specifics, it’s actually due to a few bad apples in the tree. In 2020, there was a rampant spawning of spammers, bad merchants etc, so since 2020 Google has stopped supporting suspensions, and let merchants figure it out for themselves, for the purpose of avoiding these bad actors, which means honest merchants have a much harder time.
If you need to drive the traffic, then you have 2 options, or run PPC, using google ads, or facebook, or instagram, or any of platforms that provides paid traffic.
Or longterm - optimized the website for SEO, this might take even more than a year, but on long term this gives more secure and stable traffic.
I would recommend to choose some relibale CRO agency and first run a cro audit
To address your needs, you likely require assistance from multiple professionals or an agency specializing in e-commerce. Here’s who can help:
SEO Specialist: To optimize your site for search engines, resolve SEO issues, and improve visibility. They can also assist with apps to enhance SEO.
Google Merchant Center Expert: To fix policy violations and ensure your product listings comply with Google’s requirements.
Digital Marketing Specialist: To create and execute a marketing plan, including social media strategy, paid ads (Google/Facebook/Instagram), and content marketing.
E-commerce Consultant: To provide overall guidance, improve your website’s performance, and manage your e-commerce strategies.
Freelancer or Agency: Look for an agency offering end-to-end services or freelancers with expertise in SEO, Google Merchant Center, and marketing. Shopify Experts might also have agencies that can cover all bases.
Start by clearly outlining your goals (traffic, sales, compliance, etc.) and budget before hiring.
be self aware of how big a cliche that is for a new merchant, you don’t know what you don’t know you will always get it wrong unless all the variable dice roll the right way.