Shopping listings across the Google Network should be useful, varied, relevant, and safe for users. Google doesn't allow merchants to run product listings, content, or destinations that attempt to trick or circumvent our product listing review processes.
On this page
- Malicious software
- Compromised sites
- Unwanted software
- Unfair advantage
- Low-value listings
- Circumventing systems
- Linked account suspension
- Options to fix
Malicious software
Violations of this policy are taken very seriously and are considered egregious. An egregious violation of Google's Shopping policy is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether a merchant or destination is violating this policy, Google may review information from multiple sources including your listing, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If violations of this policy are found, your Google Merchant Center accounts will be suspended upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to list content with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. Accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest.
"Malware" is software that aims to harm or get unapproved access to a computer, device, or network.
These requirements apply to your listings, ads, and any software that your site or app either hosts or links to, regardless of whether the software is promoted through the Google Shopping Network.
Intentional distribution of malicious software or "malware" that may harm or gain unauthorized access to a computer, device, or network is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, rogue security software, and other malicious programs or apps
- Forced redirects like redirecting users to an unknown site infected with malicious software without the user actually clicking on the listing
- HTML5 ads that steal user credentials from a publisher's page
Compromised sites
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account.
A compromised site is a site or destination whose code has been manipulated to act in ways that benefit a third party without the knowledge of the site or destination’s owner or operator, often in a way that harms the site’s users.
The following would lead to disapproval for Compromised sites:
Destinations that are hijacked and hacked
- Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Sites injecting scripts or code that transmits user data without consent, like credit card skimmers, installing malware on end user devices, launching pop-up ads, redirecting users to other websites, and doing things with user data without the end user’s consent
- Operating a website using a content management system with known security vulnerabilities, where it has been exploited
Unwanted software
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account.
Software that your site or app hosts or links to should provide a positive experience for users. The Unwanted Software policy provides a few basic characteristics of software that are potentially harmful to the user experience which are listed below:
- It is deceptive, promising a value proposition that it does not meet.
- It tries to trick users into installing it or it piggybacks on the installation of another program.
- It doesn’t tell the user about all of its principal and significant functions.
- It affects the user’s system in unexpected ways.
- It is difficult to remove.
- It collects or transmits private information without the user’s knowledge.
- It is bundled with other software and its presence is not disclosed.
The following scenarios would lead to disapproval for Unwanted Software:
There is no clear description of the product in your listing or a landing page
- Examples (non-exhaustive):
- No information about the product type, such as app, extension, software, in the ad or landing page
- Failure to be transparent about the functionality that the software provides
- Description of the functionality of the software differs from the actual functionality
Failing to disclose the full implications of installing the software to the user
-
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Making system changes or changes to the browser settings without the user’s consent and knowledge
- Making it difficult for users to disable or uninstall the software
- Failing to include Terms of Service or an End User License Agreement
- Bundling software or applications without the user’s knowledge
- Transmitting private information without the user’s knowledge
Unfair advantage
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account.
Using the Google Network to gain an unfair traffic advantage over other participants in rankings or Shopping ads auctions is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Clicks or impressions generated by a merchant clicking their own listings
- Using automated clicking tools or traffic sources, robots, or other deceptive software
- Duplicate listings
Low-value listings
Content designed for the primary purpose of showing ads or promotional content is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive): Driving traffic (through “arbitrage” or otherwise) to destinations with more ads than original content, little or no original content, or excessive advertising
Sites that don't give all customers a way to complete the purchase of a product are not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive): Sites that allow purchase only by businesses, sites that allow purchase only by a certain subset of customers. Learn more about business-to-business advertising.
Content that's replicated from another source without adding value such as original content or more functionality is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive): Mirroring, framing, or scraping content from another source
Landing pages that are solely designed to send customers elsewhere are not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive): Bridge, gateway, or doorway pages
Circumventing systems
Violations of this policy are taken very seriously and are considered egregious. An egregious violation of the Google’s Shopping policy is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether a merchantr or destination is violating this policy, Google may review information from multiple sources including your listing, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If violations of this policy are found, your Google Merchant Center accounts will be suspended upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to list content with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. Accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest.
Engaging in practices that circumvent or interfere with Shopping systems and processes, or attempting to do so is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Bypassing enforcement mechanisms and detection by creating variations of listings, domains or content that have been disapproved for this or any of Google’s Shopping policy or using techniques in text, images or videos to obfuscate sexually explicit content
- After a previous suspension decision, attempting to use the Shopping system again by creating new accounts to re-enter the system
- Abusing Shopping product features to show policy non-compliant content to users or gain additional traffic
- Submitting false information as part of our verification programs
- Having multiple Shopping policy violations across several of your accounts gradually or all at once. This can include:
- Creating new websites or accounts to show listings that are similar to ones that were already disapproved
- Spreading listings that violate Google’s Shopping policies across 2 or more accounts
- Using several accounts, either gradually or all at once, to promote products or services for which you lack the necessary Shopping certification
- Using dynamic DNS to switch page or product
- Manipulating product data or site content in order to bypass our automated system checks
- Restricting crawler access to your landing pages. Learn more about Google web developer guidelines.
Your account may be suspended based on adverse regulatory warnings, settlements, or rulings about your business practices or direct complaints from users or businesses. Accounts aren't suspended under this policy for having listing disapprovals related to editorial issues like formatting or misspelled words.
Linked account suspension
Violations of this policy are taken very seriously and are considered egregious. An egregious violation of Google's Shopping policy is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether a merchant or destination is violating this policy, Google may review information from multiple sources including your listing, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If violations of this policy are found, your Google Merchant Center accounts will be suspended upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to list content with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. Accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest.
Having a suspended account linked to your Merchant Center account is not allowed
- Examples (non-exhaustive): A Google Ads account linked to your Merchant Center account is suspended. Learn more about fixing linked account suspension.
Options to fix
Here's what you can do if your product is disapproved or if your Merchant Center account is impacted:
Product disapproval
Products that don't comply with our policies may be disapproved and won't be eligible to serve.
- Read our Shopping ads policies to learn what we don't allow.
- Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data source. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
- Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
- If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
- If you remove the violating products from your data source, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
- For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
- For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
- ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your data source. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
- You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your data source before attempting to appeal in bulk.
- How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Navigate to the specific issue.
- Select “View fix”
- Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
- Review any informational prompts that appear.
- Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
- Option 2 - Product details page
- From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
- Third-party platforms
- If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
For most violations, we'll send you a warning email detailing the policy violation and give you 7 or 28 calendar days to fix your issue. However, we may not issue a warning for egregious policy violations.
- Read our Shopping ads policies to learn what we don't allow.
- Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data source. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
- Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
- If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
- If you remove the violating products from your data source, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
- For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
- For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
- ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your data source. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
- You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your data source before attempting to appeal in bulk.
- How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Navigate to the specific issue.
- Select “View fix”
- Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
- Review any informational prompts that appear.
- Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Option 2 - Product details page
- From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Third-party platforms
- If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
Note: Account reviews typically take 7 business days, but may take longer for complex reviews. If you remove violating products, the warning will be removed. If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center. In the case of account suspension, we will approve the account and allow products to be displayed again.
Your account has an issue and is operating with reserved functionality, therefore your products have limited visibility. Check your email for a notice with details about the issue and steps to resolve it. Common issues include policy violations or missing account information.
- Read our Shopping ads and listings policies to learn what we don't allow.
- Update your website. If your ad or listing directs to violating content, update your website to meet all policy requirements.
- Remove the violating products. You must remove non-compliant offers from your product data source. You’ll receive an email with details about the violations.
- Update your product data in Merchant Center. Manually update your product data or wait for your automated upload schedule to run before requesting any reviews.
- Request a review or appeal. After fixing the issue or if you believe the disapproval is incorrect, you can request a review or appeal the decision.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
- If you edit your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, the affected products will be automatically re-reviewed.
- If you remove the violating products from your data source, no further action or review request is necessary.
- Standard appeal (if you disagree with the issue)
- For certain issues, you can dispute the violation. You may need to complete additional steps, such as providing an appeal reason and/or uploading required documentation.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will be removed from Merchant Center.
- Bulk appeal (available in certain cases)
- For specific policy issues where you believe a large number of offers require review, you may be able to submit a single bulk appeal.
- ⚠️ Warning: Before submitting a bulk appeal, you must review your offers and remove any policy-violating items from your data source. Submitting a bulk appeal for a large set of offers risks immediate failure if violations are found. This may limit your ability to submit subsequent appeals for those products.
- You must remove any offers that are violating our policies from your data source before attempting to appeal in bulk.
- How to appeal in bulk: The bulk appeal option may not be available in all instances or when using third-party platforms.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Navigate to the specific issue.
- Select “View fix”
- Select the option to disagree with the issue for all products.
- Review any informational prompts that appear.
- Select “Request review” to submit the appeal.
- Go to Merchant Center > Products > Needs attention.
- Option 2 - Product details page
- From the product details page, selecting “Review and fix” will display the appeal options: “I disagree with the issue” and/or “I disagree with the issue for all products”.
- Option 1 - Under all products
- Third-party platforms
- If you use a third-party platform to list your products, consult that platform for available review options.
- If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.
- Individual product review (if you fixed the issue)
Note: Account reviews typically take 7 business days, but may take longer for complex reviews. If you remove violating products, the warning will be removed. If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center. In the case of account suspension, we will approve the account and allow products to be displayed again.