Notes / Method

Merchant Center suspended for misrepresentation: what Google is actually checking.

The word sounds like an accusation of lying and it usually is not. Google's misrepresentation policy is mostly about information that is missing from your site rather than information that is false.

10 September 20266 minute read Written by roasdept

A misrepresentation suspension almost always means Google could not find something on your site that it expects a legitimate shop to show: clear contact details and a description of the business, a return and refund policy that is easy to find, or the full cost a customer will pay before and after purchase. Google's policy names four categories, and only one of them is about dishonesty.

That is worth knowing before you write your appeal, because the appeal that works describes what you added to the site. It is not an argument about intent.

What are the four categories?

Google's misrepresentation policy covers unacceptable business practices, misleading or unrealistic offers, omission of relevant information, and unavailable offers. Most store suspensions land under omission of relevant information, which is the one that catches honest shops with incomplete websites.

The policy also prohibits presenting a false identity, business name or contact information, and it treats violations as serious enough to suspend an account upon detection without prior warning. There is no warning period to plan around.

Most suspended stores are not accused of lying. They are accused of not saying enough.

What does Google want to see on the site?

Google asks you to describe your business on your website, including updated contact information and a clear explanation of what your company does, on an about page or equivalent. It requires that a return and refund policy is present, clear and easily discoverable rather than unclear or missing. And it requires that all related conditions are clearly and noticeably disclosed both before and after purchase.

On cost specifically, Google wants clear and noticeable disclosure of the payment model and the full expense a customer will bear before and after purchase, including anything that changes the total such as membership fees, auction pricing or contract terms. A delivery charge that first appears at the last step of checkout is the classic version of this on a store.

Where stores usually fail it

In our experience the recurring ones are a contact page with a form and nothing else, no physical address anywhere on the site, a returns policy buried in a footer link that returns a page with two sentences on it, and shipping costs that are not visible until checkout. Each of those is a five minute fix that nobody makes until an account is suspended.

Worth adding: the details on your site have to match what is in your Merchant Center settings. A business name on the site that differs from the one on the account is exactly the kind of inconsistency this policy is written to catch.

How do I get the account reinstated?

Fix the site first, then appeal, in that order. Google reinstates accounts in compelling circumstances and where there is good reason, so the appeal needs to be thorough, accurate and honest about what changed. An appeal submitted before the fixes are live is a wasted attempt on an account where attempts are limited.

Go through every item in the section above and make each one true and visible on the live site. Then say in the appeal exactly what you added and where it now sits. Specifics get read.

Is this the same as my products being disapproved?

No, and confusing them wastes a lot of time. Product disapprovals are per item and leave the account running. A misrepresentation suspension stops the whole account, including free listings. There is also a third state, where products are approved and still get no impressions at all, which is a different problem again and is written up separately.

What we do with it

We audit the site against the four policy categories, list what is missing with the page each item needs to appear on, and check the site details against the Merchant Center settings for inconsistencies. Whether we or your developer put the fixes live is your call. How a Google account gets run week to week is on the Google page.

Questions

Why was my Merchant Center account suspended for misrepresentation?

Most often because information Google expects a legitimate shop to publish is missing or hard to find: contact details and a business description, a clear return and refund policy, or the full cost a customer pays disclosed before purchase.

What does Google's misrepresentation policy cover?

Four categories: unacceptable business practices, misleading or unrealistic offers, omission of relevant information, and unavailable offers. Most store suspensions fall under omission of relevant information.

How do I get a Merchant Center suspension lifted?

Fix the site first and appeal afterwards. Google reinstates accounts in compelling circumstances and where there is good reason, so the appeal should describe exactly what you added and where it now appears.

Does Google warn you before suspending an account?

Not for this policy. Google suspends upon detection without prior warning where a violation is found, so there is no notice period to work within.

Is a suspension the same as products being disapproved?

No. Disapprovals are per product and the account keeps running. A misrepresentation suspension stops the whole account including free listings.

The next step

Want this run on your account?

Send the brand and the channels you run. You get a written read on the account before anything is signed, and it looks a lot like the reasoning above.

Get your free growth audit
Day 0

You send the basics

The brand, the channels and roughly what you spend. Two minutes of your time.

Within 2 days

We audit it from the outside and write back

Your ads, store, feed and search visibility are all public. We go through them and write back with what we’d change first and what it would cost. Free, and no account access needed.

Week 1

We take the work off your desk

Access, measurement, structure, feed and the creative brief. You approve. We build.

Every week after

Report on Monday, call the same week

You always know what we did, what it earned and what’s next. That never changes.