Why GMC Suspends Accounts
Google does not suspend merchant accounts randomly. The system checks compliance against specific policies and enforces them automatically. The most common triggers fall into five categories: policy page completeness, product data quality, identity misrepresentation, restricted products, and technical compliance issues like SSL certificates and Googlebot access.
The reason your account was suspended is one (or more) of these 52+ checks failed. Understanding which checks Google runs is the first step to fixing what went wrong.
The 52-point GMC Policy Audit
1. POLICY PAGES (Checks 1-8)
Your store must have a privacy policy linked from every page. Google's crawler must reach it within two clicks from your homepage. Test: follow the link yourself and verify it loads.
Your privacy policy must explicitly describe how you collect, use, and store customer data. Vague language like "we respect privacy" is not sufficient. Be specific about cookies, email capture, and payment processing.
A returns policy must be clearly visible and state your return window (e.g. 30 days), condition requirements, and refund method. Link it from the footer or a dedicated page.
Clearly state your shipping methods, costs, and estimated delivery times. If you ship internationally, specify which countries you serve and any restrictions.
Provide a working email address, phone number, or contact form. Google requires a way for customers to reach you. A PO Box is not sufficient; a business address or direct contact method is required.
A terms page must cover payment terms, order cancellation, and dispute resolution. It cannot be blank or a copy-paste template that does not match your business.
An About page (or company information page) helps Google verify you are a legitimate business. Include company history, mission, and team information. Avoid generic text.
All policy pages must render properly on mobile devices. Google crawls your site on mobile first. If your policy pages are not readable on a phone, Google flags this as a compliance issue.
2. IDENTITY AND VERIFICATION (Checks 9-15)
The name you use in your GMC account, your website header, and your product feed must be consistent. If you list as "Acme Corp" in GMC but your site says "Acme Store", this is a mismatch flag.
Your business address must be a real address that exists online (via Google Maps, business registry, etc.). A mailbox service or drop address is flagged as suspicious. Virtual addresses are increasingly rejected.
All product images must be yours or properly licensed. Using manufacturer product photos without permission, or images scraped from competitors, violates intellectual property policy and triggers suspension.
Product titles cannot include false claims like "LIMITED EDITION" when supply is unlimited, "OFFICIAL" when you are a reseller, or "AUTHENTIC" when items are replicas. Be factually accurate.
If you sell branded products you do not own, you are reselling (which is allowed) but cannot claim to be the brand owner. Include "Reseller" or "Third Party" in your description if required.
Your store name and branding must be original. You cannot copy a competitor's logo, use their business name, or misrepresent your identity.
If Google sends you a verification postcard to your business address, it must be received by someone authorized to represent the business. You cannot have it sent to an unrelated address or person.
3. PRODUCT DATA QUALITY (Checks 16-28)
The price shown in your product feed must match the price on your website. A $50 product listed as $30 in the feed but showing $50 on the landing page is a violation. This is the single most common trigger for suspensions.
If you mark a product as "in stock" in your feed, it must be purchasable on your website. If it says "out of stock", customers should not be able to buy it.
Copy-pasting descriptions from manufacturers or competitors is flagged as low quality. Write descriptions yourself or significantly rewrite them. Duplicate content across multiple products is also a red flag.
All costs (shipping, taxes, fees) must be clearly stated before checkout. A product listed at $10 but with $15 in hidden fees on the checkout page violates the "full price disclosure" rule.
If you include a GTIN (barcode) in your feed, it must match a real product. Do not invent GTINs for items that do not have them. Either use the real GTIN or leave the field empty.
Images must be at least 100x100 pixels, ideally 800x800 or larger. Blurry, pixelated, or irrelevant images trigger compliance checks. Every product should have a clear image of the actual item.
If you knowingly sell counterfeit goods (fake designer bags, knock-off electronics), Google will suspend your account. This is a hard rule with no appeal.
Your feed must include shipping costs or indicate if shipping is free. Do not leave shipping blank. If you ship to multiple regions, specify costs per region.
If a product comes in multiple colors or sizes, each variant should be listed separately in your feed with its own SKU, price, and availability. Do not list one entry for "all colors".
Products must be assigned to a category that matches their actual nature. A book cannot be listed in Electronics. A t-shirt cannot be in Furniture. Mismatched categories trigger a data quality flag.
Products marked as "New" must be brand new, unopened, and in original packaging. Used items must be marked as "Used" or "Refurbished". Do not misrepresent condition.
Alcohol, tobacco, weapons, and adult items must be properly flagged in your feed and on your website. Your checkout must verify customer age where required by law.
Some categories are banned on Google Shopping: counterfeit goods, prescription drugs, weapons, explosives, and certain regulated items. Review Google's prohibited products list and remove any banned items.
4. TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE (Checks 29-36)
Your website must use HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption). If your SSL certificate has expired or is invalid, Google will not crawl your site properly and will suspend your account.
Your robots.txt file must not block Googlebot from accessing your site or product pages. If you have accidentally blocked Google's crawler, they cannot verify your content and will suspend you.
If a product URL redirects in a loop (A redirects to B, B redirects back to A), Google cannot reach your pages and will flag this as a technical issue.
If your website takes more than 5 seconds to load, Google considers it problematic. Slow sites trigger compliance issues. Optimize images and enable caching.
Websites with aggressive popups, full-screen ads, or ads that obscure content are flagged. Your checkout flow should be clean and free of distracting ads.
If you use schema markup (product, price, availability), it must be valid and accurate. Invalid markup is ignored and can trigger warnings if severely broken.
Your website must be free of malware, injected ads, or hidden redirects. If Google detects malicious code on your site, suspension is immediate.
Your website must be mobile-responsive. More than 50% of users shop on mobile, and Google prioritizes mobile experience. If your checkout is broken on mobile, you will be flagged.
5. RESTRICTED PRODUCTS AND CATEGORIES (Checks 37-52+)
Firearms, ammunition, explosive devices, and components for weapons are banned. This includes 3D printer files for weapons.
You cannot sell prescription drugs, controlled substances, or items that mimic drugs. This includes kratom, CBD (where regulated), and pharmaceutical knock-offs.
Ivory, endangered animal parts, and products derived from endangered species are banned. This includes furs, skins, and animal trophies from protected species.
Explicit sexual content, adult toys in certain contexts, and hardcore adult materials are prohibited. Lingerie and some adult items are allowed if properly categorized.
Movies, music, software, and ebooks must be legitimate copies. Pirated digital goods, counterfeit DVDs, and unauthorized software are banned.
If you use dropshipping or third-party fulfillment, you must disclose this clearly. Marketing items as "in stock" when they are actually drop-shipped on-demand is misrepresentation.
Jewelry may require metal authenticity claims. Electronics may require warranty disclosures. Fitness equipment may require liability disclosures. Review your specific product category for any unique requirements Google publishes.
Systematic Audit Approach
Do not try to fix all 43 points at once. Instead, work through them methodically:
- Category 1 (Policy Pages): Audit your website footer and contact page. Spend 1-2 hours updating policy pages to be complete and specific.
- Category 2 (Identity): Verify your business name, address, and branding match across all platforms. This usually takes 30 minutes.
- Category 3 (Product Data): Run a feed audit. Check 10-20 products manually to verify prices, images, availability, and descriptions. This is the most time-consuming step (2-4 hours depending on catalog size).
- Category 4 (Technical): Test SSL, load speed, and Googlebot access. Most of this can be verified in under 1 hour using free tools.
- Category 5 (Restricted Products): Review your entire catalog for banned items. If you have any, remove them before resubmitting.
After You Fix the Issues
Once you have audited and corrected violations, resubmit your appeal to Google. In your appeal message, list the specific fixes you made ("Updated privacy policy to include cookie information", "Corrected 47 products with price mismatches", etc.). Specificity increases appeal approval rates.
Preventing Future Suspensions
After your account is reinstated, monitor compliance continuously. Set a monthly reminder to spot-check 10 random products for price accuracy, verify your policy pages are still accessible, and test that your SSL certificate has not expired. One suspension is costly. A second suspension is harder to recover from.