Google Merchant Center Audit Checklist: 52 policy Checks
Before submitting any reinstatement appeal, run every check on this list. Merchants who appeal with unresolved issues get denied. A denied appeal triggers a cool-down period that extends your suspension by days or weeks. This checklist covers all 52 policy areas our audit tool checks automatically.
Key Causes and Fixes
1. Contact and Identity (Checks 1-4)
Check 1: Physical business address is displayed on your contact page and footer (P.O. Boxes do not count). Check 2: Working phone number or email address is displayed and functional. Check 3: Contact form (if present) delivers messages to a monitored inbox. Check 4: Business name is consistent across your website, your GMC account, and your Google Ads account.
2. Policies and Legal Pages (Checks 5-8)
Check 5: Return policy is present, accessible from the footer, and specifies: return window in days, item condition requirements, return shipping responsibility, and refund processing time. Check 6: Privacy policy is live and linked from the footer. Check 7: Terms of service page exists and is accessible. Check 8: Payment methods accepted are displayed before checkout.
3. Price Accuracy (Checks 9-13)
Check 9: Product prices on your website match the prices in your GMC feed exactly, including currency and decimal formatting. Check 10: Tax display matches the requirement for your target market. Check 11: All reference prices reflect a real prior selling price. Check 12: Sale prices are labeled as temporary with a real end date. Check 13: Price changes in your storefront are reflected in your feed within your feed refresh interval.
4. Promotional Practices (Checks 14-17)
Check 14: Countdown timers reload with the same time when the page is refreshed (they are real timers based on a fixed end date, not session-based resets). Check 15: Stock scarcity claims reflect actual inventory levels. Check 16: Free shipping claims match your actual shipping policy. Check 17: Coupon or discount code offers in your feed are active and functional at checkout.
5. Product Data Quality (Checks 18-27)
Check 18: All products have a unique ID consistent across feed updates. Check 19: Product titles accurately describe the item without keyword stuffing or promotional text. Check 20: Product descriptions are accurate and specific. Check 21: GTINs are present for all branded products that have them. Check 22: Product condition is correctly specified (new, refurbished, used). Check 23-27: Images show the actual product without text overlays or watermarks; image and landing page URLs resolve correctly; landing page content matches the product in the feed; landing pages load within acceptable time on mobile.
6. Shipping and Availability (Checks 28-33)
Check 28: Shipping timeframes in your GMC settings match the timeframes shown on your website and at checkout. Check 29: Shipping costs shown in Google Shopping match what customers see at checkout. Check 30: All target countries have a complete shipping configuration. Check 31: Products marked in stock are actually available to purchase. Check 32: Backorder and pre-order products are correctly identified. Check 33: Your fulfillment timeline has been tested against your stated delivery estimates.
7. Website Trust Signals (Checks 34-39)
Check 34: Your website runs on HTTPS across all pages including checkout. Check 35: Your checkout can be completed successfully from a fresh browser session with guest checkout available. Check 36: Trust badges on your site are from real, verifiable organizations. Check 37: Customer reviews on your site are real. Check 38: Your about page does not make false claims about your company history, size, or credentials. Check 39: Social media links in your footer or header go to active, real accounts that match your brand.
8. Prohibited and Restricted Content (Checks 40-52)
Check 40: None of your products fall into Google prohibited categories. Check 41: Restricted category products comply with all country-specific requirements. Check 42: No products in your feed are listed under incorrect categories to avoid restrictions. Check 43: Your account has no linked accounts with active suspensions.
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The GMCSuspension tool scans your store against 52+ Google Merchant Center policy requirements and shows you exactly what to fix before you appeal.
Run Free AuditFAQ
How many policy areas does Google Merchant Center check?
Google Shopping policies cover over 40 distinct areas organized into product data requirements, website requirements, business practice requirements, and prohibited content categories. Our tool checks 52 specific policy points across these areas.
Do I need to pass all 52 checks to get reinstated?
You need to resolve all issues that contributed to your suspension. Any active policy violation gives Google grounds to deny your reinstatement appeal. Clearing all 43 points before appealing maximizes your reinstatement probability.
How long does a manual 52-point GMC audit take?
A thorough manual audit takes 4-8 hours for an experienced person, or 10-20 hours if you are unfamiliar with GMC policies. Automated audit tools like GMCSuspension.com complete the same checks in under 60 seconds.
Should I run the audit checklist before or after appealing?
Before. The audit identifies what to fix. You fix everything. Then you appeal. Running the audit after a denied appeal is useful for finding what you missed, but the ideal sequence is: audit, fix, verify, appeal.
Which GMC audit checks are most commonly failed?
Price consistency between feed and landing page, shipping time accuracy, complete contact information including physical address, return policy completeness, and product description accuracy are the five most commonly failed checks across all merchant types.
Run a Free GMC Audit in 60 Seconds
The GMCSuspension tool scans your store against 52+ Google Merchant Center policy requirements and shows you exactly what to fix before you appeal.
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