Google Merchant Center – Activation Checklist

To effectively list and promote your products on Google Shopping, it's crucial to ensure that your Google My Business (GMB) and Google Merchant Center (GMC) accounts are properly set up and connected. This guide outlines the essential steps and requirements for getting your business verified and your products indexed on GMC.

1. Active Google My Business Account

A functioning Google My Business account is the first requirement. This platform helps manage your business profile on Google, including your business location, contact information, and customer reviews.

2. Verification in Google My Business

Verification of your business in Google My Business is necessary to confirm that you are the rightful owner or manager of the business. This process typically involves receiving a verification code via mail or phone to the listed business address or phone number.

3. Connection to Google Merchant Center

Your Google My Business account must be connected to the Google Merchant Center. GMC serves as the platform where you manage and submit product data feeds to Google Shopping.

Required Information for Google Merchant Center :

Information about your business 

To ensure your business is eligible for verification and product indexing on Google Merchant Center, the following details must be accurately filled out in your GMC account:

• Details Section:

  • Company
    • Business name of the company
    • Address of the company's registered office
    • Verified telephone number
      
      

  • Corporate Identity:

    • Logo (square)
    • Logo (rectangle)
    • Main color (HEX / RGB)
    • Secondary color (HEX / RGB)
      
      
  • Verified website URL
    • Online verification
      
      
• Country
  • All countries where you want your e-shop products to be displayed

Shipping and Returns Data

To ensure that your e-shop is verified by GMC and your products are indexed, you need to accurately set Shipping and Returns Data. These parameters must precisely align with the conditions stated on your e-shop.

If there are any discrepancies between the data stated in GMC and the data on your website, GMC may block the indexing of your products and prompt you to check the parameters you have set. In case this happened:

• Check that everything in the corresponding section of the GMC is correct and that the details you have filled are equal to the terms and conditions that you state on your e-shop. Otherwise, your appeal may not be upheld and you can only appeal again after a few days. 
• Appeal against this decision
  
  
• GMC will evaluate its relevance and notify you of its decision within approximately 2 working days.

If your shop sends goods to more than one country, you need to fill in the Shipping and Returns Data for each country in the GMC service separately.

Information about the Shop

To maintain trust and compliance with Google's standards, it's essential that all information about your business aligns consistently across platforms:

• Completed Business Data: Ensure all details (like contact phone, and company address) are accurate and match information on your website and Google profiles. This consistency builds credibility and aids in search engine optimization.
• Verified Email Address: Verification of your business email ensures secure communication and confirms your authority over listed contact details.
• Verified E-shop Domain: Verifying your domain demonstrates ownership and authenticity, crucial for Google to recognize your online store as legitimate.

Product Data Feed Requirements

To successfully list products on Google Shopping, ensure that:

• XML feed containing products was successfully loaded from an external address
• Products were successfully submitted to the GMC account with all attributes correctly filled in

Automatic Product Check and Compliance Issues

Google Merchant Center automatically identifies products that comply or do not comply with GMC policies. However, GMC occasionally makes errors and may incorrectly flag products as non-compliant. Examples of such mislabeling may include:

• Prescription medication
• Alcoholic beverages
• Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
• Dangerous products

In case you are facing this situation with less than 20 products, we recommend manually disputing the verdict for each product where you disagree. GMC typically reviews these disputes within 2 working days, and if your disagreement is valid, GMC will approve all affected products accordingly.

For situations when it is more than 20 products, we advise you to contact Google directly and provide them with specific details about the problem. As this error is directly caused by GMC's automated checking, it is Google's responsibility to resolve this issue in bulk for you, thereby avoiding the lengthy process of manually disputing each product, which can be time-consuming and take several hours. 

In instances where a product is flagged as non-compliant with GMC policy, you may need to make a manual edit at your own expense. In the majority of cases, this responsibility lies with the supplier who provides product data in formats unsuitable for GMC service. Examples of such issues include images that are too small, text within images, and adult content.