Merchant Center Account Under Review: What to Do

What this issue means

Merchant Center reviews accounts in a few situations:

• New accounts and new programs. When you first set up Shopping ads or free listings, Google reviews the website and your product data.
• After you request a review for an account-level issue, such as a warning or suspension.
• After significant changes, such as a new website URL or a big change in what you sell.
• Extra verification, where Google asks for more information about your business before it approves the account.

While an account is under review, some or all products may not show yet. Status messages in Merchant Center Next can be brief, so check Products, then Needs attention, and the account's notifications for details.

Why it happens

A review isn't a penalty. It's how Google confirms a store is trustworthy and compliant. It can take longer, or be repeated, when:

• The website is new, with little history
• Business details, like address or phone, don't match across the site and account
• The product range includes restricted categories, such as healthcare items
• The account recently had a policy issue
• Google needs extra business verification
• The website changed during the review, so Google has to look again

How to fix it

You can't speed up the queue, but you can make sure the review succeeds.

1. Leave the site live and accessible. No password page, maintenance mode or country blocking.
2. Confirm business information. In Settings, then Business info, check the business name, address, phone and customer service details. They should match the website.
3. Verify your phone number if Merchant Center prompts for it.
4. Make sure the website is verified and claimed for this account.
5. Check the essentials on the site: contact page, return and refund policy, shipping policy, privacy policy and terms, all linked in the footer.
6. Test checkout on mobile with a real address in your target country.
7. Make sure product data matches the site. Prices and availability in your feed must match the landing pages.
8. Review restricted products. If you sell anything in a restricted category, check you meet the conditions or remove those items for now.
9. Respond to any information requests promptly and accurately, including documents if asked.

Our misrepresentation checklist is a good way to run through the trust signals reviewers look for.

How to request a review

If the account is already under review, you don't need to request another one. Submitting repeated requests won't speed it up.

If the review ends with an issue, Merchant Center shows it under Needs attention. Fix it, then use View setup and policy issues or the Review and fix banner to request a new review.

How long it takes

Google gives these general timelines:

• Initial Shopping ads reviews: commonly 3 to 5 business days, and longer for some other programs
• Account reviews after a request: typically about 7 business days, longer for complex cases
• Crawls after a fix: usually within 24 to 48 hours

Some accounts wait longer, particularly when verification is involved. If an account has been in review far beyond these windows, contact Merchant Center support through the help center rather than changing things blindly.

How to prevent it

You can't avoid reviews entirely, but you can avoid repeated or failed ones:

• Launch Merchant Center only when the store is complete.
• Keep business details identical everywhere.
• Avoid big site changes, like a redesign or domain switch, while a review is open.
• Don't open a second account as a workaround. Google treats new accounts made to get around enforcement as circumventing systems.
• Keep feed data accurate and in sync with your store.

If your account seems stuck, Mercantads can check what Google is likely looking at, fix gaps without disrupting the review, and follow up. Contact us or see our Merchant Center service.