Merchant Center Account Warning: Fix It Before Suspension

What this issue means

For most account-level policy problems, Google sends a warning email and shows the issue in Merchant Center. The warning names the policy and often includes examples. Google says you typically get 7 or 28 calendar days to fix it, depending on the issue, and the deadline is shown in the account.

During the warning period, products can keep showing, although performance may be limited. If you don't request a review, Google looks at the account again at the end of the period. If the problem is still there, the account is suspended and products stop showing on Google.

Not every violation gets a warning. Google says egregious violations, such as unacceptable business practices, circumventing systems or counterfeit products, can lead to immediate suspension. If you've received a warning, the issue is one Google considers fixable.

Why it happens

Warnings are tied to a specific policy. The common ones for e-commerce stores include:

• Insufficient contact information on the website
• Missing return and refund policy
• Website needs improvement, such as placeholder content or broken pages
• Users cannot complete purchase, such as checkout or payment failures
• Unavailable offers or unreliable claims under misrepresentation
• Restricted content, such as healthcare products, sexual content or dangerous products, listed without meeting the requirements
• Unsupported Shopping content, such as services or tickets in the feed

How to fix it

1. Note the deadline. Find the exact date in Merchant Center and work backward from it.
2. Identify the policy. Go to Products, then Needs attention, and open View setup and policy issues. Read the issue name and the examples Google gives.
3. Read Google's policy page for that issue. The help link in the issue explains what's allowed.
4. Fix the root cause, not just the examples. If Google lists three products, check your whole catalog for the same problem.
5. Fix the website first when the issue is about the site, such as contact details, policies or checkout. Use our misrepresentation checklist to catch related gaps.
6. Fix or remove products when the issue is about what you sell. Remove items you can't make compliant from the feed and the site.
7. Align Merchant Center settings, such as business info, return policy and shipping, with your site.
8. Document what you changed, in case you need to explain it later.

How to request a review

From the same View setup and policy issues screen, or the Review and fix banner at the top of the account, select the issue and request a review once your changes are live.

Request it within the warning period. Google says reviews during the warning period can take up to 7 days, so don't wait until the last day. If the review is successful, the warning clears. If not, you'll see what's still outstanding, and you can fix it and try again within the limits Google sets.

How long it takes

• Warning periods: typically 7 or 28 calendar days
• Reviews during the warning period: up to 7 days
• Crawls after website or data changes: usually within 24 to 48 hours

If the deadline passes before the issue is resolved, the account can be suspended. You can still fix it and request a review after suspension, but you'll lose visibility in the meantime.

How to prevent it

• Check Merchant Center weekly, not only when sales drop.
• Make sure warning emails reach someone who acts on them. Add a second admin user.
• Review new products against Google's restricted content rules before uploading them.
• Re-check policy pages after site changes.

A warning is the cheapest point to fix a policy problem. Mercantads can review the issue, fix the site and feed, and request the review well within your deadline. Get in touch or see our Merchant Center service.