Website Needs Improvement in Merchant Center: How to Fix It

What this issue means

This issue falls under Google's Editorial and professional requirements for Shopping. Google describes it as sites that are incomplete, unclear, have broken links or contain placeholder content. It sits alongside related requirements like Site inaccessible, Insufficient contact information, Missing return and refund policy, Login required and Users cannot complete purchase.

For most account-level issues like this, Google sends a warning first and gives you a window to fix it, typically 7 or 28 calendar days. If it isn't resolved, the account can be suspended and products stop showing.

Why it happens

Common reasons a reviewer decides the site isn't ready:

• Placeholder content. "Lorem ipsum," "Your text here," demo products, or a theme's sample blog posts.
• Empty pages. Collection pages with no products, an empty About page, or a blank FAQ.
• Broken links. Menu items or footer links that go to 404 pages.
• Thin product pages. One-line descriptions, missing images, or no visible price or availability.
• Unfinished navigation. A homepage with no way to browse categories, or a search that doesn't work.
• "Coming soon" or maintenance mode left on, or a password page on part of the store.
• Mixed languages or currencies that make the store hard to understand for the target country.
• Leftover content from a previous business on the same domain.
• Mobile layout problems such as overlapping text or buttons that can't be tapped.

How to fix it

Look at your site as a first-time shopper would, on both mobile and desktop.

1. Remove all placeholder and demo content. Search your theme and pages for sample text, demo products and default blog posts.
2. Fill or hide empty pages. Every page in the navigation should have real content. Unpublish empty collections.
3. Crawl for broken links. Use a link checker or your platform's tools to find 404s, then fix or remove those links.
4. Strengthen product pages. Each product needs a clear title, real description, photos, price, availability and an Add to cart button that works.
5. Complete the core pages. About, Contact, Shipping, Returns and Refunds, Privacy Policy and Terms of Service should all exist, be linked in the footer and be specific to your business.
6. Turn off password protection and maintenance mode on every page Google needs to see.
7. Make the store language and currency consistent with the country you target in Merchant Center.
8. Check mobile usability. Test the main pages on a phone and fix layout issues.
9. Remove old business content if the domain previously belonged to another store or project.
10. Check page speed and errors. Pages that time out or return server errors can be seen as broken.

If you also need a returns page, our return policy generator gives you a solid draft to adapt.

How to request a review

Once the changes are live, go to Products, then Needs attention, and select View setup and policy issues. Find the website issue and follow the steps to request a review. If you see a Review and fix banner at the top of the account, you can start there too.

If you're still in the warning period, fixing the site and requesting a review before the deadline is the best way to avoid a suspension.

How long it takes

Google says reviews during the warning period can take up to 7 days, and account reviews in general typically take about 7 business days, sometimes longer for complex cases. Crawls after a fix usually finish within a day or two.

If the review fails, Google may not tell you exactly which page failed. Go back through the checklist with fresh eyes, or ask someone outside the business to browse the store. Reviews are limited, so it's worth getting it right before you request another.

How to prevent it

• Never connect Merchant Center to a store that isn't finished.
• Recheck the site after launching new themes, apps or redesigns.
• Run a broken-link check every month.
• Keep product pages complete whenever you add new items.
• Remove seasonal pages and expired promotions once they end.

Mercantads can review your store page by page, list exactly what needs to change, and request the review once it's ready. Contact us or see our Merchant Center service.