Reference · 100% free

Google Merchant Centre Error Code Lookup

Paste a Google Merchant Centre disapproval code or message to see a plain-English fix.

Google Merchant Centre Google Shopping

15 of 15 errors

Price mismatch between feed and landing page

price_mismatch

disapproval

Google fetched your landing page and the price shown doesn't match the price in your feed. The most common cause for sudden item-level disapprovals.

Fix

→Make sure the price in your feed matches the price visible on the landing page, including currency.
→If you use dynamic pricing, push the new price to the feed within minutes of changing it on-site.
→Add automated_microdata or schema.org Product markup so Google can confirm the price programmatically.
→Check for hidden discounts that only apply at cart — Google reads the listed price, not the after-cart price.

Image link is broken or invalid

image_link_broken

disapproval

Google couldn't fetch the image URL — 404, 403, redirect loop or CORS block.

Fix

→Make sure the image_link URL returns a 200 status code from Googlebot's IP range.
→Avoid relative URLs — always use full https:// URLs.
→Check your CDN/hotlinking rules aren't blocking Google's user agent.
→Use our Bulk Image URL Checker to test all your feed images at once.

Missing GTIN (or GTIN format invalid)

missing_gtin

disapproval

Google requires valid GTINs for products from major brands. Missing or malformed GTIN triggers disapproval at scale.

Fix

→Source GTINs from the manufacturer or distributor.
→Validate every GTIN with our GTIN Validator before pushing to the feed.
→For unbranded/custom products, set identifier_exists=false instead of leaving blank.

Promotional overlay on product image

promotional_overlay_image

disapproval

Google doesn't allow promotional text, logos, badges or watermarks on product images. Free shipping banners, sale stickers and watermarks all trigger this.

Fix

→Remove all promotional overlays from product imagery in your feed.
→Use Merchant Promotions for sale messaging — they show alongside the listing.
→If you need branding on images, use a clean watermark in a corner under 5% of the image area.

Title contains ALL CAPS text

title_all_caps

warning

Titles with extensive capitalization trigger spam signals and are demoted in auctions.

Fix

→Use Title Case or Sentence case — not ALL CAPS.
→Acronyms (USB, LED, GPS) are fine; product names in all caps are not.

Missing shipping information

missing_shipping_information

disapproval

For products targeting countries where shipping isn't auto-detected from account settings, you must specify shipping in the feed.

Fix

→Add the shipping field per item: shipping(country:rate:service)
→Or set up shipping rules in Merchant Centre account settings.
→For free shipping, still specify shipping(country:0:Standard).

Landing page can't be crawled

landing_page_not_crawlable

disapproval

Googlebot was blocked from fetching the product page — usually robots.txt, JavaScript-rendered content, or geo-restriction.

Fix

→Make sure the link URL is not blocked in your robots.txt.
→Verify the page returns 200 to Googlebot's IP, not a 4xx/5xx.
→If your store is JavaScript-rendered, ensure server-side rendering or pre-rendering for crawlers.
→Don't geo-restrict landing pages by Googlebot's US IP ranges.

Duplicate product IDs in feed

duplicate_id

disapproval

Two or more products share the same id field. Google can only index one.

Fix

→Make sure every product (and variant) has a unique id.
→For variants of the same product, also set item_group_id to the parent id.

Tax information missing

tax_information_missing

disapproval

For US targeting, tax info is required either per item or account-wide.

Fix

→Set up tax rules in Merchant Centre under Shipping and returns → Tax.
→Or add the tax field per item: tax(country:region:rate:tax_ship).
→For non-US, this typically doesn't apply.

Restricted item in advertising

restricted_in_advertising

disapproval

Product falls into Google's restricted-advertising categories — alcohol, supplements, weapons, adult content, etc.

Fix

→Apply for the relevant policy exception in Merchant Centre.
→Make sure your account is certified for the relevant restricted category.
→Some categories require regional certification (e.g. alcohol per country).

Misrepresentation of self or product

policy_violation_misrepresentation

disapproval

Google flagged misleading claims — fake reviews, false discounts, deceptive titles, unrealistic before/after.

Fix

→Remove any claims you can't substantiate.
→Stop using 'fake' discounts (showing a struck-through price that was never actually charged).
→Make sure all reviews are real and recently dated.
→If unfairly flagged, request manual review with documentation.

Brand attribute missing for branded product

missing_brand

warning

Google detected the product is likely branded but the brand field is missing.

Fix

→Add the brand field with the official brand name (consistent across all SKUs of that brand).
→For unbranded/private-label, set brand=Generic or your own brand name.

Image quality too low

low_image_quality

warning

Image is too small, blurry, or doesn't meet Google's quality bar.

Fix

→Use at least 100x100 for non-apparel and 250x250 for apparel; 800x800+ recommended.
→JPG, PNG or non-animated GIF only.
→Use the main product on a clean background (white preferred for Shopping ads).

Landing page returns out-of-stock or 404

expired_landing_page

disapproval

Google fetched the link URL and got an out-of-stock indicator or 404.

Fix

→Update availability in the feed to out_of_stock if the SKU is sold out.
→Remove discontinued SKUs from the feed entirely rather than leaving stale links.
→If only a variant is out of stock, redirect to the parent product page.

Local availability mismatch

unavailable_for_pickup

warning

Local inventory feed says product is available for pickup, but Google can't confirm at the linked store.

Fix

→Sync local inventory feed at least daily.
→Make sure store_code matches across Business Profile and the local feed.

About this tool

GMC error messages are notoriously cryptic. Search by code (e.g. 'price_mismatch') or paste the message, get the plain-English explanation, root causes, and the exact fix.

When to use this

Open Merchant Centre → Products → All products → click any disapproved SKU. Copy the error code or message text. Paste here for the plain-English fix.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my GMC error code? +

Open Merchant Centre → Products → All products → click any disapproved SKU → look under 'Issues affecting this product'. The error code (e.g. price_mismatch) and a brief message appear there. Paste either here.

Does this cover every possible GMC error? +

We've curated the 15 most common errors that drive 80%+ of disapprovals. Rare errors aren't listed, for those, check Google's official Merchant Centre Help docs, but for the common ones plain-English explanations save hours of digging.

I fixed the issue, how long until Google re-approves? +

Most disapprovals re-evaluate within 24-72 hours of the next feed fetch. Use Diagnostics → Reprocess to trigger an immediate re-check. Some policy disapprovals (alcohol, restricted categories) require manual review and can take 2-3 weeks.

Can I prevent these disapprovals at source? +

Yes, run your feed through our Product Feed Auditor before submitting. It catches the structural issues (missing GTIN, bad titles, broken images) that drive most disapprovals.