Google has always given the top priority to deliver the highest grade user experience on the search and that is why there are no compromises allowed in terms of Google Shopping Ads. Google is strict with its policies, rules, and regulations and if not followed your ad will be at the risk of being rejected or disapproved. In the worst-case scenarios, the account could get blacklisted or permanently frozen. These actions taken by Google are a huge setback for any business, as it will not just lose a huge percentage of its customers and overall revenue. At the same time, its reputation will also get a major shake.
Common Reasons for Google Shopping Ad Disapproval
Many reasons could lead to the disapproval of your shopping ads. In this blog, I have mentioned the most common reasons:-
Problems with the Data Feed
The feed is an important cogwheel in Google Shopping ads. The feed usually contains several attributes that include things like condition, availability, id, title, description, and Google product category among many others.
There are two types of attributes that Google Shopping uses to advertise your products:
- Attributes that help customers find something specific for their needs
- Attributes that help Google Shopping categorize and identify the product
It is important to add as many product attributes as you can to the feed, but all should be added properly. Improper use of attributes leads to product disapprovals. It could also result in product ads being shown to the wrong customers that will result in poor ROI.
Violation of the Google Shopping Policies
Other than product attributes, there are several policies as well set by Google that every advertiser should follow. Any violation of the policies could result in disapproval of ads or the Google Merchant Account will get suspended.
Using the Wrong URLs
The product URLs you provide to the feed should match the domain that you have claimed in the Merchant Center account otherwise your ads will get disapproved. For example, if you are selling bags.myshopify.com on Shopify and provide bags.com on the Google Merchant account, your ads will not be approved due to the wrong URL.
All product ads will get disabled if their pages are not accessed. If any of the product pages results in 404 errors or the website is inaccessible at the time of crawl, you will get errors and disapprovals.
As a result, you should always ensure that all your product URLs are working. You should not have any 404s or URLs going to the homepage rather than the relevant product page.
Prohibited or Restricted Product Policy
If you are selling some products that are not allowed or are restricted such as copyright content, drugs, weapons, tobacco, adult content, or alcohol, your ads can get disapproved.
Invalid Product Images
All the products in the data feed must have a unique image. If any image is not in the format that Google has defined, or point to a web page rather than an actual image you will get 404 errors, and the possibility is your ad will get disapproved. Make sure the images are in BMP, TIFF, PNG, or GIF. They should not be animated in any way.
Incorrect Pricing
Google Shopping always scan your website to check that the prices in the product feed are the same as those you have displayed on the site. Any discrepancies in the prices will result in product ads getting disapproved. The price also needs to match the currency of the country being targeted.
In addition to this, it is a must to update the feed if the price is updated on the website.
Product Availability
There are three availability options in google shopping: in stock, out of stock, and pre-order. The products get disapproved if the items are put in the wrong availability category. For instance, if there is still a product in the feed with “in stock” when it is sold out. To fix this make sure your feed has the approved availability settings.
Return and Refund Policy
Provide clear information on how customers can return orders or get refunds. If you do not have such policies spelled out, the feed will be suspended and if you do not change it the Merchant account may be suspended.
Shipping Settings
You have to provide complete and accurate shipping information like the speed of shipping and any similar costs. The client should not be surprised and should have clarity on cost.
Budgets and Bids Aren’t High Enough
Many of your products may not show because your bid is too low. To show all the products it is a must to increase the bid. Increasing your Google Shopping bids by small percentages can lead to significant increases in profit.
Google Shopping Ads is a dynamic world where adhering to policies and best practices is crucial to ensure that your products appear in front of potential customers. Addressing the common issues discussed can help prevent ad disapprovals. If you’re not familiar with Shopping campaigns and are looking for the best PPC company in India to create such campaigns for your business, contact us. We would love to hear from you.
