Understanding Google’s Requirements for Registering with Merchant Center
To minimize signs of violation or fraud and to protect online consumers, Google requires merchants to provide comprehensive information about their businesses and products and fully comply with Google Merchant Center (GMC) guidelines. Google will thoroughly review the submitted information, products, and websites.
To pass this evaluation, merchants must set up their stores with accurate, legitimate, and consistent information. This article details Google’s requirements to help you prepare for your registration.
A. Business Information
- Required Business Information
- Phone Number
- Address: The address must be valid, linked to your business information, and accessible via Google Maps.
- Consistency
- Ensure the information listed above is consistent across all pages of your website and in your Google Merchant account.
B. Product Information
- Product Description
- Descriptions must be complete, transparent, and accurate.
- Product Photos: These must be high-quality, showing the product from different angles.
- Product Title: Should be concise and not in all capital letters. Do not include SKU or model numbers in the title.
- Product Prices: These should be easy to spot and match the data submitted to Google.
- Content Quality: Avoid typos or slang. Use consistent font throughout the text.
- Prohibited and Restricted Products
- URL Accessibility
- Ensure product and image URLs are accessible and have a crawl rate.
- Product Quality and Quantity
- Maintain more than 50 products in your store.
- Organize products into different collections featured on the homepage.
C. Website Information
- Domain Requirements
- Must have a valid SSL for payment safety and increased customer reliability.
- Accessible through both www and non-www-domains.
- Logo and Favicon
- Must be added to the website.
- Banners and Images
- Must be clear, high quality, and accurately reflect the main product type.
- Button and URLs must point to accessible links.
- Avoid using fake logos of payment providers.
- Website Structure
- Do not leave unnecessary spaces or blocks that have not been properly set up.
- Email Subscriptions
- Requests for email subscriptions should be disabled to avoid collecting data from customers.
- About Us Page
- Include well-prepared content introducing the store, its products, and the store’s commitment to quality.
- Contact Us Page
- Must be included on the store.
- Pop-ups
- Do not use pop-ups to collect customer information (e.g exit intent popups, promotion popups, win wheels)
D. Promotional Content
- Countdown Apps/Plugins
- Avoid using fake countdowns (stock countdowns, timer countdowns)
- Promotion/Countdowns
- Avoid displaying promotions or countdowns. Provide clear information on start and end dates, applicable products, and terms and conditions if displayed.
- Avoid applying discounts to all products.
- Ensure discount/free shipping codes are valid.
E. Store Policies
- Necessary Policy Pages
- Include Privacy Policy, Terms of Services, Shipping Policy, Return and Refund Policy, and Payment/Billing Terms and Conditions.
- Policy Content
- Must be clear, precise, and in the same language as your product feed.
- Shipping, Return, and Refund Policy
- Must detail the entire process, including contact information and return.refund conditions, processing method, time, address, and cost.
- Avoid claims of 100% satisfaction or guarantee.
- Payment Policies
- Disclose payment methods and total cost before and after the purchase. Ensure consistency of payment method information across all pages.
- Accessibility
- Policy pages should be easily accessible, typically in the footer.
- Store Details
- Adding store details to policy pages can increase trustworthiness.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your store meets Google’s requirements, facilitating a smooth registration process with the Google Merchant Center.