Google Merchant Center Requirements for Shopify: Full Checklist

Most Merchant Center problems are cheaper to prevent than to fix. This checklist covers what Google expects from a Shopify store, based on Google’s own requirements, with the exact place in Shopify to check each item. Use it before connecting Merchant Center for the first time, before a big sale, or before requesting a review after a suspension.

Is your Shopify store open and working?

Google can only approve a store it can open, browse and buy from. Check these five things first:

The password page is off. Online Store › Preferences.
Shoppers can add products to the cart and reach checkout. Google requires a working checkout. Test it in a private window.
At least one normal payment method is available, such as credit or debit card.
The store doesn’t block countries you list products in.
No broken links. Click every item in your header and footer menus (Content › Menus, or Online Store › Navigation in older admins).

Can shoppers reach a real business?

Google requires contact information to be clearly available on the website. A store that hides who runs it looks like misrepresentation.

A contact page with a working email address, shown as text. A form alone is weak.
A phone number and business address, if you have them.
The same business name everywhere: footer, policies and Merchant Center business information.
A store name that fits your brand. A store called “test-store-2” selling another brand looks odd to a reviewer.

Are your four policies complete and true?

Google reads the refund, shipping, privacy and terms policies closely, and Shopify’s templates are only a starting point. Edit them in Settings › Policies.

Policy	What Google looks for	Common mistake
Refund and returns	What the customer must do, when returns are accepted, the time frame, and when refunds are issued. Required even if you don’t accept returns.	Empty, or copied from another store
Shipping	Real delivery times and costs for where you ship	Promising faster delivery than your rates
Privacy	How customer data is collected and used	Placeholders like “[Your company name]” left in
Terms of service	The terms of buying from you	Left empty

No text in square brackets in any policy.
Every number is true: return window, refund time, delivery days.
Policies are linked in the footer.

Do your promises match your settings?

Promises that don’t match real settings are the most common hidden cause of misrepresentation in Shopify stores we test.

The shipping policy matches your shipping rates. Compare Settings › Shipping and delivery with the policy, word for word.
Shipping costs are visible before checkout, on product pages or a shipping page.
“Free shipping” and “free returns” claims are true for every product and country they appear next to.
The return window in your policy matches what you do and what Merchant Center’s return settings say.

Are your products described honestly?

Every product needs accurate, specific information and real identifiers.

Each product has a real description, not one line.
Each product has its own image, not edited to look better than the product.
Brand is the real brand (usually the Vendor field), not your store name unless you make it.
Barcodes are real or left empty. Never invent GTINs; mark products without one as having no identifier.
Prices match between store, checkout and product feed.
No claims you can’t prove: “#1 rated”, “clinically proven”, “miracle” results.
No fake reviews or ratings in descriptions or theme sections.

Is there any fake urgency on the store?

Urgency that isn’t real counts as misleading.

No countdown timers that reset on every visit (Online Store › Themes › Customize, product template).
“Only 2 left” messages reflect real stock, or are removed.
Sale prices are real. A “compare at” price should be one you actually charged.

Does Merchant Center match your store?

Merchant Center settings must say the same thing as the website.

Business name and address match your website.
Shipping and return settings match your policies.
Website language matches your product data language.
You sign in to Merchant Center at least once every 14 months, as Google requires.

How long does this checklist take?

For a typical small Shopify store, this checklist takes about two to four hours by hand. The slowest part is comparing what each policy promises against the actual settings, because the mistakes hide in the details. Unflag was built to do that comparison automatically: it reads policies, settings, theme and products together, names the Google policy behind each problem, and links to where it’s fixed.

If your store is already suspended, read how to fix misrepresentation and how to request a review next, and keep the Merchant Center glossary open for unfamiliar terms.

Frequently asked questions

Does Google require a refund policy if I don’t accept returns?

Yes. Google asks merchants to state their return and refund policy even when they don’t accept returns, and to make it easy to find on the website.

Do I need a phone number on my Shopify store for Merchant Center?

Not strictly. Google asks for clearly available contact information, with examples including a contact form, an email address or a phone number. An email shown as text plus a phone number or address builds the most trust.

Do Shopify’s policy templates pass Merchant Center?

Not as they are. Shopify’s templates contain placeholders and generic terms. Replace every bracketed placeholder and make the details match your real shipping and return settings.

The Unflag team builds test Shopify stores with deliberately planted problems to check what Google flags and how each one is fixed. Every guide is checked against Google’s own help pages. How we write these guides

Find every problem in one scan

Unflag checks your Shopify store for the issues in this guide and links you to where each one is fixed. Install it free from the Shopify App Store.

Install free on Shopify