When a product is disapproved in Google Merchant Center, it stops showing in Shopping ads and free listings until the issue is fixed. Other issues don't block the product but limit how often it shows. On Shopify stores, the same handful of problems causes most of both. Here's what they are and how to fix each one.
1. Promotional text and ALL-CAPS titles
Google's editorial rules don't allow promotional text such as "free shipping" or "best seller" in a product title, or excessive capital letters. Keep titles descriptive: the product type and its key attributes.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| FREE SHIPPING!!! LINEN TEE - BEST SELLER | Linen Crew Tee, Relaxed Fit, Sage Green |
Put offers in your promotions or sale price instead of the title.
2. Missing GTINs and brands
If your product has a manufacturer barcode (a GTIN, such as a UPC or EAN), Google expects you to submit it. A missing GTIN usually doesn't disapprove the product. Instead Merchant Center shows Limited performance due to missing value: GTIN [gtin], and the product gets less visibility. In Shopify:
- GTIN comes from the Barcode field on each variant.
- Brand comes from the product's Vendor field.
Only use the manufacturer's real barcode. Never make one up, because incorrect identifiers can get a product disapproved. If a product is genuinely custom or handmade and has no GTIN, mark it as a custom product in the Google & YouTube channel instead of leaving the field to guess.
3. Thin or missing descriptions
A missing description can get an item disapproved, and a one-line description gives Google very little to match against searches. Say what the product is, what it's made of, and who it's for.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Nice tee. | A relaxed-fit crew neck tee in breathable linen. Sage green, sizes XS–XXL. |
4. Undersized images
Google sets minimum image sizes: at least 100 × 100 pixels, and 250 × 250 pixels for apparel. From January 31, 2027 the minimum becomes 500 × 500 pixels for every product, and Google recommends 1500 × 1500 or larger. Use clear product photos without added text, logos, watermarks or borders. Google flags those as promotional overlays ("Text on image").
5. Attributes hiding in variants
Color, size and material often live only in your variant options and never appear in your title or description. For apparel especially, Google expects color and size, so state them clearly in your product data.
Fixing a whole catalog at once
Fixing products one by one works for a small catalog. For hundreds of products, FeedFix runs every item through the Google Merchant Center and Meta Catalog rulebooks, scores each one from 0 to 100 per channel, and drafts compliant rewrites based on what it found. You review each before and after, apply in bulk, and every change is logged.