Fillwell

troubleshooting guide

Merchant Center errors, translated into plain words.

Google names its errors precisely and explains them badly. This page is the lookup: find the message Merchant Center shows you, see what Google is actually saying, and get the fix. Account errors first, they block everything else. For the whole path, setup to approval, read the Merchant Center guide.

Look up my errorProduct missing entirely? Start here →

Updated October 8, 2026 · 12 error families · about 7 minutes

start here

How to read the Diagnostics page.

Open Merchant Center, then Products, then the Needs attention tab. Account-level issues show as a banner at the top of Merchant Center instead. Every issue has an exact name, and that name is the key to this whole page.

A

A banner across the top?

Account-level. If it turns into a suspension, everything is blocked. Go to Account errors.

B

Red issues on products?

Item disapprovals. Those products are off Google until fixed. Go to Item errors.

C

Yellow issues?

Warnings. Products show, but less. Go to Warnings.

Product statusWhat it means
Active / ApprovedEligible to show. Approval is not a promise of placement, just permission.
PendingStill under review. Up to 3 to 5 business days for Shopping ads.
Not approved / DisapprovedBlocked by one or more item errors. The error name tells you which.
LimitedShowing, but held back by a warning. Yellow, not red.

the lookup

Find the exact message Google shows you.

Merchant Center saysWhere to go
Account suspended due to policy violation: MisrepresentationError 1 →
Your account doesn't comply with the Shopping ads policiesError 1 →
Missing return and refund policyError 2 →
Missing contact informationError 2 →
Insufficient contact information on websiteError 2 →
Missing shipping informationError 3 →
Invalid value [gtin]Error 4 →
Missing value [gtin]Error 4 →
Incorrect product identifierError 4 →
Ambiguous value [gtin]Error 4 →
Mismatched value (page crawl): priceError 5 →
Mismatched value (page crawl): availabilityError 5 →
Preemptive item disapprovalError 5 →
Missing value [color]Error 6 →
Missing value [size]Error 6 →
Missing value [age_group]Error 6 →
Missing value [gender]Error 6 →
Promotional overlay on imageError 7 →
Image too smallError 7 →
Generic imageError 7 →
Missing imageError 7 →
Promotional text in titleError 8 →
Excessive capitalization in titleError 8 →
Page not found (404)Error 9 →
Unavailable desktop landing pageError 9 →
Unavailable mobile landing pageError 9 →
Limited performance due to missing value [gtin]Error 10 →
Limited performance due to missing value [brand]Error 10 →
Missing value [description]Error 11 →
Limited performance due to missing value [description]Error 11 →
PendingError 12 →
Under reviewError 12 →

account level

Errors on your whole account

These show under the account warning banner or in Business information, not on a single product. A warning gives you time to fix it, and products keep showing. If the account is suspended, every product is off Google. Fix these before touching product data.

1

Misrepresentation / account suspended

Account suspended due to policy violation: MisrepresentationYour account doesn't comply with the Shopping ads policies

What Google is saying

Google's systems decided the store looks untrustworthy. It is almost never one thing. It is missing policies, thin contact info, prices that differ from checkout, and a new domain adding up.

How to fix it

  1. Add a return policy, shipping policy, privacy policy, and terms page, and link them in the store footer.
  2. Add a contact page with a real street address, an email, and a phone number if you have one.
  3. Make sure prices, currency, shipping costs, and stock at checkout match what the ads show. No surprise fees.
  4. Fill in Business information in Merchant Center so it matches the store exactly.
  5. Then click Request review under the warning. One review at a time, so fix everything first. Repeated failed reviews stretch the cooldown.
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell lists a return policy that is missing or has no return window, a storefront with no way to contact you, and pages where the schema price differs from the product price.

See what it reports →
2

Missing return policy or contact information

Missing return and refund policyMissing contact informationInsufficient contact information on website

What Google is saying

Google crawled the store and could not find a returns page or a way to contact you. It will not send shoppers to a store they cannot get a refund from.

How to fix it

  1. Create the policy pages in Shopify: Settings, Policies. Shopify generates templates you can edit.
  2. Link them in the footer so they are on every page, including product pages.
  3. Add the return policy in Merchant Center too, under Shipping and returns.
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell tells you when the return policy is missing or has no return window, and when the storefront shows no way to contact you.

See what it reports →
3

Missing shipping information

Missing shipping information

What Google is saying

Google requires a shipping cost before it will show a price to shoppers. No settings means every product waits. Google no longer asks US stores for tax settings.

How to fix it

  1. In Merchant Center, open Shipping and returns and add a service for each target country.
  2. Full steps are in the Google Shopping guide, cause 9.
Shipping, step by step →

item level

Disapprovals on single products

These show in Products with the status Not approved. Each error name below links to the fix. The deep step-by-step for most of them lives in the Google Shopping guide, so this list stays short and points there.

4

Identifier errors: gtin, brand, mpn

Invalid value [gtin]Missing value [gtin]Incorrect product identifierAmbiguous value [gtin]

What Google is saying

The barcode Google got is wrong, reused, or missing. Google checks GTINs against the global registry, so a made-up barcode is caught, not ignored.

How to fix it

  1. Put the real barcode on each Shopify variant, or mark home-made products as custom products so Google stops expecting one.
  2. Set the Vendor field. Google reads it as the brand.
Identifiers, step by step →
5

Price and availability mismatches

Mismatched value (page crawl): priceMismatched value (page crawl): availabilityPreemptive item disapproval

What Google is saying

Google crawled the product page and saw a different price or stock state than the feed sent. Sales, Compare-at prices, market pricing, and currency differences are the usual causes. Preemptive item disapproval is an account-level action. It clears only after an account review.

How to fix it

  1. Open the page as a shopper in the target country and compare against the synced price.
  2. Turn on Automatic item updates in Merchant Center so small drifts fix themselves.
Price mismatches, step by step →
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell lists products that are sold out but still published, and pages where the schema price differs from the product price.

See what it reports →
6

Missing product details

Missing value [color]Missing value [size]Missing value [age_group]Missing value [gender]

What Google is saying

The details Google requires for the product's category are blank. Apparel is strictest: color, age group, and gender are required, and size too for clothing and shoes. A missing category is not an error on its own, because Google guesses one, but the category decides which details are required.

How to fix it

  1. Set a Shopify product category on every product, then fill the details Shopify shows for it.
  2. Google reads color and size from options and category details. Set gender and age group in the Google & YouTube app's bulk editor.
Category and details, step by step →
Fillwell fixes this

Fillwell fills most of this error family. Gender and age group are set in the Google & YouTube app. It finds every product with a missing category or blank detail, fills them from your own product text, and you approve them in batches.

See how it fills categories →
7

Image errors

Promotional overlay on imageImage too smallGeneric imageMissing image

What Google is saying

The product photo has text, a badge, or a watermark on it, is smaller than Google's minimum (100 by 100 pixels, 250 by 250 for clothing, and 500 by 500 for everything from January 31, 2027), or is a placeholder.

How to fix it

  1. Use a plain product photo on a clean background. No sale badges, no logos, no watermarks.
  2. Upload at 500 by 500 or larger. Google recommends 1500 by 1500.
  3. Give each variant its own image instead of one shared placeholder.
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell lists products with no image, and images under 500 pixels, over 64 megapixels, or over 16MB. It does not check images for text or badges.

See what it reports →
8

Title policy errors

Promotional text in titleExcessive capitalization in title

What Google is saying

The title contains sale language (free shipping, best price) or ALL CAPS. Google treats both as ad copy, and titles must describe the product only.

How to fix it

  1. Take promo words and caps out of product titles. Brand, product type, key details, nothing else.
Policy problems, step by step →
Fillwell fixes this

Fillwell flags titles with promotional words, prices, sale dates, or your store name, and writes a new title for each one. You approve each title before it saves. Rewrites use AI credits.

See how it fixes titles →
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell lists titles in all caps.

See what it reports →
9

Landing page errors

Page not found (404)Unavailable desktop landing pageUnavailable mobile landing page

What Google is saying

Google tried to load the product page and could not. The product is deleted, the store has a password page, or something blocks Google's crawler.

How to fix it

  1. Open the product URL in a private window. It must load with no password and no redirect.
  2. Turn off the store password page and any bot blocking.
Landing pages, step by step →
Fillwell reports this

Fillwell tells you when the storefront password is still on, and flags product pages that only load by script or that redirect by script.

See what it reports →

Product not in Merchant Center at all, or approved but still invisible? Different problems. Read Shopify products not showing on Google Shopping.

warnings

Warnings: showing, but held back

Yellow issues do not remove the product. They cap how often Google shows it. Stores ignore these because nothing looks broken, which is exactly why fixing them is the cheapest win on this page.

10

Limited performance due to missing identifiers

Limited performance due to missing value [gtin]Limited performance due to missing value [brand]

What Google is saying

The product still shows, but Google cannot match it to the catalog entry other stores share, so it loses price-comparison placements.

How to fix it

  1. Same fix as the identifier errors above: real barcodes on variants, Vendor set, custom products marked custom.
Identifiers, step by step →
11

Missing or short descriptions

Missing value [description]Limited performance due to missing value [description]

What Google is saying

The product has no description, so Google has little text to match searches against. It shows the product less, and for fewer searches.

How to fix it

  1. Write a real description: what it is, what it is made of, who it is for.
  2. The same text also decides how the product ranks in regular Google search.
Fillwell fixes this

Fillwell finds every product with a missing description, or one under 30 words, and writes an original one from the product's own title and details. Nothing publishes until you approve it.

See how it writes descriptions →
12

Pending is not an error

PendingUnder review

What Google is saying

Google is still reviewing the product. Google says a review takes up to 3 to 5 business days for Shopping ads and can take a few weeks for free listings. Nothing is wrong yet, and deleting and re-adding the product only restarts the clock.

How to fix it

  1. Wait 5 business days for Shopping ads, and a few weeks for free listings, before treating Pending as a problem.
  2. If it is stuck longer, check the Google & YouTube app in Shopify for an error next to the product.
Sync and review timing →

the data errors

Some errors are empty fields. Fillwell fills them.

Policy, identifiers, images, and shipping you fix once. Missing categories, blank details, and missing descriptions come back with every product you add.

1

The scan finds the gaps

Free. The scan in the app counts products with no category, blank details, and no description before Google does.

2

AI fills them in

From your own product text. Not sure? It skips.

3

You approve

Nothing changes until you say yes. Undo one row, a page, or all of it.

Missing categories

Sets the category that decides which details error 6 asks for.

See it →

Empty product details

Fills the details behind error 6, like Missing value [color] and [size].

See it →

Missing descriptions

Clears error 11, the warning most stores never notice.

See it →

good to know

Common questions

Where do I see my Merchant Center errors?

Sign in to Merchant Center and open Products. The Needs attention tab lists every product with an issue and names each one. The same issues appear in Shopify inside the Google & YouTube app under Products. Account-level issues show as a banner at the top of Merchant Center.

How long after fixing does an error clear?

Item errors clear on the next sync and review, and Google says that review can take 3 to 5 business days. Account-level policy issues only clear when you click Request review and pass it.

What is the difference between an error and a warning?

An error (red) blocks the product from showing. A warning (yellow, usually named Limited performance) lets it show but caps how often. Fix errors first, then warnings.

Should I delete and re-add a disapproved product?

No. It does not reset anything except the review clock, so it makes things slower. Fix the named issue and let the product resync.

My account was suspended for Misrepresentation. Can I appeal?

Yes, with the Request review button, but only after fixing everything: policy pages, contact info, matching prices, business information. Google reviews the whole store, and failed reviews add a cooldown before the next one.

Which Merchant Center errors can Fillwell fix?

The data ones: missing categories, blank product details like color and size, and missing descriptions. It also rewrites titles with promotional text. Those are the item errors and warnings that come from product data. It reports image size, price mismatches in page data, all-caps titles, a missing return policy, and a storefront password, without changing them. Identifier, shipping, and account errors are settings and store content, and the steps above show you how to clear them.

Google's own rules, if you want the source: product data specification, Shopping ads policies, and Misrepresentation.

you're in control

Approve each change, or bulk fill and undo anything.

AI can do this work. It shouldn't do it alone. Fillwell is built that way on purpose.

  • You guide it. Tell it what to do in plain words.
  • It skips when unsure. It never guesses into your live store.
  • You can undo anything. One row, one page, or all of it, for 30 days.

Your store. Your decision.

your instructions

Get the material from the @description.

explore fillwell

See everything Fillwell can do.

One free scan finds the gaps. Then Fillwell fills them, and you approve or undo. Start anywhere.

What it fixes

Six kinds of empty fields, found and filled.

See the fixes →

What it checks

Vendors, tags and titles: found across the catalog, fixed with your approval.

See the checks →

Bulk edits

Change many products at once, then review and undo any of them.

See bulk edits →

Clear the data errors before Google finds them.

Scan free. See the missing descriptions. Install to see categories and details.

Scan my store free

Free scan · public store only · no install needed.