Sudden account suspensions by Google can be baffling, isn’t it?
If you are also one of them, then this post is for you.
Here’s the thing: Google Merchant Center Accounts can be suspended without any prior notice by Google. And to get out of this suspension is complicated. Navigating the account suspension is also confusing, especially when direct sales get affected.
Google is very critical of protecting its consumers’ safety. Hence, shopping Ads policies were drafted.
Now that the account is suspended, let’s take a step-by-step approach to resolve a Google Merchant Center Account Suspension.
Account-level Google Shopping Account Suspension –
Google sends a warning and gives a week to fix issues in the account before suspending it straightaway.
- Identify the cause of suspension –
Google usually explains the reason for account suspension. All you need to do is just understand the reason or consult an expert to fix the issue.
2. Evaluate the reason for suspension –
When you have identified the reason, you need to go back and fix it. Is it some information on the website or the design or product images? Seek the help of a developer to resolve the issue quickly. The cause can be as simple as modifying some information on the Google Merchant Account Center.
3. Rectify the issue –
After assessing the cause of the suspension, you need to find ways to rectify it. Note: Time is of the essence here, as the faster you resolve the issue, the lesser your revenue gets affected.
4. Ask Google for a review –
After you are confident that your Google Merchant Account is in compliance with the policies of Google, you can contact Google for reviewing your account.
You can request the review only if there are no other pending requests. If you are facing more than one policy issue in the same country where you want to sell, then the review will also apply to all those issues for that country of sale.
The review can take up to a week and ends with email notification after it’s finished.
While you follow the above-mentioned steps for lifting the suspension, at times, users tend to do things that they are not supposed to do after receiving the suspension.
When your account gets suspended:
- Don’t hurry to make an appeal. Follow the steps mentioned above.
- You can violate Google’s policies unintentionally or internationally.
- Don’t create a new Google Merchant Center Account. It will cause more harm than good.
- Do not be rude or authoritative in your written or verbal appeal to Google Support.
- Do not submit more than one appeal for a single issue. It will not speed up your review process.
Before we conclude, here’s the quick checklist to get your suspension resolved:
- Review data feed errors and fix any crucial notifications.
- Re-upload the updated data feed into your Google Merchant Center account.
- Ensure that you have rectified all issues.
- Verify all in-stock products are uploaded in the store.
- Submit your account to Google for review.
Conclusion
Lifting suspensions from Merchant Account Center is complicated. These kinds of suspensions are on the rise post-COVID-19. However, it is always better to take precautions and follow each violation step carefully, fix the issues, and get the suspension lifted. If you are out of options to remove the suspensions, feel free to reach out to us. We can discuss your challenge and find solutions together.