Google Merchant Center WooCommerce: why products are disapproved and what to fix in your store
Google Merchant Center disapproves WooCommerce products for a handful of usual reasons: a missing image or an image with text on it, a missing or wrong GTIN, a price or availability that differs from the product page, and too little information in the name and description. You fix most of these in the store itself. Your product feed plugin then sends them to Google.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for WordPress site and WooCommerce store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 6 min read
Where does Merchant Center get data from your store?
WooCommerce doesn't talk to Google by itself. There is a plugin in between: Google for WooCommerce, or a product feed plugin that collects product data from time to time and sends it to Merchant Center. The Google for WooCommerce page describes the connection settings, and the typical error messages are collected on the page about common Google for WooCommerce errors.
Products can also reach free shopping listings straight from the page, through the structured data WooCommerce adds to the product page. The guide to merchant listing structured data describes this. That is why the price and availability on the page must match the feed.
This gives a simple rule: when the error concerns product data, you fix it in the store. When it concerns the account, shipping, returns policy or site verification, you fix it in Merchant Center. When the data in the store is right but wrong in Google, the feed plugin is to blame: field mapping, or a feed that hasn't refreshed.
Disapproval reason and what to check
Below are the most common messages in simplified form. The exact requirements for each field are in the product data specification.
| Reason in Merchant Center | What to check in WooCommerce | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| missing or rejected image | the main product image: is there one, is it free of text, frames and the store logo | you in the store |
| missing or invalid GTIN | the product and variation GTIN, UPC, EAN or ISBN field, the feed plugin's field | you in the store, code from the manufacturer |
| price mismatch | regular and sale price, sale dates, variation prices, currency | you in the store, then refresh the feed |
| availability mismatch | stock and status of the product and its variations | you in the store, then refresh the feed |
| missing description or too little information | product name and description: brand, model, material, size | you in the store |
| landing page not working | whether the product is published and the URL doesn't return a 404 error | you in the store or whoever runs the site |
| missing shipping costs or returns policy | account settings | you in Merchant Center |
| policy violation | a product or content not allowed in ads | you, following Google's policies |
Google writes about product codes separately, on the page about unique product identifiers. The most important sentence there: when there is no code, don't guess one.
GTIN in WooCommerce: where to enter it
Newer versions of WooCommerce have their own field for a GTIN, UPC, EAN or ISBN code in the product data, on the Inventory tab. Each variation has a separate field, because each size and colour has a different code. Older stores often keep the code in a field added by the product feed plugin.
Before you start filling in codes, check in the feed plugin settings which field it takes the GTIN from. Entering a code in a field the plugin doesn't read changes nothing in Merchant Center.
How to fix disapproved products, in order
- In Merchant Center, download the list of disapproved products with reasons and sort it by the reason that affects the most products.
- Separate account errors (shipping, returns, verification) from product errors. You can fix the first kind in Merchant Center in a few minutes.
- For product errors, start with the products that sell well. They lose the most when they're missing from ads.
- Fix the data in the store: images, codes, prices, stock, names and descriptions.
- Force a data refresh in your plugin, or wait for the next feed fetch.
- After a few days, check which products are still disapproved and go back to step 3.
The version of this post for PrestaShop stores is the post on disapproved products in Merchant Center. The rules for products that are out of stock are covered in the post on WooCommerce out of stock.
What the chat does, and what it doesn't
The TellMyShop plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce connects your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) to the store. To be clear: TellMyShop has no access to your Merchant Center account, can't see the list of disapprovals and doesn't change the product feed plugin's settings. It works on the store side, on the data your plugin then sends to Google.
In the free TellMyShop Free version, the chat reviews the catalogue and lists products without images, with an empty or short description, without a category, with zero stock, and with a sale that hasn't ended. When you paste in the list of disapproved products from Merchant Center, it compares it with the store data and tells you what to fix first. It saves nothing.
In TellMyShop Pro the chat reads every product field, including fields added by the feed plugin, and corrects data with a preview and your agreement. It changes names, descriptions and images as soon as the licence is activated. It changes prices and stock once the Sales switch is on in the plugin panel.
You: Merchant Center disapproved these products for missing information. Here's the list. Fix the names.
Your chat: I checked 12 products. In 9, the name lacks the brand and capacity that are in the description. Three examples:
In 3 products the description has no capacity, and I won't guess it. Give me the values or I'll skip those products. Save the 9 names? (yes / no)
You: Yes.
Your chat: Saved. The product feed plugin will send the new names at its next update.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”old version: White mug
new version: Lumi porcelain mug 330 ml, white
old version: Flask
new version: Trail steel flask 0.75 l, black
old version: Sport bottle
new version: Trail sports bottle 500 ml, BPA-free
The values in the conversation are examples. Every change shows up in the change history and you can undo most of them. The chat doesn't invent GTIN codes. It shows which products and variations are missing a code, and whether it can enter codes you give it depends on the field your store keeps them in. It checks that and shows it in the preview before saving anything.
The post on WooCommerce product SEO explains how to write product names that work well in Google. Start with the free TellMyShop Free version, and when you want to correct data in batches, see the TellMyShop for WordPress and WooCommerce page and the pricing.
Questions and answers
How do I connect WooCommerce to Google Merchant Center?
Through a plugin that sends products to Google. Most often that is Google for WooCommerce, or a product feed plugin that creates a file Merchant Center fetches. WooCommerce on its own doesn't send data to Google.
Where do I enter a GTIN or EAN in WooCommerce?
Newer versions of WooCommerce have a GTIN, UPC, EAN or ISBN field in the product data, on the Inventory tab, and variations have their own field. Some product feed plugins add their own field for this code. Check which field your plugin takes the data from, so you don't enter the code twice.
What if a product has no GTIN code?
Products without a manufacturer code, for example handmade ones, may not have one. Google then expects a brand and an MPN, or a statement that no identifier exists. Don't make up a code, because a wrong GTIN also causes disapproval.
How long does a product take to be reviewed again after a fix?
First the corrected data has to reach Google, meaning your plugin has to send a new version or Merchant Center has to fetch the file. Then Google checks the product again. The timing depends on your plugin settings and the feed fetch schedule.
Will TellMyShop fix products in Merchant Center?
Not directly. TellMyShop has no access to your Merchant Center account or to the feed plugin settings. The chat corrects product data in the store, and your product feed plugin sends it to Google.
WordPress is a trademark of the WordPress Foundation. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.