It seems that my idea to tell you how to unsuspend a Google Merchant Center account for a Shopify website is still actual. I think today I’ll still talk a little about how to unlock a Google Merchant Center account. In previous post I drew your attention to important aspects such as Delivery Policy (Shipping Policy).
So let’s start, the absence of a Shipping Policy on your Shopify site 99% guarantees that your Google Merchant Center account will be suspended due to Misrepresentation. Why is that?
Because Google requires you to explain to your customer in as much detail as possible when their order will be processed, when they will receive it, and how much shipping will cost.
Accordingly, your delivery policy must contain the following mandatory points:
— Cut-off time;
It means that your shipping policy should indicate the time of order after that any orders placed will be shipped on the subsequent business day.
-Order processing time;
As it may seem at first glance, this is not a required parameter. But in your Google Merchant Center there is a field to fill in this time. And as you know, all delivery information in Google Merchant Center must match the information in your Shipping Policy on the site.
— Order delivery time;
This parameter is required because Google does not want to take responsibility for the fact that you did not deliver the order to your customer on time. This parameter is individual, you fill it out according to the service you use for delivery.
— Cost of delivery;
This parameter is a consequence of the previous paragraph. Remember that if you use multiple delivery services and multiple terms, you must describe each one. If you deliver goods to different countries, delivery conditions must be specified for each country separately.
— Where the order will be shipped from;
Website owners rarely pay attention to this point, but it is very important. If, for example, your target GEO is the USA, but you do not have a physical store address in the USA, and you deliver goods from China, your site will 100% not be accepted by Google Merchant Center. In order for Google Merchant Center to accept your website, you need to have a physical address in the USA and deliver orders from your store or warehouse in the USA.
Many people think that it’s a cool idea to become a dropshipper, parse products from AliExpress to Shopify website and sell products on the Google Merchant Center. Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you.
— Free shipping;
If you offer free shipping, be sure to describe the conditions: it applies to all orders or to orders over a certain amount. It is important.
Tips for Shopify site owners
I’m sure 99% of Shopify site owners use the Google&YouTube app. If you’re one of them, turn off the automatic set of shipping terms in Google Merchant Center. This app doesn’t set shipping terms correctly, which causes confusion. Even if your shipping policy is Google friendly, this app can ruin everything.
In order not to write long texts, let’s end here. These are the main points you should consider in your shipping policy. Don’t forget to include a link to your shipping policy in your footer. The client must have quick access to it; I will say more, a manual Google moderator must see it immediately, otherwise your site will be still marked by Misrepresentation.
Don’t forget, if you have issues and want to unsuspend your Google Merchant Center for your Shopify site, contact me. And for those who read the text to the end, you can download the Google friendly Shipping Policy, which you can use as a template.