GMC Scout / Glossary
Merchant Center glossary
Real terms only. Each definition traces to Google Merchant Center Help. Last reviewed 2026-08-20.
Account suspension
Account-level block. Shopping ads and free listings stop until Google reinstates the account. It does not time out.
Broken link (404)
A URL that errors or sends the shopper to the homepage instead of the promised page. Called out in both the functional-store article and the website audit.
Business identity (NAP)
Legal business name, physical address, phone and email — consistent across the website and the Merchant Center account.
Courtesy review
One extra review you may request during a warning period, in addition to the automatic end-of-window review.
Domain reputation
Google can associate policy history with a domain, not only the current account owner. Opening a new account or moving a suspended catalogue to a new domain is not a published workaround — it is treated as circumvention.
Editorial and technical requirements
Google’s requirements that the website be finished, understandable, and free of placeholders, broken destinations, and obstructive interstitials.
Free listings
Unpaid product listings on Google surfaces that also depend on Merchant Center. Removed during an account suspension.
Google Merchant Center (GMC)
Google’s product-data account where merchants submit products for Shopping ads, free listings and related surfaces. It is the system of record for verification, feeds, warnings and review requests.
GTIN
Global Trade Item Number (barcode identifier) in the feed. A feed-level field. Missing GTINs cause item disapprovals; they are not a substitute for the website audit.
HTTPS checkout
The checkout must be fully functional and secured with HTTPS. Listed on the misrepresentation / website-needs-improvement audit.
Identity verification
Merchant Center step that asks for documents matching the account’s business data. Listed alongside the website audit for misrepresentation and website-needs-improvement.
Insufficient information
Website does not give customers usable contact details or clear policy terms. Google lists About, returns, shipping and business info as required surfaces.
Landing page
The URL submitted for a product. It must show the product, match key feed fields, and provide a buy path. 404s and homepage bounces fail this requirement.
Misrepresentation
Egregious Merchant Center policy. Fires when Google cannot verify identity, offer or post-purchase terms. Intent is not required. Suspension can happen without warning; reinstatement in compelling circumstances only.
Performance Max
Google Ads campaign type that can use Merchant Center inventory. During a Shopping suspension it may keep spending on Search/Display without that inventory.
Policy pages
Shipping, refund/returns and privacy pages, linked explicitly from the site. Google’s audit names those three. Terms and About are commonly required in the functional-store article as well.
Product disapproval
Item-level block. Those products do not serve; the rest of the account can. Different fix path from a suspension.
Product feed
The product data file or API upload in Merchant Center (title, price, availability, identifiers, landing-page URL). Necessary, not sufficient, for the website audit.
Reinstatement
Google restoring a suspended account after a successful review. For misrepresentation, Help describes this as compelling circumstances only. There is no published countdown to automatic reinstatement.
Request review (appeal)
The Merchant Center action that asks Google to re-check the account or items after you have met the requirements. Account reviews typically take up to 7 business days.
Shopping ads
Paid product ads that use Merchant Center inventory. They stop serving when the account is suspended.
Storefront audit
A crawl of the live website against Google’s published website list (identity, policies, functionality). Distinct from a feed audit. GMC Scout is a storefront audit.
Structured data (JSON-LD)
schema.org markup on the page (usually JSON-LD) that states price, availability and identifiers. Landing-page Help says that if you emit it, it must match visible page content and the feed.
Untrustworthy promotions
Policy about advertised price and offer versus what the shopper actually pays or is enrolled in. Distinct from misrepresentation (identity). Google’s onboarding notes call out fake timers and undisclosed conditions.
Warning period
For most violations Google emails a warning and gives 7 or 28 calendar days to fix. Egregious violations may get no warning. Fix in time and the account is reviewed automatically at the end.
Website needs improvement
Merchant Center status that shares the same published website audit as misrepresentation: identity consistency, policy links, working HTTPS pages.
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