New Google Merchant Center account: fix the storefront before you submit
By Terry Ecom · Last reviewed 2026-08-20 · Source: Google Merchant Center Help
A new account does not get a grace period on the website audit. Submit after the storefront can pass the list, not the day the theme is installed.
What Google asks you to prepare
The prepare-your-website article covers: HTTPS on every page, no broken links, no placeholder copy, original About and product language, contact details that work, policies that state real terms, and no fake urgency on the offer.
None of that requires a paid tool. It does require the store to look like a finished business before the first feed lands.
Do not open a second account to skip a denial
If a first submission is suspended, do not create another Merchant Center account to “start clean”. Google treats that as circumventing systems. Fix the original storefront and request review on the existing account.
Where a scan fits
Run GMC Scout on the live Shopify domain before you upload the feed. Free: one scan per 24 hours, issue counts and categories. Unlock the report if you need the exact URLs and a PDF. Then submit.
FAQ
How old should my domain be?
Google does not publish a minimum domain age. GMC Scout reports age as a trust signal, not as a pass/fail rule we invented.
Can I submit before the store is fully built?
Google’s functional-store article says under-construction and placeholder sites fail. Finish the identity and policy pages first.
Does a pre-submission scan delay launch?
Most scans finish in about a minute. The delay is the fix work, which is cheaper before a suspension than after.
Sources
Related guides
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