GMC untrustworthy promotions: what the policy is about
By Terry Ecom · Last reviewed 2026-08-20 · Source: Google Merchant Center Help
Untrustworthy promotional content is Google’s policy on misleading prices, surprise charges, and pressure tactics. It overlaps misrepresentation in practice; the fix path is different.
How this differs from misrepresentation
Misrepresentation is about identity and consistency — who you say you are versus who you are. Untrustworthy promotions is about the offer — what you advertise versus what the shopper pays or is signed up for.
Google’s onboarding guidance tells merchants to disclose conditions that change the purchase before checkout, and to remove fake countdown timers, artificial stock warnings, and intrusive overlays. Landing-page rules require the price and availability on the page to match the submitted product data.
What to inspect on a Shopify store
Check that the price a crawler can read on the product page matches the feed, that sale / compare-at prices have a real basis, that subscriptions are not pre-selected without a clear opt-in, and that shipping or mandatory fees are not hidden until the last checkout step.
GMC Scout’s current crawl flags missing shipping-cost disclosure and related policy gaps on the storefront. It does not yet flag every promotions pattern (for example a pre-checked Subscribe & Save). Do not treat a clean Scout report as proof that this policy is clear.
FAQ
Are strikethrough prices banned?
Google requires the advertised offer to match what the shopper pays. A compare-at price needs a defensible history. We do not publish a numeric “safe discount %”.
Are countdown timers banned?
Google’s prepare-your-website guidance tells you to remove fake countdown timers and artificial stock warnings. A timer that resets is the pattern that reads as pressure, not information.
Is this the same as misrepresentation?
No. Reviewers often look at both. Fixing only identity issues will not clear a misleading-offer problem, and the reverse is also true.
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