How to classify Merchant Center errors
File processing
Unreachable URLs, malformed XML, encoding problems and invalid table structure.
Missing attributes
Required or conditionally required product fields absent from affected items.
Invalid values
Prices, availability, condition, identifiers or URLs in unexpected formats.
Landing-page mismatches
Compare the exact variant, currency and stock state with the landing page inside your own workflow. Product Feed Scan does not fetch that page.
Image and link issues
The source audit detects missing and malformed URLs. Check blocking, HTTP responses, dimensions and Google crawl results separately.
Policy and account scope
Issues that must be reviewed inside Merchant Center and cannot be inferred from a feed alone.
Fix order for feed-level errors
Fix blockers first, then catalog-wide patterns, and leave isolated optimization opportunities for last.
From raw feed to prioritized fixes
Start with Diagnostics
Confirm the exact issue name, scope and destination inside Merchant Center.
Audit the source feed
Check whether the same pattern is present in the current feed file.
Fix and refetch
Correct the upstream data, regenerate the feed and allow time for processing.
Feed errors vs. policy issues
Product Feed Scan can expose source-data problems. It cannot resolve misrepresentation, website, business-verification or other account-level policy decisions. Those require the official diagnostics, policy guidance and review process in Merchant Center.
Identifier errors: start with the source mapping
Missing identifiers are not the same as invalid assigned identifiers. Review the exact Merchant Center issue, product type and manufacturer data before changing GTIN, MPN or brand.
Our general audit warns when both GTIN and MPN are absent; it cannot decide whether a manufacturer assigned a GTIN. A present MPN does not automatically satisfy Google requirements when a GTIN exists.
Price, availability and image issues
For a price or availability mismatch, compare the feed item with the same landing-page variant and checkout. Check currency, sale timing and stock synchronization. A source-only format check cannot confirm a live mismatch.
For image issues, first repair absent or malformed image_link values, then inspect the actual image, HTTP accessibility and Google requirements. Product Feed Scan does not download each image or verify its dimensions.
Disapproved products and account decisions
Read the affected destination and country in Merchant Center. Data errors, website problems and account policy decisions require different actions.
Correct the documented cause and follow Google's review process where available. A clean source score is not proof of approval, and recreating IDs is not a remedy for a policy decision.
Merchant API: processed diagnostics are a separate evidence source
Merchant API can return processed productStatus data, including item-level issues and destination status. Those observations are different from findings computed from your source file; processing can lag behind a source update.
Product Feed Scan does not currently connect to your Merchant Center account. This guide explains the distinction; the available scan remains an independent source audit.
Google's Content API for Shopping reached sunset on August 18, 2026. Google documents progressive service degradation from September 1, 2026 and decommissioning in early 2027, with timing subject to revision. Review the official migration guidance for your integration.
Questions about this check
Why do errors remain after I change the feed?+
Merchant Center must fetch and process the updated source. Check that the correct file was refreshed, the changed products are present and enough processing time has passed.
Should I delete and recreate rejected products?+
Usually fix the source cause first. Recreating items without correcting the underlying mapping can reproduce the same error and may disrupt stable identifiers.
Does Product Feed Scan see account-level disapprovals?+
No. It analyzes the source feed only. Account configuration, policy reviews and live Merchant Center statuses remain visible only in your Google account.
What should I fix first?+
Start with file-wide processing blockers, then high-volume required-field and mismatch problems. After eligibility issues, improve content quality and optional attributes.
Built around documented feed requirements
Our public guidance is checked against first-party documentation. Product Feed Scan adds independent data-quality checks and does not represent a platform approval decision.