30+ Google Shopping Feed Errors and Their Solutions for 2025 

As a merchant aiming to advertise your products across Google Shopping, it is important to understand that the success of your advertising efforts heavily depends on the accuracy and quality of your Google Shopping feed. Even minor errors in your product feed data can lead to item disapprovals, account suspensions, or limited visibility of your products.  

Yes, you read it right. Google Shopping feed errors can affect the performance of your campaigns and lead to reduced clicks, impressions, and ultimately sales. 

However, it’s not all bad as it sounds. The good news is that you can easily prevent or fix these feed errors once you know what causes them and how to fix them. That’s exactly what this blog is here to help with.

Through this guide, we will go through all the common Google Shopping feed errors and their solutions in detail. Additionally, we will also discuss best practices to ensure that your feeds are always accurate, error-free, and optimized for optimal performance.  

What are Google Shopping Feed Errors? 

Google Shopping feed errors occur when your product data fails to comply with Google’s product data specifications and requirements. 

Google flags products with these errors in order to ensure that the products merchants advertise across its surfaces are compliant with its policies and that they don’t lead to customers having poor shopping experiences. 

If any of your items get flagged with a Google Shopping feed error, then these are some of the possible consequences you might have to face: 

1. Your products may be limited by performance (for example, in case of missing GTINs)
2. Google disapproves (or disables) your performance (e.g., in case of mistakes with a required attribute such as title).
3. Google suspends your Merchant Center account either temporarily or permanently (this can occur for any error) 

Note: Predicting the exact outcome of any Google Shopping feed error in advance isn’t possible. This is because these errors and how they apply to any particular product for a merchant depend on many factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, a merchant’s past history of policy compliance and any violations.  At the end of the day, whether your account gets suspended or Google just limits the performance of your products without suspending them entirely depends on Google’s policy team. They are the final arbitrers.

Some examples of Google Shopping feed errors include: 

1. Incorrect URL 
2. Invalid GTIN in unsupported format
3. Text on Image
4. Invalid value [title]
5. Description text too short 

Types of Google Shopping Feed Errors

Depending on their severity, Google Shopping feed errors can be classified into three main types:

1. Critical Red Errors: These highlight that Google has disapproved one or more products from your feed or your entire account due to a policy violation. Until you fix the error, you will not be able to advertise on Google. 
2. Yellow warnings: Yellow warnings are less severe than critical red errors. These indicate a warning or potential problem for one or more items in your feed that you must attend to. 
3. Blue informational updates: Blue icons indicate informational messages or status updates. Google generally doesn’t use them to highlight product or account-level issues. These can be considered as suggestions that can help you improve the overall health and quality of your feed or GMC account. 

Note:  1. While colors do indicate the severity of a feed error, we recommend not relying solely on them when prioritizing which errors you should fix. Rather, all errors, irrespective of their color codes, should be attended to and resolved promptly. This is to ensure that your advertising operations never come to a halt, as Google’s policy landscape is vast and ever-evolving.   2. The color of any Google Shopping feed error cannot be predicted in advance, as Google’s policy team decides it.   3. Also, the severity of any feed error can change over time. So, what appears as a yellow warning may escalate into a red critical error if left unresolved or if it starts to violate other Google policies, or even if Google’s policies change.

List of Common Google Shopping Feed Errors and Their Solutions

Below is the list of common Google Shopping feed errors along with their solutions.

Missing Brand

The ‘Missing brand’ error appears when you submit products that must include a valid value for the brand [brand] attribute, but you do not include one. This is a common requirement for products that belong to certain categories, such as Apparel & accessories. 

How to fix the ‘Missing brand’ error? 

For all affected items: 

1. You must add a valid value for the brand [brand] attribute.
   • In case you have custom products that you manufacture yourself, then add your store name as the brand. 
   • If your products don’t have a brand, then add the manufacturer or supplier’s name as the brand of the item. 
2. Moreover, if your products belong to some specific apparel subcategories such as ‘Shoes’, ‘Sunglasses’, ‘Handbags’, etc., you must also submit either the GTIN or MPN attributes. 
3. Lastly, if you are targeting your apparel products to Brazil, France, or certain other countries, you will also have to submit values for these attributes:

• Age group [age_group]
• Color [color]
• Gender [gender]
• Size [size] 

Note: Read more about these requirements on Google’s official page.

After addressing the points shared above, update your product data feed to Google Merchant Center. Also, when updating, ensure that you use the same product upload method you originally chose. 

Within 24-72 hours, Google will reapprove your products if there aren’t any further inconsistencies. 

Mismatched Brand For Same Variant

If your feed has two or more products that have the same item group ID [item_group_id] values, but differing brand [brand] attribute values, then you will notice the ‘Mismatched brand for same variant’ error. 

This means that while you are trying to highlight that those items are variants of the same product, Google does not recognize them as such. That’s because the affected items have inconsistencies in their grouping attributes, in this case, brand [brand]. 

How to deal with the ‘Missing brand’ error? 

• Ensure that the value of the brand [brand] attribute is the same for all variants belonging to the same product. Make updates in your feed for all the affected products accordingly, and then update it on GMC. 
• Within 1-3 business days, Google will recheck your product data. If you have resolved the issue properly, the disabled products will be automatically approved. 

Note: If you believe you have grouped the wrong products, update their item group IDs to prevent them from affecting other variants of the same group.

Invalid Image Link 

Google has specific requirements for the image link attribute that you must follow while submitting your product feed in GMC. If you fail to meet those guidelines and submit invalid image link attribute values for your products, Google will disapprove them with the ‘Invalid image link’ error.

Some common image link attribute issues due to which merchants notice this Google Shopping feed error include: 

1. Link not starting with http:// or https:// 
2. The URL doesn’t lead to a valid product image
3. The URL doesn’t include URL-encoded entities
4. Google is unable to crawl the URL that you submitted via the image link attribute
5. You have tried to submit more than one image link attribute. 

How to deal with the ‘Invalid image link’ error? 

• For all items that Google has disapproved due to this error, ensure that you follow Google’s requirements for the image link attribute. As per those requirements, fix all issues you notice, either with the attribute’s value or the image it leads to.
• Once done, either update your feed on GMC. 
• Google will review your updates in the next 24-72 hours. If no more issues are found, the affected items will be cleared of the error. 

Pro tip: After updating your product data on GMC, keep reviewing the “Needs attention” tab to check if your products have been re-approved.

Mismatched Domains 

A mismatch between the domain of your product landing page’s URL and that of your verified and claimed domain on GMC leads to the ‘Mismatched domains’ error. 

Some of the common reasons for this mismatch include: 

1. You don’t have a verified and claimed store URL in GMC. 
2. Recently, you changed your store URL in GMC, but your product feed data doesn’t reflect that. 
3. Or even if you have submitted products from multiple domains in one feed. 

Note: The list shared above isn’t exhaustive.

How to deal with the ‘Mismatched Domains’ error? 

• For all items affected by this error, ensure that the URL values for the link attribute match your verified domain in GMC. Update your product feed accordingly, and upload the corrected data to GMC. 
• Google will review the fixes, and in case you have successfully resolved the domain mismatch errors, your products will again be eligible to appear in Shopping ads, free listings, etc. 

Unable to View Store on Desktop and Mobile

Note: The ‘Unable to view store on Desktop’ and ‘Unable to view store on mobile’ are, in reality, separate GSF errors. But because of the similarity in their nature, we have covered both under the same section in this article.

When Google cannot access a product’s landing page URL submitted with the [link] or [link_template] attribute, it disapproves that product with the ‘Unable to view store on desktop’ error.

Similarly, if Google cannot crawl landing page URLs submitted with the [mobile_link] attribute, it disapproves those products with the ‘Unable to view store on mobile’ error.

Some of the common reasons for both these errors include: 

1. Your landing page isn’t available on the server and returns a ‘Page not found 404’ error. 
2. You are using too many redirects before a user or Google’s bots can land on the product landing page.
3. Server issues (HTTP 5xx errors).
4. Robots.txt is blocking Google from crawling the page.

How to deal with these two errors? 

Ensure that: 

• For all flagged items, the [link] or [link_template] attribute values for desktop devices, and [mobile_link] URLs for mobile devices, are compliant with Google’s requirements. 
• Your server’s health is stable and responsive, and your robots.txt file isn’t blocking Google from accessing any important pages. Moreover, all the URLs should lead to valid landing pages. 
• After checking all these points, update your feed with relevant desktop or mobile (or both) landing page URLs. 
• Make these product data updates on GMC and wait for Google to review your changes. 
• If there are no further issues, the disapproved products will be approved within 24-72 hours. 

Pro tip: Read our detailed blog on ‘How to Fix the ‘Unable to View Store on Desktop and Mobile’ Errors in GMC?‘

Incorrect URL

If any attribute of a product that requires a URL value, such as [link], [image_link], etc., has an invalid value or improper format, then Google will flag that item with the ‘Incorrect URL’ error. 

Some of the common reasons why Google raises this error include: 

1. Your URLs aren’t compliant with RFC 2396 or RFC 1738 standards. 
2. URL(s) contain backslashes ‘(\)’ instead of forward slashes ‘(/)’. 
3. The URL doesn’t lead to a valid landing page or image. 
4. The URL is missing a protocol (http://or https://) and instead uses a relative path. 

How to fix the ‘Incorrect URL’ error?

For all items flagged with the ‘Incorrect URL’ error, make sure every required URL field follows RFC 2396 or RFC 1738 standards.

These standards outline how your URLs should be formatted so that they are considered to be valid and universally accepted. They help ensure that your links are valid and work properly across all systems, browsers, etc. 

Moreover, RFC 2396 or RFC 1738 standards are comprehensive and encompass all types of guidelines, including: 

• How to encode symbols
• Which character types are not supported, etc. 

Update all affected URLs in your product data to comply with these standards. Then, update your Merchant Center feed with the corrected information. Within a few days, Google will process your changes and reapprove your products if no further issues are detected. 

Invalid Checkout URLs

If the checkout link is broken or invalid for any item in your feed, Google will alert you with the ‘Invalid checkout URLs’ error. 

This issue mainly occurs when Google finds that instead of returning a 200 (OK) code, your checkout page returns a 404, 403, or 502 error. 

How to fix the ‘Invalid checkout URLs’ error?

To fix this GMC issue, ensure that: 

• All checkout URLs, whether the default ones or explicitly added with the checkout link template [checkout_link_template] attribute, should be accessible and not return any error. 
• Also, the correct checkout page should be rendered whenever customers redirect to their carts or checkout pages. 

Update your product feed to ensure compliance with the above guidelines. Once done, upload the rectified product data on Merchant Center using your originally chosen upload method. Google will review the changes within 24-72 hours, and either your products will be cleared of the ‘Incorrect checkout URLs’ error, or you will be notified of further action.

Different Product Landing Page

You are seeing the ‘Different product landing page’ error because Google has detected that the landing page URL you submitted for an item leads to a page that doesn’t match the specific product and its attributes in your feed. 

This can happen when: 

1. You mistakenly submit incorrect values for the [link] and/or [mobile_link] attributes.
2. Rather than a specific landing page, you have added the link to a category page.
3. Your landing page doesn’t include some key information about the product, such as title, description, etc. 
4. The product affected by this error is out of stock, and you are using a redirect to lead users to another similar product page. 
5. You have listed customized products that lead to a generic configuration page instead of a product with the preselected options. 
6. You have listed wireless products that don’t lead to the same variant page that is preselected. 
7. The feed contains an individual item, but your landing page leads to purchasing a bundle, or vice versa. 
8. The product identifier submitted in your feed doesn’t match the value on the landing page. 

How to fix the ‘Different product landing page’ error in GMC?

To fix this error, ensure that your products aren’t affected by any of the reasons we discussed above. Moreover:

1. When submitting [link] or [mobile_link] attribute values, make sure each URL leads to the exact same product as in your feed. All attributes, such as title, description, condition, currency, and image, must match exactly.
2. If you are listing and advertising customized or wireless products, you must follow Google’s best practices for both categories. 
3. Bundles or individual items should be purchasable as per their nature.
4. Update the corrected feed data on GMC using your original product upload method (API, eCommerce platform sync, etc.)
5. Google will review your feed again and the impacted products. If everything appears to be fine, your products will be reapproved automatically within 1-3 business days. 

Mismatched Value (page crawl) [price]

The price-mismatch error occurs when Google detects a difference between the price [price] attribute in your feed and the product’s price on your landing page or in structured data.

This can occur due to multiple reasons, which include but aren’t limited to:

1. Missing ‘sale price’ and ‘sale price effective date’ attributes
2. Huge time gaps between updates on your website and product feed data on GMC
3. Or even issues with your website’s structured data and OpenGraph tags, etc. 

How to fix the ‘Mismatched value (page crawl) [price]’ error? 

To fix this Google Merchant Center error: 

1. Make sure the landing page price matches the [price] attribute submitted in GMC for all affected items. This means that, depending on the cause, you may need to:

• Correct your feed data
• Update the information on your landing page, or; 
• Resolve issues with the landing page’s structured data and OpenGraph tags.

2. Moreover, ensure the currency in your feed matches both your target country and the currency shown on the landing page.
3. After identifying and fixing the issue, wait for Google to review the changes automatically or request a manual review.
4. If the issue is resolved, your products will be reapproved.
5. If it persists, contact Google’s team for further help. 

Mismatched Value (page crawl) [availability]

You will encounter this error when there’s a mismatch in an item’s [availability] in your product feed and website landing page. As this discrepancy can mislead customers and lead to negative shopping experiences, Google disables products with availability mismatches. 

Some of the common reasons for the occurrence of this error overlap with those of the price-mismatch error. These include issues in your website’s structured data or OpenGraph tags, time gaps between your website’s updates and feed data on Merchant Center, etc. 

How to fix the ‘Mismatched value (page crawl) [availability]’ error? 

The process for resolving this error is identical to the one we discussed for price mismatches in GMC:

1. Find the source of the issue. It can be your feed data, website information, or any other source. 
2. Fix the discrepancy to ensure that the availability of an item in your feed on the GMC and website (as well as structured data if implemented) is exactly the same. 
3. Then either wait for Google to review the updates automatically or manually request a review. 
4. If you have resolved the entire issue properly, your items will be cleared of the error. And they will stop appearing on the “Needs Attention” tab. 

Limited Performance Due To Missing Identifiers: GTIN [gtin], MPN [mpn], brand [brand]

Depending on the target country and product category, Google requires merchants to provide unique product identifiers for items. These identifiers include a brand and either a GTIN or an MPN.

This error occurs when Google detects that the values you submitted for these identifiers in your feed are missing or incorrect.

Note: If your products are vintage or one-of-a-kind, and you don’t have identifiers for them, you need to inform Google about it. For that, you should use the [identifier_exists] attribute and set its value to either ‘false’ or ‘no.’

How to fix the ‘Limited performance due to missing identifiers: GTIN [gtin], MPN [mpn], brand [brand]’ error?

To resolve this error, you must follow Google’s guidelines, which say that:  

1. If any affected product is widely manufactured and has an assigned GTIN, then you must submit accurate and valid values for the [gtin], [brand], and [mpn] attributes for it.
2. If the item doesn’t have a GTIN, submit accurate and valid values for the [brand] and [mpn] attributes. 

So, check which one of the two requirements is not being met in your case. Once you identify that, update your GMC product data by adding the necessary product identifiers to maintain compliance with these requirements. 

After that, Google’s team will review your changes. If no other issues are found, you will no longer see those items specifically highlighted on the “Needs attention” tab. 

Limited Performance Due To Missing Value: GTIN [gtin]

Merchants face this error when they submit products in a category for which Google requires a globally valid GTIN, but they don’t provide one. 

To allow Google to better understand your products and match them to users’ search queries, it’s recommended that you always submit a GTIN for eligible products. 

Note: If you submit a product without any value for the gtin [gtin] attribute, when that item has an originally assigned GTIN, then its visibility may be limited.

How to fix the ‘Limited performance due to missing value: GTIN [gtin]’ error?

Here’s how you can resolve this error: 

• First, you will have to filter out all items affected by this error from the “Needs Attention” tab. 
• Once you get a list of all items, ensure that you add their valid GTINs. 
• Then, update the corrected product data in GMC using your original product upload method.  
• That’s it. After you make the requested changes, Google will remove those items from the “Needs Attention” page.
• After a few days, check the page again to confirm the issue is resolved.

Invalid GTIN in Unsupported Format

You will notice the ‘Invalid GTIN in Unsupported Format’ error when one or more products in your feed:

• Don’t have a valid GTIN
• Or have a GTIN that has incorrect formatting.

Common reasons for this error include, but aren’t limited to: 

1. When your GTIN contains invalid characters that aren’t numbers. 
2. Your GTIN doesn’t match the standard lengths (8, 12, 13, or 14 digits).
3. Your GTIN fails the ‘Check digital validation.’ 

How to fix the ‘Invalid GTIN in unsupported format’ error?

To resolve this error: 

• Add accurate and valid GTINs assigned by the manufacturer with the help of the [gtin] attribute for each affected item. 

Pro tip: Here’s an official GS1 GTIN validation guide that can help you better understand the specifications and verify your GTINs correctly.

• Then, submit updated product information in GMC by using your original product upload method. 
• Google will review your product data. If it finds that the GTINs for affected products are now valid, within 24-72 hours, the error will disappear. 

Invalid MPN

Google flags products with the ‘Invalid MPN’ error when you add incorrect or invalid [mpn] in your feed.

These values are deemed to be invalid because: 

1. You haven’t submitted an MPN assigned by the manufacturer. 
2. There is duplication between MPNs. 
3. There are typos in your MPN values. 

How to fix the ‘Invalid MPN’ error?

• Verify that each product has the correct MPN [mpn] value assigned by the manufacturer. Make sure no duplicates or invalid entries exist.
• Edit your product data (MPN values for affected items) accordingly.
• Submit the updated product data on GMC using the original product upload method. 
• The error should disappear within 24-72 hours if you are no longer violating Google’s requirements for using the [mpn] attribute in your feed.

Image Not Processed

The ‘Image not processed’ error occurs when Google faces issues in processing your product images. 

Some common reasons can include: 

• Invalid values for the image link attributes
• URLs not leading to valid images
• The robots.txt file is not allowing Google to crawl your product images, etc. 

How to fix the ‘Image not processed’ error?

To resolve the ‘Image not processed’ error, ensure that you are following Google’s requirements for the image link [image_link] attribute and the images that those URLs lead to. 

These requirements include, but aren’t limited to: 

1. Only submit a single [image_link] URL for your product. 
2. Do not use generic illustrations as your product images. 
3. Ensure that the values of the [image_link] attribute aren’t broken and lead to valid images and not webpages. 

After checking these points, add the corrected [image_link] values for all affected products in GMC.

If Google finds that you have successfully resolved all the issues, then the affected products will disappear from the “Needs Attention” page within 24-72 hours.  

Invalid Image Format 

This error occurs when your product images aren’t in a format that Google recognizes. Due to this, your product images cannot appear in free listings and Shopping ads. As a result, Google disables all affected products until you ensure that all images meet Google’s encoding standards.  

How to fix the ‘Invalid image format’ error?

Update your product data on Google Merchant Center using your original product upload method, while ensuring: 

1. You submit accurate, complete, and valid values for the image link and additional image link attributes. 
2. Images are saved in one of the following formats: 

• JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
• WebP (.webp)
• PNG (.png)
• GIF (.gif)
• BMP (.bmp)
• TIFF (.tif or .tiff)

If you successfully address the recommended changes, your products will be approved within the next 24-72 hours.

Text On Image 

The ‘Text on image’ error highlights that Google has found images with promotional text, watermarks, CTAs, etc., for one or more products in your feed. These elements are not allowed in product images, as they obstruct the view of the product. As a result, the affected items have been disapproved. 

How to fix the ‘Text on Image’ error?

For all affected products, the product images should not include any promotional elements or content that obstructs the item’s view. 

These promotional elements include, but are not limited to: 

1. CTAs
2. Sale offers
3. Free shipping or extended warranty information 
4. Pricing information 
5. Condition, availability, or any other information about the item 
6. Barcodes 
7. Logos 

Update your images to ensure that you meet this requirement. Once your product images are totally unobstructed, resubmit your product feed on GMC. 

Note: Resubmitting your feed ensures that your entire feed gets updated. After that, Google will conduct a fresh review automatically.

Google will approve the disapproved items within 24-72 hours, provided you have resolved the issues.  

Pro tip: You can also turn on automatic image improvements to allow Merchant Center’s smart algorithms to make changes to your product images to ensure they meet the required guidelines.

Invalid Value [title]

Merchants see the ‘Invalid value [title]’ whenever their product titles fail to comply with Google’s product data specifications. 

How to fix the ‘Invalid value [title]’ error?

For all products affected by this error, ensure that all product titles abide by these guidelines defined by Google:

1. The title should accurately and concisely describe the product that you are displaying on your landing page. 
2. You shouldn’t include any promotional phrases like “free delivery” or “free shipping”. 
3. In case of variants, highlight their specific colors or distinguishing features in the title itself.

Note: Refer to Google’s page for all other recommendations and best practices for the title [title] attributes.

If any [title] attribute values violate these guidelines, correct them immediately.

After updating the titles, add the corrected product information in GMC. In a few days, Google will remove the warnings and reapprove the affected products if no further issues are detected in the title attribute value. 

Description Text Too Short

You see the ‘Description text too short’ error when your product descriptions don’t meet Google’s minimum character requirements.

How to fix the ‘Description text too short’ error?

To fix this error, you must follow these guidelines:  

1. Your descriptions should be at least in the range of 500-1000 characters. And if required, then you can write descriptions of up to 5000 characters. 
2. They should highlight the most relevant attributes of the item, such as its size, material, etc. 

Note: The guidelines that we shared above for the description [description] attribute aren’t exhaustive. Please refer to Google’s official page to read about other best practices that you can follow.

After improving your descriptions, add the updated product information in GMC.

Google reviews the changes and clears the warnings within a few days if your descriptions meet its standards. 

Missing Value: size [size], color [color], gender [gender], age group [age_group]  

When you submit products in a category like apparel, Google requires you to include certain mandatory attributes in your feed, such as size, color, gender, and age group. When you fail to do that, Google will flag your products with the ‘Missing value: size [size], color [color], gender [gender], age group [age_group]’ error.   

How to fix the ‘Missing value: size [size], color [color], gender [gender], age group [age_group]’ error?  

1. Firstly, identify which products are affected by this error from “Products” > “Needs attention” tab. 
2. Then, add the missing required attributes for those items. For example, if you are selling shoes, then all four attributes, size, color, gender, and age group, are required. Check if the affected item(s) miss all of them or only some specific attributes, and update the data accordingly.
3. You must also check if Google has auto-assigned your items to the incorrect product category. This is because if the assigned category is wrong, then the required attributes will be different than the ones that you submit in your feed. And that can also be one of the reasons why Google may have flagged the error. In such cases, manually set the correct [google_product_category] to ensure the right attribute requirements are applied.   
4. After completing these checks, add the corrected product information in GMC using your original product upload method. 
5. Google will again review your product data. If no further issues are found concerning any of the size, age group, gender, or color attributes, then your products will be cleared of the error. 

Missing Gender for Product Variants 

Google flags items with the ‘Missing gender for product variants’ error when you don’t submit the [gender] attribute’s value for one or more items in a variant group. 

How to fix the ‘Missing gender for product variants’ error?

Before we discuss how to fix this error, you must note that: 

• Variant attributes, such as [gender], [size], [color], and [condition], are important to submit as they help differentiate variants of the same product based on their specific features.
• Google recommends submitting the same set of variant attributes for all items that use the same [item_group_id]. 

To resolve this error: 

• Add valid [gender] values for every product in the affected group.
• Use one of the accepted options: [male], [female], or [unisex].
• After you make these edits in your original source file, ensure that you update your product data in GMC as well.  
• Google will then review your updated product data and remove the warnings if all gender attributes are valid and formatted correctly.

Missing Color for Product Variants

Google flags items with the ‘Missing color for product variants’ error when you don’t include the [color] attribute for one or more items submitted in a group using the same item group ID.

How to fix the ‘Missing color for product variants’ error?

The fix is simple and similar to the ‘Missing gender for product variants’ error: For all variants that are using the same item group ID, add a valid [color] value in your feed. And upload the corrected data on GMC. 

Google will validate the fixes. If everything checks out, the ‘Missing color for product variants’ error will be lifted, and you won’t see the warning on the “Needs Attention” tab either. And thereafter, you can start promoting those items normally with Shopping ads, free product listings, or any other marketing method. 

Subscription Mismatch 

Google flags items with the ‘Subscription mismatch’ error when the subscription costs in your GMC feed don’t match those shown on your website.

This can happen due to some common reasons, which aren’t limited to but include: 

1. The usage of the [subscription_cost] attribute isn’t supported in your region. 
2. Your subscription plans require a loyalty card. 
3. The price of the subscription (that you offer) increases over time, but you fail to reflect that. 
4. The [price] attribute does not include the full upfront cost (e.g., down payment or activation fee).

How to fix the ‘Subscription mismatch’ error?

To fix the ‘Subscription mismatch’ error in GMC: 

1. First, go through Google’s guidelines on using the [subscription_cost] attribute for products in your feed. These guidelines include a plethora of information on which product categories are eligible for this attribute, which regions support its usage, some of its sub-attributes, etc. 
2. Ensure that you are following all the best practices and minimum requirements mentioned by Google for using that attribute. For example, if your product has installment payments, you should submit the exact same number of months for the subscription cost attribute and the [installment] attribute. 
3. Also, strictly ensure that subscription plans on your website match the values that you are submitting in your feed. As per Google, even if you display multiple subscription plans on your site, it is okay. However, the plan that you submit must be easy to locate. 
4. After all these checks, add the rectified product data to GMC. 
5. If your account has been suspended or your products have been disapproved, you can also request a review. That will help speed up the account reinstatement or product reapproval process. 
6. If your review is successful, the issue will disappear. If not, you will be notified of further actions, or you can contact Google. 

Incorrect Loyalty Tier or Program Label 

This error occurs when the values that you submit either for the [program_label] or [tier_label] attributes within the [loyalty_program] attribute in your product feed aren’t exactly similar to the loyalty program settings in your GMC. 

This usually happens when: 

1. There are case sensitivity issues. For example, in your feed, you have submitted the value “Loyalty_First”, whereas in your account settings, it is “loyalty_first”.
2. You use different names for the [program_label] or [tier_label] attributes in your feed compared to your GMC settings for the loyalty program. 

Note: Due to this error, Google will not disapprove your products. But the loyalty program [loyalty_program] attribute will be removed, and so would its associated benefits for shoppers.

How to fix the ‘Incorrect loyalty tier or program label’ error?

To fix this error and ensure that all loyalty benefits are displayed accurately to shoppers: 

1. Update your product data on GMC so that the [program_label] or [tier_label] attributes match the labels that you earlier configured in your GMC. 
2. Google will review your product data to check whether your updates were successful. You can view the “Needs attention” tab to see if any updates require further attention. If your products are no longer appearing there, that means the warning is gone and the fix was successful. 

Missing Shipping Weight 

The ‘Missing shipping weight’ error appears when you don’t submit the [shipping_weight] attribute for one or more items in your feed. 

This attribute and its value are required when using shipping methods that calculate costs by weight.

Examples of such shipping methods include:

1. Carrier-calculated rates

2. Weight-based shipping tables

How to fix the ‘Missing shipping weight’ error?

• For all items that have received the ‘Missing shipping weight’ warning, ensure that you add the [shipping_weight] attribute in your feed. While doing so, use only supported units such as lb, oz, g, or kg and include a number and a unit (e.g., 1.45 kg). 
• Once done, submit your updated product data on GMC. 
• If no further issues are found, your products will be cleared of the error. You can verify that by visiting the “Needs attention” tab and checking that your products are no longer listed there. 

Expiring Items

The ‘Expiring items’ error occurs when Google finds that you haven’t refreshed your GMC product data in the last 30 days. This is applicable to all products that are added with the help of Excel sheets, hosted files, APIs, etc. 

However, if you add products directly via the GMC editor, then they will not expire. 

How to fix the ‘Expiring items’ error?

To resolve this error, ensure that you resubmit your entire feed every 30 days.

There are multiple ways to do so, some of which include: 

1. Using scheduled fetches in GMC for applicable methods where the frequency is set to “Daily” or “Weekly.”
2. Leveraging a feed management software to ensure that your feed data gets submitted to GMC on a regular basis (daily, weekly, or custom-specified dates that respect Google’s 30-day expiration rule) 
3. By allowing Google to auto-refresh your feed data if you are using the web crawler method for creating your feed on GMC. 

Note: To read more about these and other methods to resubmit your feed on GMC and ensure your items don’t expire, read our comprehensive blog on ‘Expiring items in GMC.’

Attribute Has Too Few Values

You see the ‘Attribute has too few values’ error when you don’t submit the minimum required number of values for an attribute in your feed.

For example, you must include at least two values for the [product_highlight] attribute for any item. If you add only one product highlight, Google will flag that product with this error, send you a warning, and remove that item’s product highlights. 

One of the most common reasons merchants face this error is incorrect formatting in the feed. Issues such as improper usage of commas or quotation marks cause values not to get separated properly. As a result, Google reads multiple entries as a single value. This results in the attribute not having the minimum number of required values, and consequently, the item is flagged. 

How to fix the ‘Attribute has too few values’ GMC error? 

To resolve the ‘Attribute has too few values’ error: 

1. Firstly, ensure that if you are using attributes like product highlights that have a minimum required value, you add those to your feed. 
2. Additionally, check your formatting as well. Incorrect use of commas or quotation marks can cause Google to interpret multiple values as a single entry.
3. Also, if you are currently using quoted attributes and any of your values include a quotation mark, then pair it with a second quotation mark so as not to allow Google’s systems to misinterpret it. For example, instead of writing “35” display diameter”, you should write “35”” display diameter”.
4. Also, don’t put multiple values inside extra quotes. If you write something like “”35″” display diameter”, “super HD””, Google will treat it all as one single value, not separate ones.
5. Check for all these points, ensure compliance, and then update your feed on GMC. 
6. Google will review your corrected product data, and the warnings will disappear if no further issues are detected. 

Invalid Product Category 

If any item in your feed includes an invalid [google_product_category] that doesn’t match any value in Google’s taxonomy, then it will get flagged with the ‘Invalid product category’ error. 

How to fix the “Invalid product category” GMC error? 

Check the items flagged with this error. Ensure that each of them includes a predefined product category from Google’s taxonomy, either: 

1. By entering the exact numeric ID (e.g., 7143) 
2. Or by adding the full category path (e.g., Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Pet Bowl Mats) in your feed.

Add the corrected product data on GMC. Google will review your changes. And if no further product category-related changes are needed, your products will no longer appear on the “Needs attention” tab. 

Duplicate Variant

The ‘Duplicate variant’ error appears when two or more products in your feed share the same item group ID but don’t differ by any variant attributes like size, color, material, or condition. 

This makes it seem like you’ve submitted the same product multiple times, which is against Google’s product listing guidelines.

Let’s understand this with an example: 

1. Google allows you to submit products like this: 

Product A: item_group_id = 123, size = M
Product B: item_group_id = 123, size = L

2. But not like this: 

Product A: item_group_id = 123, size = M
Product B: item_group_id = 123, size = M

These products use the same item group ID, but don’t include multiple values for their variant attribute [size]. Thus, Google will disapprove these products with the ‘Duplicate variants’ error. 

How to fix the ‘Duplicate variants’ error in GMC? 

To resolve this error in GMC: 

• Check if you have accidentally added duplicate variants in your feed. If that is the case, remove those duplicate items.   
• If that is not the case, ensure that you submit unique values for variant attributes such as color, size, etc. 
• Update your feed on GMC. 
• Allow some time for Google to review your feed. Typically, 1-3 business days. 
• If you have sincerely resolved all the issues, then automatically your products will disappear from the “Needs Attention” tab. 

Condition Mismatch Detected: condition [condition]

When Google detects a mismatch between the value of the [condition] attribute and other attributes in your feed, it flags products with this error. 

For example, if your product image shows that the item is new, but the [condition] value is “used,” Google will flag it.

Such mismatches confuse shoppers and negatively affect their buying experience; therefore, Google disables the affected products.

Some common reasons why this Google Shopping feed error occurs include: 

1. The item’s condition is accurate, but your data feed hasn’t been updated recently. 
2. You haven’t enabled automatic item updates, due to which Google cannot automatically update the condition of the item when it detects a mismatch. 
3. You are using an unsupported value for the [condition] attribute other than the ones Google allows, which include: [new], [used], and [refurbished]. 

How to fix the ‘Condition mismatch detected: condition [condition]’ error in GMC? 

1. Check Google’s warning email or the “Needs attention” tab to view the list of affected products. 
2. For those affected items, update your feed data, website information, or both to ensure the product’s real condition is accurately reflected across all touchpoints. This means that: 

• If any information (e.g., title, description, etc.) of your item on the landing page indicates its wrong condition, then you must correct that. 
• If any attribute in your feed leads to a misunderstanding, you will have to update it. This means if your product is fresh out of the factory, its condition should be “new” across all touchpoints. In such scenarios, you cannot include the word “used” or even “refurbished” in titles, descriptions, highlights, or any other attribute of the item. 

Note: If you’re listing third-party items that are compatible with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products, you must follow Google’s specific guidelines for compatible or refurbished products. Misrepresentation in these cases can also trigger this error.

3. Correct and update all mismatches in your GMC feed file using your original upload method. 
4. Google will review your updates and clear the error once the item’s condition is consistent everywhere.

Item Data Is Too Large

Google flags the ‘Item data is too large’ error when one or more items in your Merchant Center feed exceed the allowed data size limits. This simply means that the product(s) have too many unnecessary characters instead of relevant text. 

Usually, this happens when: 

1. A product has more than 1000 attributes. 
2. The content that you provide for any particular attribute exceeds 150 KB. 
3. Or the total size of an item’s data is more than 200 KB. 

How to fix the ‘Item data is too large’ error in GMC? 

To fix this error: 

1. Reduce the data size for affected items by removing unnecessary or repetitive attribute values.

For instance, if you’ve added 9–10 product highlights just because the limit is 100, reduce them to 4–6 (which is also what Google recommends.)

2. Avoid embedding HTML, JavaScript, or decorative characters in attribute fields, as these bulk up the file size and don’t help users or search engines.

After making these adjustments, update your product data on GMC. If all issues are fixed, Google will clear the error within a few business days.

How to Prevent Google Shopping Feed Errors? 

We will now go through some tips that will help you prevent these errors from affecting your feed and products.

Follow Google’s Product Data Requirements

When submitting your feed on GMC, ensure that you strictly follow Google Shopping feed requirements. These guidelines will help you understand: 

1. Which attributes to include in your feed and; 
2. What types of values are accepted for those attributes

Based on this understanding, you can easily avoid Google Shopping feed errors that lead to product disapprovals or account suspensions.

Keep Your Product Data Updated and Consistent 

Update your product data in GMC regularly. This practice helps you avoid critical errors such as ‘Expiring items.’

Also, keep your GMC feed data, inventory status, and website information accurate and aligned.
Any inconsistency across these sources can trigger GSF or GMC errors.

Use Feed Management Software 

We recommend using Google Shopping feed management solutions to optimize your product data and submit it accurately across GMC.  

These tools are helpful to avoid feed errors as they: 

1. Offer AI feed optimization capabilities that help you keep your product data compliant with Google’s product data requirements. 
2. Automate feed updates from your source file to GMC, which saves time and reduces manual errors.

Review the “Needs Attention” Tab Regularly

Lastly, regularly review the “Needs attention” tab. If you spot any informational update (in blue color) or a yellow warning, take prompt action to resolve it. As we learned earlier in the article, ignoring these alerts or prioritizing them based on their colors can lead to other critical product or account-level issues that will hamper your advertising efforts.

Also read: How to Create Error-Free Google Shopping Feed for Shopify? How to Troubleshoot Google Shopping feed? – AdNabu Guide

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Google Shopping feed errors can have a serious impact on your campaign performance and GMC account health. To avoid them, ensure that your product data is accurate, compliant with Google’s requirements, and consistent across all touchpoints.

The key takeaways from this article include: 

• Google Shopping feed errors occur when your product data fails to meet Google’s product data specifications and policies. This can lead to product disapproval, limited visibility, or even account suspension.
• These errors can be of three different types: red (critical errors), yellow (warnings), and blue (informational). 
• Below are some guidelines that you should follow when creating and maintaining your Google Shopping feed. Following these best practices will help you tackle the most common GMC errors and keep your account in good standing:

1. Ensure that your titles and descriptions match the values you display on your landing pages. Follow Google’s character limits for both attributes, avoid promotional phrases, and focus on clarity and relevance.
2. Always provide valid brand, GTIN, or MPN identifiers for products wherever required. These attributes help Google accurately match and categorize your items.
3. Keep brand values consistent across all variants that share the same [item_group_id] to avoid grouping or recognition errors.
4. Submit valid, crawlable [image_link] URLs in supported formats such as JPEG, PNG, or WebP to ensure images display properly.
5. Make sure your price, availability, and domain details match perfectly across your feed, website, and structured data.
6. Include all mandatory apparel attributes like size, color, gender, and age group to comply with Google’s apparel category rules.
7. Provide accurate and consistent condition values (new, used, or refurbished) across every platform and attribute.
8. Update your feed regularly to prevent “Expiring items” errors and maintain the accuracy of your listings.
9. Use feed management tools to automate updates, ensure compliance, and keep your feed error-free.
10. Review the “Needs Attention” tab regularly and act promptly on any warnings to maintain a healthy feed and keep your products active.

Over to you. 

FAQs

1. What if my account gets suspended due to a Google Shopping feed error? 

First, identify the cause of the suspension and review the products affected. Correct your product data according to Google’s policies and update it on GMC. After that, submit an appeal explaining the exact changes you made to resolve the issue. Make sure to fix the problem before appealing, as Google allows only limited appeals. Avoid wasting them on disputes or incomplete fixes.

2. Should I use primary and supplemental feeds?

Yes. Supplemental feeds in Google Merchant Center are great for making partial product data updates. If you need to edit small details such as titles, descriptions, or custom labels, you can use supplemental feeds to override specific values without changing your main feed.

3. How often should I refresh my product feed on Merchant Center? 

Update your product feed whenever your actual inventory changes. If your stock updates frequently, automate the process or refresh it daily. For slower inventory changes, updating once a week is sufficient to keep data accurate.

4. Should I enable automatic item updates?

Yes. Automatic item updates help Google correct mismatches between your product feed and landing pages. They ensure that price, availability, and condition stay consistent across all touchpoints, reducing disapprovals and improving feed health.