Google Shopping Feed Errors: Complete Troubleshooting Guide with Solutions

Products disapproved? Sales dropping?
A Google Shopping feed error is a data or policy issue in Merchant Center that blocks or limits your product from showing; fix it by correcting the flagged attribute and resubmitting. Google Shopping feed errors mean not only lost product listings — but also revenue loss. In this guide, you’ll learn how to diagnose → fix → prevent all types of feed issues, so your products can return to the top of Google Shopping. We’ll show you step-by-step—identifying common errors, fixing policy compliance, and optimizing your feed to increase CTR and sales. 

TL;DR: Quick 6-step Troubleshoot Checklist 

This 6-step checklist is the fastest way to fix feed errors in Google Merchant Center.
If time is short or campaigns aren’t performing, start here. Every step is action-oriented, to get your product re-approved as quickly as possible.

1. Go to Diagnostics: Google Merchant Center → Products → Needs attention → Download CSV report.
2. Fix price/availability mismatches: Feed data should match the website (no outdated info).
3. Run a feed validator: Use DataFeedWatch Feed Review or equivalent tools to catch errors & warnings early.
4. Enable Automatic Item Updates: To keep price & availability in sync.
5. Resubmit / API updates: If you have a large catalog, provide frequent updates using the Content API.
6. Monitor weekly: Check GMC Diagnostics to make sure errors are not returned.

How Google Reports Feed Problems (Where to Look in Merchant Center)

Google Merchant Center (GMC) shows feed issues at three levels — Account-level, Feed-level, and Item-level. By reading these reports correctly, you can quickly understand where the problem is, how serious it is, and how to fix it.

Step-by-Step: Where to Check

1. Login to GMC: Login to merchants.google.com.
2. Go to Products → Needs attention:
   
   • Classic view: Products → Diagnostics tab.
     
3. Filter by Issue Type: Filter by looking at Account / Feed / Item cards.
4. Download CSV: Click Download report on the right (Product ID, Issue, Details).
5. Take Screenshots: Take a screenshot of the issue card to use in support requests or team meetings.

Understanding the UI Cards

Severity Levels (Content API Mapping)

• Critical/Error: Immediate fix needed (disapproved or not showing).
• Warning: Shows but needs optimization.
• Suggestion: Opportunity to improve performance.

The Product Data You Must Get Right (Required Attributes & Common Misses)

These fields cause ~90% of disapprovals if missing or mismatched. Some attributes in the Google Shopping feed must pay correctly — otherwise your product won’t get approved. Below are the most important fields and common mistakes in checklist form.

Required Attributes Checklist

• id — Unique ID of each product (different even if it is a variant).
• title — Brand + Product Type + Key Features (SEO Friendly).
• description — Accurate, detailed, and policy-compliant.
  
• link — URL of the product’s landing page (UTM parameter optional).
• image_link — High-resolution images (no watermark, text overlay).
• price — Must match exactly with the website.
• availability — in stock / out of stock / preorder
• Identifiers: GTIN, MPN, brand (compulsory as per category).

Mini Table: Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes

Top 12 Most Common Feed Errors

Google Shopping feed errors don’t just reduce your product’s visibility — sometimes they stop the entire campaign. Below are the 12 most common errors, their causes, quick fixes, and how to avoid them in the future.

Price mismatch (feed vs website)

Symptom: Diagnostics- Price mismatch or Price on your landing page does not match your feed.

Root Cause:

• Website and feed updates are not synced
• The dynamic pricing script was not reflected in the feed

Quick Fix:

1. Update the website and feed data to the same currency and value
2. Automatic item updates (price) enable in GMC
3. Resubmit Feed or push Content API

Verify: Products → Diagnostics → Item-level → Filter by Price mismatch

2. Missing availability / inventory data

Symptom: Missing value [availability] or Out of stock items showing in feed.

Root Cause:

• availability attribute is missing or incorrect
• Inventory system updates are delayed

Quick Fix:

1. Set availability attributes: in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder
2. Sync inventory with scheduled feed or Content API
3. Use stock automation rules for seasonal items

Verify: Products → Diagnostics → Filter by “Availability”

Pro Tip: Set quantity > 0 → in stock  with feed rules.

3. Missing or invalid image link

Symptom: Image not accessible or Image too small

Root Cause:

• Broken image URLs
• Watermark, overlay text, or low-res image

Quick Fix:

1. Paste the Image HTTPS URL into the feed
2. Minimum size: 100×100 px (apparel: 250×250 px)
3. Upload watermark-free high-resolution

Verify: Item-level report → “Image issues”

Pro Tip: Avoid expiring URLs if using a CDN.

4. Duplicate product IDs or invalid characters in ID

Symptom: Duplicate ID in feed or Invalid ID format

Root Cause:

• Same across multiple products id
• Special characters or spaces

Quick Fix:

1. Give each variant a unique ID (e.g., SKU + size code).
2. alphanumeric only, _, or – use
3. Reupload the feed

Verify: Feed-level report → “ID issues”

Pro Tip: Never change ID once set — historical performance remains.

5. Missing GTIN/MPN/brand for GTIN-required items

Symptom: Missing unique product identifier

Root Cause:

• The GTIN field is empty for products that require a GTIN
• Brand missing or wrong

Quick Fix:

1. Get the GTIN from the manufacturer or GS1 database
2. brand and MPN Fit correctly
3. Use  identifier exists false only for custom-made items

Verify: Item-level → Identifier issues

6. Landing page policy issues / Misrepresentation

Symptom: Landing page not accessible or Misrepresentation policy violation.

Root Cause:

• Checkout is not working
• Price or offer mismatch on landing page
• Hidden fees

Quick Fix:

1. Check page load speed, mobile friendliness
2. Fully disclose prices, shipping, and offers
3. Remove disallowed checkout steps

Verify: Account-level → Policy issues

7. Disallowed Content (adult / restricted items)

Symptom: Disapproved or restricted item

Root Cause:

• Adult content flag not set properly
• Wrong category of Restricted products

Quick Fix:

1. If adult product adult attribute true
2. Check restricted items policy and run in approved target countries
3. Remove disallowed items 

Verify: Account-level → Policy violations

8. Wrong Currency or Price Formatting / Locale Mismatch

Symptom: Invalid price format or Currency not supported

Root Cause:

• Global currency instead of local currency
• Numeric format wrong (comma vs dot)

Quick Fix:

1. price = XX.XX USD keep in format
2. Set currency according to Country of sale
3. Convert price format with feed rules

Verify: Feed processing report

9. Malformed Feed (invalid XML/CSV encoding)

Symptom: Feed cannot be processed

Root Cause:

• No UTF-8 encoding
• Special characters did not escape

Quick Fix:

1. Save in UTF-8 without BOM
2. In XML &, <, > escape
3. Test with Google’s Feed Validator

Verify: Feed-level → Processing issues

10. Shipping & tax Mismatches for Targeted Country

Symptom: Inaccurate shipping cast or Tax info mismatch

Root Cause:

• Feed data and Merchant Center settings mismatch
• Wrong country rules
  

Quick Fix:

1. GMC shipping/tax settings country-specific 
2. Match the rules if you override feed attributes
3. Test checkout

Verify: Account-level → Shipping & tax issues

11. Processing Timeouts / feed file too large

Symptom: Processing failed: Timeout

Root Cause:

• Additional products in feed (10M+ rows)
• Slow server response

Quick Fix:

1. Chunk large feeds
2. Use the Content API
3. Upload the compressed file (.gz).

Verify: Feed processing logs

12. Supplemental feed & rule misconfiguration

Symptom: Unexpected value in attribute

Root Cause:

• Supplemental feed rules main feed data overwrite 
• Condition has been incorrectly matched

Quick Fix:

1. Debug feed rules
2. Keep the supplemental feed only for missing fields
3. Check the test result after the change

Verify: Feed rules preview

Automated and Scalable Fixes (Content API, Scheduled Fetch, AIU, Feed Tools)

Manually fixing Google Shopping feed errors works for small lists but is not sustainable for large inventories. Daily updates, thousands of product price or stock changes — manually entering everything means lost time, resources, and revenue. This is where automation comes in handy.

Content API for Shopping

When to use:

• 10K+ product catalog
• Minute-by-minute price or inventory updates are required
• Have to manage multiple accounts and countries

What it automates:

• Upload new products
• Inventory and price updates
• Manage account and policy-level settings

Automatic Item Updates (AIU)

Updates:

• price
• availability
• condition

When it helps:

• If there is a small delay between the website and the feed
• In case of temporary mismatch

Pitfalls:

• Don’t count on big price changes
• AIU may not work if website structure changes
  

Third-Party Feed Management Tools

Validation Preflight

• Check XML/CSV with local validator
• Ensure UTF-8 encoding
• Escape special characters

Recommended Automation Workflow:

1. Daily sync — Website → Feed
2. Preflight validation — Local Test
3. Push via Content API
4. Monitor Diagnostics — GMC reports
5. Trigger alerts — Email if error rate >5%
   

Real Example: Fixing Missing Inventory (Step-by-step)

Fixing the Missing product availability error in Google Merchant Center is easy if you know the process.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Products → Needs attention 
2. Filter: “Missing product availability”
3. “Download” → CSV
4. availability in the column in_stock, out_of_stock, or preorder sit down
   
5. Re-upload CSV or send patch via Content API
6. Check Diagnostics: Products → Filter by availability → Ensure “Approved”

Mini CSV Example:

Wait time: Diagnostics refresh every 1–3 hours

Preventive Checklist & Monitoring

Daily:

• Inventory sync runs
• Check the Diagnostics → Error tab
  

Weekly:

• Run Feed validator
• Scan for account-level issues

Monthly:

• Policy audit
• Check GTIN coverage
  

Quarterly:

• Schema and site crawl review
  

Sample Alert Rule:

• If >5% product disapproved → Immediate email alert

Tools:

• Merchant status dashboard
• Content API alerts
• Third-party monitoring

Advanced – Multi-country, Currency & Shipping Pitfalls + Solutions

Common Mistakes:

• Wrong currency in feed (USD instead of GBP)
• Missing local shipping config
• Leave Tax settings global

Solutions:

• Set separate feed or feed rules for each country
• Add Country-specific shipping and tax attributes 
• Group products with shipping_label — to apply different shipping rules

Case Study Snippets (2 Short Wins)

Case Study 1 — Price Mismatch Fix → 48 Hours to Approval

Before:

• 1,200 products disapproved (price mismatch)
• Impressions -38% last 14 days

Steps Taken:

1. Feed & Website Price Auto-Sync (Content API)
2. Diagnostics → Real-time monitor
   
3. Automatic Item Updates enable

After (48 hours):

• Disapprovals 0
• CTR +25%
• Revenue +18% week-over-week

We fixed price mismatches for a store, 34% recovery in impressions. Book audit →

Case Study 2 — Missing Inventory → 100% Approval in 72 Hours

Before:

• 800+ products “Missing availability” error
• GMC account at risk

Steps Taken:

1. Filter & export CSV from “Needs attention”
2. Availability column update (in_stock / out_of_stock)
3. Reupload via Content API

After (72 hours):

• All products approved
• Impression share +21%
• Bounce rate ↓ (better stock info)

FAQ about Google Shopping Feed Errors

What is the Google Shopping controversy?

 Historically, debates arose over Google’s shift from free to paid listings, “Buy on Google” policy changes, app sunsetting, and marketplace competition rules. The impact: merchants need to adapt feed, bidding, and policy compliance.

Why is my shopping campaign not working?
Checklist:

• Diagnostics: GMC → Product issues tab
• Budget: Check daily limit & pacing
• Feed disapprovals: Resolve red flags in Diagnostics
  
• Bidding: Test Smart Bidding / adjust CPC
• Landing pages: Match feed attributes (price, availability)
  

How to fix missing inventory data in Google Merchant Center?

Follow earlier steps: Products → Needs attention → Filter “Missing product availability” → Update CSV (in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder) → Reupload or patch via Content API.

What happened to the Google Shopping app?

Google discontinued the Shopping mobile apps in 2021, merging features into Search/Shopping web and the updated Shopping tab experience.

Conclusion 

Fixing Google Shopping feed errors isn’t just a one-time job — it’s a matter of ongoing monitoring and automation. If you fix the error and still lose impressions, us Managed Feed Service Handles it all — auto-updates, Content API integration, and reducing disapprovals.

Getting your Google Merchant Center account back on track doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right fixes and compliance steps, you can quickly restore your listings, boost visibility, and start driving sales again.

If your account is already suspended, don’t wait—fix your Google Ads suspension today to prevent losing more traffic and revenue. Haven’t set up your Merchant Center yet? Follow this simple Google Merchant Center setup guide to start selling on Google Shopping the right way from day one.

Your products deserve to be seen. Take action now, follow the proven steps, and unlock more sales opportunities on Google.