Merchant Center guide

Merchant Center review rejected? What to do before you try again

A "Review not approved" status is frustrating, especially when you thought you'd fixed everything. Rushing straight back in rarely helps, because repeated unsuccessful reviews can lead to cool-down periods. Here's what a rejection means, what Google says about waiting, and how to make the next request count.

Guides · Updated 29 October 2026 · 5 min read

2ndunsuccessful review attempt can start a cool-down
1 weekfirst cool-down, which may increase
Up to 7business days for most reviews, Google says
1chance to disagree may be all you get
The short version
  • If your issues aren't resolved by the second review attempt, Google says a one-week cool-down may begin, and it may get longer after each unsuccessful review.
  • Google support can't shorten or skip a cool-down.
  • You may only have one chance to disagree with an issue, so choose "I disagree" only when you can support it.
  • Deleting the account or opening a new one won't fix it. Google says a new account for the same business is likely to be suspended too.

What "Review not approved" means

When you request a review, Merchant Center shows its progress: Review requested, then Under review, then the result. Google emails you when you request the review and again when it's finished. "Review not approved" means the issue is still there as far as Google is concerned.

Google doesn't promise a detailed reason for a rejection. The best place to look is the issue itself: go to Products, open the Needs attention tab and select View setup and policy issues. For product-level issues, Google's issue details page shows example products and steps to take.

Cool-downs and limits

  • If your issues aren't resolved by the second review attempt, Google says a one-week cool-down period may begin.
  • The cool-down may increase with each unsuccessful review after that.
  • During a cool-down the review button is greyed out and the account stays suspended. The end date shows under Needs attention.
  • Google support can't bypass or shorten a cool-down.
  • Google doesn't publish a fixed number of reviews, but says that depending on the issue there may be a limit on how many you can request.
Use "I disagree" carefully

Google says you may only have one chance to disagree with an issue, and to make sure you understand the policy and can support your request first. If you've made changes, choose "I fixed the issue" instead.

Check your site for these problemsThe free scan reads the key pages a Google reviewer typically checks and shows your score and the areas that need attention.

What not to do

01

Don't delete the account

Google says deleting a suspended account won't resolve the suspension.

02

Don't open a new account

Google says a new account for the same business is likely to be suspended too. Using Shopping again through new accounts after a suspension is listed under its abuse of the network policy.

03

Don't unlink Google Ads to get round it

If a linked Google Ads account is suspended, Google says unlinking it won't lift the Merchant Center suspension. The Ads suspension has to be fixed first.

04

Don't request again straight away

Each unsuccessful review can lengthen the wait. Use the time to find what was missed.

How to make the next review count

  1. 1

    Re-read the issue

    Go back to Needs attention and read the issue details again. Note the exact policy and any example products.

  2. 2

    Check your whole shop

    Google suggests examining your online shop and Merchant Center account thoroughly: product details, business information, policies and contact information. It's easy to fix one page and miss the same problem somewhere else.

  3. 3

    Match your product data to your site

    Prices, availability and delivery details should match your website. Remove any products that don't comply, and update your product data, or wait for your scheduled upload to run, before you request a review.

  4. 4

    Check your business details everywhere

    Your business name, address and contact details should match between your website, Merchant Center and any identity verification.

  5. 5

    Request the review

    Choose "I fixed the issue", then Request review. Google says a review usually takes up to 7 business days, though complex reviews can take longer.

  6. 6

    Contact support if you're stuck

    Contact Merchant Center support from your account. If you use Shopify, use Get support in the Google & YouTube app. Support can help with the process, but can't shorten a cool-down.

Use the cool-down well

A cool-down is frustrating, but it's time to check your site and product data properly. A free scan shows your score and the areas that need attention, and the full report lists each problem it finds with the page it came from.

Your before-you-resubmit checklist

Tick these off as you go. Your progress is saved on this device.

0 of 10 doneTick each one off as you fix it.
What a checklist can't catchMany of these sit in your page code, structured data or settings Google reads but shoppers never see, so they're easy to miss by eye. Any one of them can be enough for a review to fail.
  • Product structured data showing a different price or stock status from the page
  • A return window that differs on a page you'd forgotten about
  • Delivery costs in Merchant Center that don't match your delivery page
  • Policy text copied from another business, still naming them
  • Template placeholders like [COMPANY NAME] left in a policy
  • Your business name written differently in policies, checkout and page code
  • Claims that read as guarantees, health benefits or endorsements
  • Contact details that differ between pages
  • Currency in your product data that doesn't match the page
  • Pages Google's crawler can't load, even though they work for you
The free scan runs checks like these on the key pages a Google reviewer typically checks, and shows your score and the areas that need attention.Scan my site free

Common questions

Google says a one-week cool-down may begin if issues aren't resolved by the second review attempt, and that it may increase with each unsuccessful review after that. It doesn't publish a fixed schedule. The end date shows under Needs attention.

No. Google says support can't bypass or shorten a cool-down period.

Google doesn't promise a detailed reason. Check the issue details under Products, Needs attention, which can include example products and steps to take.

No. Google says deleting a suspended account won't resolve it, and a new account for the same business is likely to be suspended as well.

Google doesn't publish a fixed number, but says that depending on the issue there may be a limit. Repeated unsuccessful reviews can also lead to longer cool-downs, so it's better to make fewer, well-prepared requests.

Sources

Certanza is independent and not affiliated with Google. This guide is general information, not legal advice, and Google's policies can change.

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