WooCommerce guide

WooCommerce store suspended in Merchant Center? Fix it from your WordPress admin

WooCommerce gives you full control of your store, which also means nothing stops a half-finished policy, a hidden address or a price that shows differently to Google. These are the common WooCommerce problems, and where to fix each one.

Guides · Updated 30 October 2026 · 8 min read

11places in WordPress to check
8common WooCommerce causes covered
1official extension: Google for WooCommerce
Up to 7business days for a review, Google says
The short version
  • Common causes on WooCommerce stores are the draft refund policy left unpublished, a store address that never appears on the site, and prices that show differently with and without VAT.
  • Most fixes are in WooCommerce settings, Pages and your theme's footer, so you rarely need a developer.
  • Products usually reach Google through the free Google for WooCommerce extension, so fix the data in WooCommerce and let it sync.
  • Once fixed, request the review from the Product Feed tab in Google for WooCommerce or in Merchant Center.

Why WooCommerce stores get suspended

Google applies the same rules to every store. But the way WooCommerce stores are usually built leads to the same problems again and again:

01

Refund policy still a draft

WooCommerce creates a draft "Refund and Returns Policy" page when it's installed, but it isn't published or edited for you. Many stores never finish it.

What can raise concernsThe draft page unpublished, or published with the sample wording.
What worksYour real return window, condition, who pays postage and how to start a return, published and linked.
02

Store address only in settings

The address in WooCommerce settings is used for things like tax and shipping. It doesn't automatically appear on your pages.

What can raise concernsAn address in Settings, but only a contact form on the site.
What worksBusiness name, address, phone and email on the Contact page and in the footer.
03

Prices with and without VAT

For shoppers in the UK and EU, Google expects prices that include VAT, matching what the page shows. Mixed tax display settings can make the page, the product data and checkout disagree.

What can raise concerns£20 on the product page, £24 at checkout.
What worksOne VAT-inclusive price everywhere.
04

Product markup out of step

WooCommerce adds product markup (price, stock, barcode) to each product page automatically. An SEO plugin or theme can add a second copy that disagrees.

What can raise concernsIn stock on the page, out of stock in the page code.
What worksOne set of product markup that matches what shoppers see.
05

Coming soon mode left on

WooCommerce's Site visibility setting can hide your shop, or the whole site, behind a coming soon page. Google can't review pages it can't see.

What can raise concernsComing soon still on after connecting to Google.
What worksSite visibility set to Live.
06

Google blocked by security settings

Firewalls, security plugins, robots.txt rules or country blocking can stop Google's crawlers (Googlebot and AdsBot) reaching your pages.

What can raise concernsGoogle sees an error or a challenge page.
What worksGoogle's crawlers allowed in, including from the US.
07

Shipping that doesn't match

Shipping zones and rates in WooCommerce, your delivery page and Merchant Center that don't agree.

What can raise concernsFree delivery over £40 on the site, a flat £3.95 in Merchant Center.
What worksThe same costs and times in all three places.
08

Theme demo content

Sample products, placeholder text, demo reviews or "as seen in" logos that came with the theme or a starter site.

What can raise concernsLorem ipsum in a footer widget, or demo testimonials.
What worksOnly real content, with demo items deleted.

Where to fix each one in WordPress

What to fixWhere in your WordPress admin
Refund and returns policyPages, then All Pages, then Refund and Returns Policy (edit and Publish)
Privacy policy pageSettings, then Privacy
Terms and conditions pageWooCommerce, then Settings, then Advanced, then Page setup
Store address and currencyWooCommerce, then Settings, then General
Business phone and address sent to GoogleMarketing, then Google for WooCommerce, then Settings, then Contact information
Footer details and policy linksAppearance, then Menus (classic themes), or Appearance, then Editor, then Patterns, then Footer (block themes)
Coming soon modeWooCommerce, then Settings, then Site visibility (set to Live)
Shipping zones, rates and timesWooCommerce, then Settings, then Shipping
How prices show with VATWooCommerce, then Settings, then Tax
Barcodes (GTIN) and brandsProducts, edit a product, then Inventory (GTIN), and Products, then Brands
Product sync and issuesMarketing, then Google for WooCommerce, then Product Feed
Fix the source, not the feed

Google for WooCommerce sends your product data to Merchant Center as it changes. If a price or description is wrong, change it in WooCommerce and let it sync, rather than editing it in Merchant Center, where it can be overwritten.

Meta descriptions need a plugin

WordPress doesn't have a meta description box for each page on its own. SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math add one. Set the site title and tagline in Settings, then General.

On a different platform?

We have the same guide for Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and BigCommerce.

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.

Step-by-step fix for WooCommerce

  1. 1

    Find the issue

    In WordPress, open Marketing, Google for WooCommerce, then Product Feed to see the account status and issues. In Merchant Center, go to Products, then Needs attention, then View setup and policy issues. Note the policy named.

  2. 2

    Make your site visible

    In WooCommerce, Settings, Site visibility, make sure the store is Live. Check that security plugins, firewalls and robots.txt allow Googlebot and AdsBot.

  3. 3

    Show who you are

    Put your business name, address, phone and email on the Contact page and in the footer. Add the same phone and address in Google for WooCommerce, Settings, Contact information.

  4. 4

    Finish every policy

    Edit and publish the Refund and Returns Policy page. Set the privacy page in Settings, Privacy, and the terms page in WooCommerce, Settings, Advanced, Page setup. Replace any sample wording with how you really handle returns, refunds and delivery.

  5. 5

    Link the policies in your footer

    Add Refunds, Delivery, Privacy, Terms and Contact to your footer menu (Appearance, Menus) or footer template part (Appearance, Editor).

  6. 6

    Check prices, VAT, stock and delivery

    In WooCommerce, Settings, Tax, make sure UK and EU shoppers see VAT-inclusive prices that match checkout. Open a few products and compare the page with Merchant Center. Check your shipping zones match your delivery page.

  7. 7

    Remove demo content and claims

    Delete sample products, placeholder text and demo reviews from your theme, and remove claims you can't back up, such as "best in the UK" or health benefits.

  8. 8

    Scan, then request a review

    Run a free scan to check for anything you've missed. Then request the review, either with Request review on the Product Feed tab or in Merchant Center. The full report gives WooCommerce steps for the issues it finds.

Your WooCommerce checklist

Tick these off as you go. Your ticks are saved in this browser.

0 of 14 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.
  • A second set of product markup from an SEO plugin or theme, showing a different price or stock status
  • Star ratings a reviews plugin adds to the page code
  • Prices that change with VAT settings between the product page, cart and checkout
  • Cached pages showing an old price or stock status
  • Google's ads crawler (AdsBot) blocked in robots.txt or by a firewall
  • Template wording left in the refund policy
  • Policy text copied from another store, still naming their business
  • Delivery times that differ between product pages, the FAQ and your delivery page
  • Tracking pixels running without cookie consent
  • Missing brand, barcode (GTIN) or part number in your product data
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

No. Google applies the same rules to every store. But some WooCommerce defaults make problems common, such as the refund policy being created as an unfinished draft and the store address not appearing on the site.

Either. Google for WooCommerce shows a Request review button on the Product Feed tab when your account has a warning or is suspended, and you can also request it in Merchant Center. Fix everything first: if issues remain, you may have to wait before you can ask again.

For shoppers in the UK and EU, yes. Google asks for prices that include VAT and match the page and checkout. In WooCommerce, check how prices are entered and displayed in Settings, Tax.

Since WooCommerce 9.2, each product has a GTIN, UPC, EAN or ISBN field in its Inventory tab, and Google for WooCommerce can send it to Google. Products without barcodes, such as handmade items, don't need one, but fill in the brand.

Usually not. Most fixes are in WooCommerce settings, Pages and your theme. You may need help if a security plugin or server firewall is blocking Google, or if two plugins add conflicting product markup.

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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