A client’s Merchant Center was suspended for Healthcare & Medicines: Forbidden items / misleading claims. Root cause: wrong product image + mis‑labeled description confusing Google’s systems. We removed one risky SKU, corrected data for the other, ran a sitewide compliance audit (robots.txt, Search Console, landing pages), and submitted a structured review. GMC lifted the violation and re‑activated the account. Remaining disapprovals were non‑policy (404/hosting). Governance and ongoing feed hygiene keep the account compliant.
Snapshot: Before → After
- Status: Suspended → Active/Approved (violation removed)
- Policy Flag: Healthcare & Medicines (forbidden items / misleading claims)
- Primary Fix: Correct product image + accurate description; removed 1 SKU
- Secondary Fixes: Titles/attributes rewritten; site & feed audit; review request
- Post‑Approval: 6 products approved; 10 disapproved due to 404/hosting → resolved with dev/hosting team
Why Healthcare & Medicines Get Suspended
- Unapproved pharmaceuticals/supplements (claims, ingredients, or prescription requirements)
- Pregnancy/Fertility/Sexual enhancement categories with extra policy requirements
- Misrepresentation (exaggerated claims, bait‑and‑switch imagery, mismatched landing pages)
- Store quality (insufficient contact info, policies, refunds, shipping, trust signals)
- Counterfeit or brand‑misuse
Rule of thumb: your product data + images + landing page must tell the same, fully compliant story.
What We Found in This Case
- Wrong hero image and a mis‑labeled product description triggered the pharma heuristic.
- After one policy flag, Google can scrutinize everything, so we broadened the audit beyond the single SKU.
The Fixes (Step‑by‑Step)
- Pause and triage the risky SKUs
• Remove items that are non‑compliant or too ambiguous to defend.
• Keep a change log with timestamps. - Correct Product Data
• Replace the image with accurate, non‑ambiguous photography.
• Rewrite titles/descriptions to match on‑page copy; remove any medical/therapeutic claims unless you can substantiate them with policy‑allowed documentation.
• Ensure GTIN/brand/category are accurate; avoid keywords implying prescription/medical use. - Align Landing Pages
• The product page must exactly reflect the feed (name, variant, image, price, availability).
• Prominently display shipping/returns/contact.
• Avoid gated/geo‑blocked pages for Shopping bots. - Sitewide Compliance Audit
• robots.txt allows Googlebot & AdsBot access to product/variant/asset paths.
• Google Search Console: fix crawl errors; resubmit sitemaps.
• Trust & Store policies: add About, Contact, Terms, Refund/Shipping, Privacy links in footer/header.
• Payments & security: valid SSL, secure checkout.
• No counterfeit / correct brand usage throughout. - Diagnostics & Feed Health
• Check Diagnostics → Account/Items; prioritize Policy vs Data vs Crawl issues.
• Normalize attributes (condition, availability, price, sale_price_effective_date, MPN/GTIN).
• Fix image_link quality (size, background, watermarks).
• Address product page unavailable (404/5xx/timeout) with your host/CDN. - Prepare Your Review Request
• Explain the root cause and the exact changes made (bullet points, with dates).
• Attach screenshots (old vs new image/description).
• Confirm sitewide compliance (store policies, robots.txt, GSC cleanup).
• Commit to ongoing governance and monitoring. - Post‑Approval Governance
• Weekly Diagnostics checks; auto‑alerts for policy/data anomalies.
• Dev SLA for 404/hosting incidents.
• Feed hygiene SOP: naming conventions, attribute templates, image QA, claim review.
Results
- Google confirmed: “The requested review… has been completed and the issue no longer appears in your account.”
- Account active; Shopping serving again.
- Residual disapprovals tied to hosting/404 were resolved and did not block account‑level serving.
FAQs
Q: Can I run healthcare products at all?
A: Some are allowed with restrictions. Avoid prescription‑only claims, medical efficacy promises, or prohibited ingredients. When in doubt, use neutral positioning and provide substantiation.
Q: My account is repeatedly suspended after approval. Why?
A: Compliance is an ongoing process. New SKUs/images/descriptions can trigger fresh reviews. Keep a governance checklist and re‑validate before pushing products live.
Q: Should I appeal immediately?
A: Only after you’ve fixed root causes across all products and the site. A premature review wastes your appeal window.
Want Us to Fix It For You?
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