Google Merchant Center suspensions have become dramatically more difficult to restore, especially when the Google Ads account is suspended at the same time. In 2025, Google has tightened compliance checks, automated deeper reviews, and expanded machine-learning–driven policies — making combined suspensions one of the toughest scenarios for any advertiser.
In today’s article, I’m sharing a real case study of how my team restored both:
✔ Google Merchant Center (Misrepresentation)
✔ Google Ads Account (Circumventing Systems / Multiple Account Abuse)
This case required three full audits, multiple escalations to Google, deep technical improvements, and constant collaboration with the client. If you have a suspended GMC or Google Ads account, this case study will show you exactly what Google looks for and how we fixed everything step-by-step.
🟥 The Suspension: Misrepresentation + Circumventing Systems
The client came to us with:
1. Google Merchant Center Suspension
Policy: Misrepresentation — Untrustworthy Promotions
The message Google displayed:
“Google found an issue with the account that requires attention. Your free listings or Shopping ads cannot be displayed.”
Even after completing Advertiser Verification, the suspension remained.
2. Google Ads Account Suspension
Policy: Circumventing Systems → Multiple Account Abuse
This is one of Google’s strictest enforcement actions. In most cases, restoring this requires zero-policy violations across every part of the business.
🟦 Step 1: Full Website Audit (Round 1)
We started with a complete 360-degree audit of the website.
🔹 1. Placeholder Errors (Most Common Misrepresentation Trigger)
Google does NOT allow hidden text, incomplete text, or placeholder elements such as:
- “Lorem ipsum”
- Default form text
- Empty form fields
- Broken search queries
- Plugin placeholders
We found placeholder issues on:
- Contact page
- Track Order page
- Thank You page
- Header search form
- Plugin-generated forms
This alone can trigger Misrepresentation.
🟩 Step 2: Technical SEO & Crawler Fixes
Robots.txt Issues
The robots file blocked important URLs and allowed irrelevant ones. Google flagged it.
Dead Links
Multiple “dead links” were discovered by crawlers. Google considers this as poor user experience and a trust issue.
Google Search Console
Many crawl anomalies and indexing warnings were present.
Page Speed Issues
Mobile speed was extremely low — another red flag for Shopping ads.
🟧 Step 3: Trust & Transparency Gaps
Google requires full transparency in all Shopping websites.
We identified major trust issues:
In Footer (Missing / Incorrect):
- Business name
- Physical address
- Company email
- Phone number
- Policies linked incorrectly
- Payment badges not matching checkout
Timezone Conflicts
The website showed:
- Address in India
- Phone number in the U.S.
- Shipping policy using Amsterdam timezone
- Opening hours using EST + EDT
This instantly triggers Misrepresentation.
Social Media Issues
- Broken Facebook link
- Empty Instagram page
- Pages not synced with website information
Public Gmail Address
No company email → Google considered it low trust.
🟪 Step 4: Product Feed & Catalog Issues
Missing Product Essentials
- No GTIN
- No SKU
- No MPN
- No review system
- Copied or low-quality images
Checkout Flow Problems
- Unlimited quantity purchase (no limit validation)
- Different payment options shown in footer vs checkout
- Policy pages inconsistent with actual delivery methods
All these required corrections.
🟫 Step 5: Policy Page Conflicts
Shipping Policy
Had irrelevant timezones and contradictory processing times.
Refund & Return Policy
Not aligned with industry standards.
Terms & Conditions
Had clauses that didn’t match the actual website operations.
Do Not Sell My Information Page
Incorrect formatting + missing information.
Track Order Page
Phone number not clickable, dead link issues.
🟦 Step 6: Second & Third Audit – Final Checks
Even after the first round, more issues existed:
- Placeholder still found in plugin
- Dead links still detected
- More trust signals needed
- Social media syncing required
- Mobile speed still below pass score
- Product compliance still incomplete
We completed three full audits until the site reached 100% Google Shopping compliance.
🟩 Step 7: Google Communication + Escalation to the Wider Team
After multiple fixes, Google initially rejected the review again.
We escalated the case through:
- Google Chat Support
- Senior Support Review
- Google “Wider Team” / Advanced Review Team (the highest level)
They manually inspected:
- Feed
- Website
- Payment system
- Policy structure
- Business identity
- Previous account history
After proving compliance, we received:
🟩 Final Result: FULL RESTORATION
🟢 Google Ads Account Reactivated
The Circumventing Systems suspension was lifted.
🟢 Google Merchant Center Restored
Misrepresentation removed.
🟢 Products Approved
Listings started moving from “Pending” → “Approved”.
🟢 Campaign Performance Resumed
Clicks started increasing the moment Shopping campaigns resumed.
🟢 Live Screenshot Verification
The client’s account was fully functional again with:
- 99 approved products
- Active campaigns
- No policy issues
- No red flags
🟦 What We Learned from This Case (And You Should Too)
Google is now more strict than ever.
Here are the biggest takeaways:
1. One small placeholder can suspend your entire business
Contact forms, plugins, search bars → even a single placeholder keyword can trigger misrepresentation.
2. Trust signals matter more than anything
Use:
- Real address
- Company email
- Correct timezones
- Consistent details
- Verified payment badges
3. Multiple timezones = Instant suspension
Never mix EST, EDT, PST, IST, etc.
Use ONE timezone based on your business address.
4. Feed correctness equals account safety
Missing GTIN, SKU, or images = high suspension risk.
5. Consistency across all pages is mandatory
Google compares:
- Website
- Merchant Center
- Google Ads
- Social media pages
- Checkout flow
- Policy pages
Everything must match.
6. Business identity mismatches trigger Google Ads suspension
Especially “Multiple Account Abuse” or “Circumventing Systems” penalties.
🟩 Are You Facing a Similar Suspension?
We help clients with:
✔ Google Merchant Center Suspension
Misrepresentation, Untrustworthy Promotions, Missing Info, etc.
✔ Google Ads Suspension
Circumventing Systems, Misrepresentation, Suspicious Payments, etc.
✔ Google Ads Disapprovals
Malicious, Compromised Site, Policy Violations
✔ Shopify / WordPress Website Compliance Fix
Full-stack technical + trust optimization
✔ Monthly Google Ads & GMC Management
Campaign optimization, feed optimization, anti-fraud protection
✔ SEO + Meta Ads + Bing Ads + TikTok Ads
Full service performance marketing
✔ Business Verification
Google Ads Business/Advertiser Verification help
✔ Google Business Profile Suspension Fix
GBP Reinstatement and compliance support
📞 Need Help? Hire Us
We are a Google Partner Company with hundreds of successful restorations.
👉 Hire us using the link in the description
👉 Or the first pinned comment on YouTube
We’re here to help bring your business back online — safely and permanently.
