Celebird Product Search Disapproval Checklist

Google Shopping (Google Product Search) disapproval and suspensions within the Google Merchant Center can be due to a wide variety of simple or complex issues; most disapproval issues fall into four broad categories.

1. The data being submitted.
2. The website.
3. Types of items.
4. Item supply-chain.

The last two issues can be especially problematic.

If you contact Google using their official Disapproved data feeds or items form, but Google continually selects the same similar or generic response, over and over again, or indicating to "review the program policies" or does not respond after a requested clarification, then this may indicate that Google has made a final decision or the issues remain unresolved with respect to the types of items or item supply-chain.

Also, depending on what Google determines is the seriousness of a violation, the frequency of violations, or the type of violation, especially if others may be trying to circumvent a similar policy, Google may choose not to give any details about a disapproval or suspension and may not reconsider items from the website.

However, most disapproval issues are not so dire.

Many issues have rather simple fixes such as submitting a valid availability value.

Other issues have slightly more complex fixes, such as changing how a price is displayed on a website.

Website related disapproval issues can involve more far-reaching changes, such as removing multiple add-to-cart buttons or displaying fewer items on the link landing page.

Disapproved can sometimes be accompanied by an Awaiting Review or Pending Review status. This usually means something has triggered the need for a manual inspection. This does not mean anything is wrong; but rather, a timeout is required until someone can manually review any potential issues. This often happens when uploading a new feed to a new target country for example. A disapproval can occur after the review however.

Disapproval can also be for multiple issues -- with the data, items, and website.

The following Google Shopping disapproval and suspension checklist may help you to narrow the issues that are being flagged.

Many policy disapproval issues can be unclear. In those cases, the best course is to do nothing until you know what the problem is by contacting Google directly and asking for clarification and guidance. Then, use this checklist as a guide after Google has been contacted.

Spending time attempting to remedy all the numerous possible problems listed here can be time wasted if the disapproval is unclear or cannot be easily fixed such as in the case of many supply-chain related violations.

More importantly perhaps, the disapproval checklist may help you prevent disapproval, lengthy review, or suspension issues, before they occur or prevent items from being rejected. Any one single item not conforming to all Google's rules and policies can result in all items removed from the listings or the entire website, account, or marketplace sub-account being suspended.

1.  Using any promotional text whatsoever -- such as shipping or store details, guarantees, billing, payment, sales or marketing information -- or any information that is unrelated to the item's physical details of look, feel, taste, smell, sound, or how the item might be used;  any non-standard capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, or symbols;  using any HTML, entities, special or proprietary symbols, URLs, CSS, or scripts;  any comparisons to other products; any details about other products, accessories, or similar items available; adding any references to internal categorization systems or navigational breadcrumbs; using any gimmicky repetition or keyword stuffing within any data submitted -- or any spam techniques anyplace on the website.
2.  Price not matching the website exactly or price not including VAT;
3.  Price not including VAT displayed on the website link landing-page or price not including VAT within the submitted data feed;
4.  Price not for the minimum quantity -- minimum number of items sold;
5.  Price not the most prominent price on the landing page;
6.  Price not exactly matching the landing-page displayed price -- for all users in all locations at all times;
7.  Price not exactly matching the default add-to-cart price;
8.  Unclear or missing an add-to-cart button on the page;
9.  Unclear which item on the page is the submitted item;
10.  Unclear product price, image, or availability, on the website landing-page;
11.  Insecure e-commerce (checkout) or payment flow.
12.  Insecure customer data collection such as during any phase of checkout;
13.  Insecure, improper, deceptive, or unclear e-commerce (checkout) that may include pop-ups, frames, redirects, or any deceptive or unclear billing or payment flow.
14.  Invalid global-trade values (gtin, mpn, brand);
15.  Improper, missing, or misleading availability; for example, in stock items that cannot be ordered or cannot be in-transit to the customer in 3 business-days or less;
16.  Improper, missing, or misleading condition; for example, new items that are not in original packaging with all original packaging materials from the manufacturer; for example, vintage and antique items are considered used.
17.  Improper, misleading, or no shipping or tax -- in settings or in the feed;
18.  Improper images or images with text or watermarks or logos;
19.  Improper images that are too small (~ 90x90) or too large (~ 700x700) or poor quality; most item images should be approximately 250x250 pixels, while apparel items should be 400x400 pixels, but most images should not be much larger, with respect to most websites, to avoid crawl issues; pixel size for quality issues usually relate to the product image itself, not necessarily the background; whereas crawl issues usually relate to the file size.
20.  Improper currency or language for a target-country;
21.  Improper currency or language during e-commerce checkout;
22.  Improper or inaccurate or automated language translation;
23.  Improper or inaccurate language translation during e-commerce checkout;
24.  Improper or inaccurate target-country details in the feed or on the website;
25.  Improper or inaccurate google_product_category value for the physical item or target-country;
26.  Broken links or improper URLs not showing items or not showing images;
27.  Broken links with un-escaped characters such as spaces;
28.  Broken links or links that redirect or with pop-ups;
29.  Broken web-servers or websites entirely or partially under construction or not functioning.
30.  Broken websites or broken web-servers not responding properly or fast enough to all Googlebot or Googlebot-image crawls, at all times;
31.  Broken website or web-server robots.txt files that cause Googlebot or Googlebot-image crawls to fail;
32.  Broken websites or web-servers down for any length of time for any reason;
33.  Submitting variant items without proper variant attributes;
34.  Submitting similar items from multiple cookie-cutter sites;
35.  Submitting items already submitted from another site;
36.  Submitting items already submitted from another website or marketplace such as addoway, amazon, artfire, bonanza, cafepress, ebay, ebid, ecrater, etsy, nextag, pricegrabber, ruby lane, tias, zazzle, etc.
37.  Submitting items previously submitted by a marketplace;
38.  Submitting items from a marketplace that is suspended;
39.  Submitting items with suspect or disallowed supply-chains;
40.  Submitting items you do not legally own or do not have the rights from the legal owner to submit;
41.  Submitting content you do not legally own or do not have the rights from the legal owner to use;
42.  Submitting items with affiliate or drop ship supply-chains;
43.  Submitting duplicate items from affiliate or drop ship supply-chains or their accounts;
44.  Submitting items from cookie-cutter, affiliate, or drop ship websites;
45.  Submitting adult items not marked as adult;
46.  Submitting words that violate (Google AdWords) trademark policies -- for linked Google AdWords accounts or a ProductAds disapproval;
47.  Submitting words that are not allowed, are associated with disallowed types of items, or that may be non-family-friendly;
48.  Submitting disallowed items or disallowed types of items such as real estate, vehicles, muscle-enhancing supplements, unsubstantiated remedies, spam, services, gaming related items, items disallowed within a specific target-country or state, etc.;
49.  Submitting items or displaying items on the website, that violate any Google AdWords policy -- for linked Google AdWords accounts or a ProductAds disapproval;
50.  Submitting items that might be non-family friendly -- for a U.S. registered feed item;
51.  Submitting duplicate items or unique items from nearly-duplicate sites;
52.  Submitting variant items improperly;
53.  Submitting an exemption improperly; an exemption from global-trade-data (Unique Product Identifiers) is submitted by using an identifier_exists attribute with a value of FALSE for the item;
54.  Submitting without an exemption (identifier_exists set FALSE)  if the required global-trade data (gtin, mpn, brand) for the type of item does not exist -- for example, bundling groups of products or self-made or handmade items.
55.  Submitting without an exemption (identifier_exists set FALSE) if global-trade data does not exist for the target-country -- exemptions (identifier_exists set FALSE) are per target country per item;
56.  Submitting without an exemption (identifier_exists set FALSE) if global-trade data does not exist for the item category (exemptions are per target country per type of item -- apparel, books, etc.);
57.  Submitting with an exemption (identifier_exists set FALSE) if the (required) global-trade data does currently exist for the item;
58.  Submitting items that cannot be shipped throughout the registered target-country or cannot be shipped with a direct-to-the-consumer shipping rate (for example, ship-to-store is not allowed);
59.  Submitting multiple target-country feeds using the same feed data -- link landing-page, price, id, etc.;
60.  Missing a required product image for an item;
61.  Missing required attributes for variants;
62.  Missing required attributes for a specific target-country;
63.  Missing required attributes with proper values such as
    id, availability, link, image_link, condition, price, etc;
    
64.  Missing required attributes for the type of item such as gender for U.S. apparel items;
65.  Missing conspicuous, transparent, and easily located links on the website, to clear, transparent, accurate, and complete, business information, such as billing terms and conditions, return and refund policies, and proper contact information that typically includes company name, physical street-level address, land-line telephone number, and working email;
    
66.  Not claiming the website or losing a website claim:
67.  Creating multiple accounts in response to a disapproval or suspension;
68.  Spreadsheets with descriptions on multiple lines;
69.  Spreadsheets that add quotes after re-saving;
70.  Spreadsheets that apply scientific-notation formats;
71.  Spreadsheets that are not saved as text (.txt) tab-delimited;
72.  Both spreadsheets and XML files can be an indirect cause of disapproval since improperly formatted files or files with too many syntax errors can cause processing to falsely read correct data; always view .txt and .xml feed files within a browser, notepad, or file editor, to check the saved data.

Please note: I am not a Google employee; the checklist is based on observations as a Top Contributor within Google's help forum and  public documentation. If you have any comments please post here rather than in Google's forums.

Scheduled Fetch of Google Docs Feed

Google Documents (Google Docs) can be used to create
a Google Merchant Center feed file of your on-hand
physical inventory for listing items within Google
Product Search (Google Shopping).

Usually, this process entails downloading the
Google Docs file as a Text (current sheet) tsv
(tab-separated-values) file and then uploading
the resulting tab-delimited (feed) file to the
Google Merchant Center manually.

A road block.

Internally, in the cloud, a raw Google Docs file
is not tab-delimited so there is no direct access
to the file's contents that is usable within the
Google Merchant Center for a scheduled-fetch.

Google Merchant Center's scheduled feed fetch is explained here:

http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=1219255

Removing the roadblock

However, Google Docs does offer an API that can
covert the raw Google Docs data into other formats.

This conversion is known within
Google's API as a response format.

Seven step roadblock removal

The following step-by-step how-to shows one
possible method of using a Google Docs Spreadsheet
with a Google Merchant Center scheduled-fetch

1. Change the feed's Use Quoted Fields settings from No to Yes
within the Google Merchant Center account.

without quoted-fields set to yes,
the feed will not process correctly
since currently Google Docs always
adds quotation-marks to all values.

2. Change the file's sharing settings within Google Docs, to:
Anyone who has the link can view

3. Copy the sharing-settings link url from Google Docs
(Paste this link in email or IM:)

the copied link url should look something like this:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlhRngqSujsWdFo3WFhKMEtBeWZOUU04aEdwY0E0R0E&hl=en_US

( please do not use the above url in your scheduled fetch --
  the key belongs to my test feed file under my account )

4. Paste the sharing-settings link url
to the Google Merchant Center
as the feed's scheduled fetch url.

5. Change the ccc parameter of the url to tq

the changed url should now look something like this:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/tq?key=0AlhRngqSujsWdFo3WFhKMEtBeWZOUU04aEdwY0E0R0E&hl=en_US

6. Add the tqx response format parameter
by using the following syntax:
&tqx=out:tsv-excel

the final url within Google Merchant Center should look like:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/tq?key=0AlhRngqSujsWdFo3WFhKMEtBeWZOUU04aEdwY0E0R0E&hl=en_US&tqx=out:tsv-excel
note: the above url is on one contiguous line without any breaks.

7. To test the spreadsheet, select
        Update and fetch now

If all goes well, the feed status summary report should show:
        Detected attribute language: English
        Detected encoding: UTF-16LE
        Detected delimiter: Tab (\t)
        Detected file format: Text

Caveats

Be certain that the spreadsheet is not being edited
at the time that Google Merchant Center is accessing
the file during the scheduled upload.

Google accounts associated with Google Apps Accounts may not work.

A critical caveat is that Google Docs will always
add quotation-marks surrounding each value.
Unfortunately, Google Merchant Center will not
properly process any multi-valued attribute with quotes.

Therefore, the following attributes cannot be used in
any feed that is scheduled directly from Google Docs:
        shipping
        tax
        compatible_with

If these attributes are used, the feed will not
process properly and the attribute processing
will result in the following message:
        Too few subattributes for attribute:

As a result, your tax and shipping will not show in search results
for those items; or tax and shipping may show with your default
tax and shipping settings -- not the feed values.

Fortunately, tax and shipping can be set within your
Google Merchant Center settings and compatible_with
is no longer documented as supported.

However, if tax or shipping is required in your feed --
for example to override tax or shipping settings
for particular items -- then Google Docs cannot be
used for a direct scheduled fetch within Google Merchant Center.

Removing the Google Docs quotation-marks programmatically
in conjunction with Google's API or by using additional features
within Google Docs For Business may be future options to
allow tax and shipping within a feed when using this method
to scheduled a fetch of a Google Docs feed file.

Celebird Items Control App

The Celebird Items Control Application (BETA) allows merchants using the Google Merchant Center or Google Base to gain more control over certain aspects of their submitted items.

Currently under beta release, the application allows users to search items using Google's query facility, and sort retrieved items by a variety of attributes and statistics -- including impressions, clicks, title, and price.

The items-app has a view facility that displays various views of the retrieved data such as an "Abridged" view offering statistical highlights and an "Expanded" view showing attributes such as price and product_type.

Celebird-Items-App also has a filter feature utilizing Google's slightly more restrictive filtered-rows construct.  The filter can be used to restrict what's viewed; such as items within a range of exact prices between 250 to 550.

Notes on using the application --

First, you must grant access to your feed data -- This is done using the 'Grant Access' button; There is no modification of any data but this access does allow the display of the item's statistical information and to items that have not yet fully processed.

Second, a copy of your uploaded feed items must be retrieved from Google'e cloud using the application's "Get Items" button.

Only the search query feature and "Get Items" button operate on data within Google's cloud. All other information is displayed, and operated on, within your browser window.

That is, all data and graphs seen within the application is a subset of your feed items.

If the search-query is blank, the Get Items feature simply attempts to retrieve the next (max-results) set of submitted items into the application for further sorting and filtering.

A few browser caveats --

The number of items that can be retrieved and manipulated is limited by your browser.  So, make use of the query feature whenever possible -- especially with large numbers of items.  Since the data is limited to your browser, the application will warn that you must retrieve the items again if you migrate away from the application.

Also, Microsoft's Internet Explorer requires a Google Plug-In for the application to function. Otherwise, you might want to try the application using another browser first -- such as FireFox or Google's Chrome.

Celebird Items Control App may be launched here --

https://celebird-cloud.appspot.com/app/celebird-items-app/

Comments and feedback may be given by posting a comment to this blog post --
Please do not use Google's help forums for comments or feedback.

Celebird's Seven Laws of Quality Attributes

Information within a Google Merchant Center feed
is meant to describe each physical product item.

Describing an item within a data-feed (file) should be done
using valid, accurate, factual, clear, appropriate, and most
importantly, relevant, information without promotion.

Information about a product is described using attributes.

An attribute is a specific characteristic of an object --
in our case, the object is the product item for sale --
the item in your physical in stock inventory.

The attributes you select should be appropriate and proper
and should describe the characteristics of the physical item.

One technique is to imagine your customer has never seen your product --
you must describe your product over-the-phone to your potential customer,
without an image of the product.

Then, when your product is shipped and your customer opens the package,
there should be no surprises -- the item should look, feel, sound, smell,
or taste, exactly as you've described over the phone (or in your feed).

A feed's quality might be improved by applying
Celebird's Seven Laws of Attribute Quality to
your product being sold.

There are negative (-) attributes and negative values
that if used, may dilute a specific item's relevance --
in this context, negative means lower quality.

There are also positive (+) attributes and positive values
that if used, may enhance a specific item's relevance --
in this context, positive means higher quality.

Removing negative attributes or values,
and adding positive attributes and values
are key aspects of Celebird's Laws of Quality.

In the following example illustrating the Seven Laws --
first, try to intuit what your product is, based only
on the negative (low-quality) attributes and values;
then, try to intuit what your product is, based only
on the positive (high-quality) attributes and values.

Celebird's Seven Laws of Attribute Quality are:

1. attributes must be relevant.
        - <g:pattern>solid</g:pattern>
        + <g:size>10 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches</g:size>

2. attributes must be valid.
        - <g:shipping_weight>0pounds 7oz</g:shipping_weight>
        + <g:shipping_weight>7 oz</g:shipping_weight>

3. attributes must be accurate.
        - <g:shipping_weight>7 oz</g:shipping_weight>
        + <g:shipping_weight>7.25 oz</g:shipping_weight>

4. attributes must be factual.
        - <g:description>the best known nail pounder</g:description>
        + <g:description>Our claw hammer is made with a single-piece of forged, heat-treated, steel head and an aged cherry-wood handle. Weighing 7.5 ounces, the wooden handle is smooth to the touch and is just the right size for small nail or light pounding jobs around the house or yard.</g:description>

5. attributes must be clear.
        - <title>thing to hit nails<title>
        + <title>Claw hammer with aged cherry wood handle.<title>

6. attributes must be appropriate.
        - <g:color>please go to our website for details</g:color>
        + <g:color>brown/stainless steel</g:color>

7. attributes cannot promote.
        - <title>***BEAUTIFUL*** **HITS THINGS** Limited Stock!!! We are a great company in business for a long time and this is a great product. FREE SHIPPING!!!!!!</title>
        + <title>Claw hammer with cherry wood handle.</title>

In this example, your product is a hammer.

Search But Verify

Celebird's database cloud search is an application that formats and displays raw data from within Google's cloud database -- Google Base.

Google Base is a database in Google's cloud.

A Google Merchant Center account is used to submit items to Google Shopping.  Currently, items submitted to Google Product Search (Google Shopping), if processed correctly, reside partly within Google Base. At some point during processing, valid products items are indexed for use in Google Product Search; otherwise, items may not be indexed for Google Shopping and remain within Google Base -- due to a variety of policy or rules issues.

The view within Google Base is the raw XML data used to display and format comparison-shopping information. The raw data view within Google can be important in determining many issues with a merchant's products -- anything from why a product image isn't displaying, to why an item fails to be indexed, to why particular text (an attribute's value) displays oddly, to how a merchant's competitors might be gaining in rank or position. A current beta release of Celebird-Gbase can be found here:

http://www.celebird.com/cloud/celebird-gbase.htm
 
Simply, Celebird-Gbase allows merchants using a Google Merchant Center account or anyone using a Google Base account to search and verify submitted item information.