Merchant Center setup is the prerequisite for Shopping ads — without a verified account and connected product feed, not a single Shopping ad can go live. A small setup mistake can drag the approval process out for weeks.

Site and business verification is the first step

Google won’t activate a Merchant Center account without verifying you own the site; this can be done via an HTML file, meta tag, or through Google Analytics/Tag Manager — which is fastest depends on your site’s infrastructure.

Product feed connection needs the right format

Every product in the feed must include Google’s required fields (title, price, stock status, GTIN, etc.) completely; missing or incorrect fields lead to products being rejected or the approval process dragging on.

Policy compliance speeds up approval

Core trust signals Google looks for — a return policy, contact information, a secure checkout page — need to be clearly visible on your site; missing these gets approval rejected.

How we start. We first review your site’s infrastructure and product catalog. Reach out via the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does setup take?

Site verification usually completes within a few hours; product approval can take a few days depending on feed quality.

Is it different if I use Shopify or WooCommerce?

The platform simplifies feed creation, but Google’s approval criteria stay the same; see platform-specific notes for Shopify and WooCommerce.

What should I do after setup?

Connect your Merchant Center account to Google Ads and move on to setting up Shopping ads or a Performance Max campaign.

Google Merchant Center Setup | Getting Approved from Scratch