In 2025, Google doubled down on its verification processes for Merchant Center accounts. Because of widespread abuse, drop shippers, misleading storefronts, and low-quality merchants, Google is introducing stricter rules. One of the newest (and most demanding) changes is the requirement for video verification of business identity when requesting a review after suspension.
This article explains:
- Why are suspensions increasing
- What the video verification requirement is (and how it works)
- Common causes of suspension
- A detailed checklist and best practices to maximize your chance of reinstatement
- What to do AFTER you fix everything
Why Are Suspensions More Strict Now?
Google’s policies have consistently aimed to ensure trust, accuracy, and consumer safety. But over time, the platform has seen too many cases of:
- Misrepresentation of product or business info (e.g. false claims, hidden business details)
- Mismatch between what’s in a Merchant feed vs. what’s shown on the website
- Drop-shippers using identical descriptions or copying other merchants
- Poor trust signals (no address, no contact info, unclear policies)
- Abuse of the review/reinstatement process (making minor fixes, requesting reviews prematurely)
Due to these developments, Google has begun elevating identity checks (beyond just documents), introducing video verification, limiting review attempts, and enforcing more comprehensive audits. The goal is to reduce fraud/low-quality actors, but as a side effect, honest merchants need to work harder to satisfy the proof requirements.
What’s the New Video Verification Requirement?
From recent user reports and what’s been shared informally (some of this seems to be beta or limited rollout), here’s what we know:
- Besides verifying business or personal identity via documents, Google is now asking for a continuous, unedited video of your company when submitting a review after suspension.
- The video must be 3-5 minutes long and show several key things:
- The storefront/entrance of your business (with signage and street name if applicable).
- Areas only accessible to staff, storage rooms, office, point of sale, and back areas.
- For those who sell online and keep stock at a location: show how you access the storage, and show 1-3 of your most expensive items, their packaging, and where they are stored.
- The video must not be edited, clipped, or modified. It must be continuous.
- No sensitive or personally identifiable information: including customer faces, employee IDs, private documents, etc.
- Form URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0WKhM0O4nsQ18hwMBjtzcUS9TFPw3cMbjtdSivjcv75wL8g/viewform?pli=1&pli=1
This level of transparency is new, more akin to verifying physical business presence, rather than simply via paperwork. It’s similar to what Google does for Business Profiles, now being applied (at least for some accounts) to Merchant verification. The trade-off: if you do this correctly, it strengthens your case, but mistakes or misrepresentations can lead to denial.
Common Reasons Google Suspends Merchant Accounts
Here are the policy violations or issues most frequently triggering suspension, based on Google’s official documentation and recent case studies:
| Reason | What to Check / Fix |
|---|---|
| Misrepresentation of your business or products | Accurate product descriptions; correct claims; no fake reviews; ensure you’re not misleading customers. |
| Insufficient or inaccessible contact info | Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Return/Refund/Shipping Policies are clearly accessible. |
| Missing legal/policy pages | Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Return/Refund/Shipping Policies clearly accessible. |
| Technical or feed mismatches | Price, availability, language, and currency consistent between feed & site; no broken links or checkout page restrictions; site must be accessible to Google’s bots. |
| Prohibited content or products | Certain items, misleading or harmful claims, unverified health, or regulated product claims. |
| Poor site trust signals | Limited or no SSL (HTTPS), low-quality images, empty or sparse product pages, many “out of stock” products, vague descriptions |
| Policy violations in payment, tax, and offers | Transparent checkout process; clear tax & shipping cost; legitimate payment methods; no hidden fees. |
Basic Reinstatement Checklist
Here’s a basic step-by-step checklist to follow before you request a re-review (especially important now, with video verification in mind).
- Audit your account and document everything.
- Check your Merchant Center “Needs Attention” or “Account issues” tabs.
- Review any email notice from Google explaining the suspension. Note down the precise policy(s) cited.
- Take screenshots of offending parts: product pages, feed mismatches, and missing info.
- Website compliance and trust signals
- Ensure site uses HTTPS everywhere (secure checkout).
- Display a physical address, phone number, and contact email/form. Access should be easy.
- Footer should link to all policy pages (Privacy, Shipping, Returns, Refunds, Terms of Service).
- Show accepted payment methods. Clear pricing & shipping cost.
- Product feed & data matching
- Prices and availability in feed match what’s shown on the site.
- Use proper GTIN / brand / identifiers where required.
- Product descriptions are accurate, not keyword-stuffed or copied from competitors.
- No broken URLs or missing images.
- Quality and authenticity
- Have you avoided generic product descriptions? Are the images of good quality?
- Are you transparent about the business model (e.g., drop shipping vs physical inventory)?
- Ensure you’re not making exaggerated claims.
- Prepare your video (if required in your case)
- Ensure video conforms to guidelines: continuous 3-5 minutes, no edits or cuts.
- Show all required areas (storefront, signage, storage, items).
- Remove or hide any sensitive information. Preview to check.
- Only request review once truly ready
- Fix all known issues. One small oversight can lead to re-denial.
- Don’t use multiple review requests unless you’ve made all improvements. Google limits the number of free review requests.
- Appeal / Request Re-Review
- Fill out the review form clearly. Explain what you found, what you changed, and include evidence (screenshots, video link if asked).
- Be honest. Misrepresentations now are more likely to disqualify you.
- Keep logs or change history to show you have done the fixes.
What to Do AFTER You Fix Everything
- After requesting the review, monitor your emails and the Merchant Center account communications closely. Google may ask for additional info.
- Keep your website and feed up-to-date. Don’t reintroduce errors later.
- Use tools to monitor feed issues, policy updates, URL health, and UX indicators so you don’t get caught off guard again.
- If you’re unsure why reinstatement was rejected, read the rejection notice carefully. Google sometimes gives hints, but often it’s vague, so ensure all possible risk areas are covered.
Potential Downsides & Risks
- Even with everything “perfect,” there is no guarantee of reinstatement. Google explicitly allows suspensions even if all policies are met, especially if past violations or doubts exist.
- Video verification imposes new costs: time, effort, possibly cleaning up your site or physical premises, and preparing the video properly.
- If you misuse or misrepresent content in the video (e.g., hiding things or misleading), it could make reinstatement impossible.
- Exhausting your limited number of review requests can result in permanent suspension.
Takeaways & Best Practices
- Think of Google’s requirements not as obstacles, but as a framework for building credibility. The more transparent, consistent, and high-quality your business’s information is, the better your chances.
- Always expect that Google will scrutinize every part of your setup: from feed to website to physical store (if applicable).
- Be proactive: do audits often; don’t wait for suspension to take corrective action.
- Document everything you change. When you appeal, evidence matters.
- Respect the new limits (video, review-request caps). It’s better to wait and fix carefully than rush and lose review opportunities.
Conclusion
Google’s increasing insistence on video verification and stricter identity checks signals a shift. Merchants have to step up: demonstrating not just that they exist but that their operation is honest, transparent, and compliant. For many, this means investing more effort upfront; however, those who do it right will have a much stronger foundation, not just for reinstatement, but also for long-term trust, higher conversion rates, and fewer disruptions.
If you’re navigating a suspension right now, fix everything, prepare your video correctly, and conduct the appeal with complete transparency. And if you need help auditing or preparing the video, I can also support that. Rushing and losing review opportunities is a common mistake.