The 20 things Google looks at before it trusts your store

The reviewer is checking that the business on the site is the same business in the account.

1. ✓Trading name, postal address and phone number are identical in the site footer, on the contact page, in Merchant Center, in Google Business Profile and at checkout.
2. ✓A real postal address is published — not a form-only contact page, and not a virtual address that doesn't match your registration.
3. ✓The contact email is on your own domain, not a free Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook mailbox, and it actually receives mail.
4. ✓Any claim of a physical location, warehouse or local presence matches what actually exists.
5. ✓Google Business Profile, if used, does not show signals (storefront hours, directions) for a business that ships from elsewhere.

Missing or contradictory policy pages are one of the most common misrepresentation triggers.

1. ✓A returns and refund policy exists, is linked in the footer, and its page title contains the words "Return Policy".
2. ✓A shipping policy states processing time, delivery estimates, carriers and costs — and those numbers match what checkout charges.
3. ✓Privacy policy and terms of service exist and do not contain another company's name, another store's details, or obvious template placeholders.
4. ✓No two policy pages contradict each other — for example a 14-day return window in one place and 30 days in another.
5. ✓Checkout displays the same shipping cost, taxes and currency the rest of the site promises.

Feed and landing page must tell Google the same story, item by item.

1. ✓Prices in the feed, on the landing page and at checkout match, including sale prices and currency.
2. ✓Availability matches reality: out-of-stock items are removed or marked, not left advertised as ready to ship.
3. ✓Branded products carry real GTIN, brand and MPN values; unbranded items do not carry invented identifiers.
4. ✓Titles and descriptions are your own writing, not supplier copy that names a different brand or manufacturer.
5. ✓Images show the actual product without watermarks, other brands' logos or promotional overlays burned in.
6. ✓No unverifiable claims ("#1", "best", "guaranteed") in titles, descriptions, images or headlines.

How the site behaves when someone arrives matters as much as what it says.

1. ✓Product pages load quickly and are reachable without a popup, overlay or countdown blocking the first view.
2. ✓No false urgency: no fake stock counters, no countdown timers that reset, no invented discounts.
3. ✓Checkout completes end to end in the country you target, with a working payment method for that market.

The history on the account is part of the review, and it cannot be argued away.

1. ✓Only one Merchant Center account exists for the business, with no duplicate or related accounts for the same entity or domain.
2. ✓Linked Google Ads accounts and payment profiles carry the same business name and address as the site.
3. ✓Every review request already submitted is documented, with what Google saw at the time — so the remaining reviews are not spent on a repeat of the same state.