Fix GMC Issues

How to Fix "Promotional Text in Title" Disapprovals in Google Merchant Center

Products disapproved for promotional text in the title? Learn what Google forbids in Shopping titles (FREE SHIPPING, SALE, emojis, ALL CAPS) and how to fix it.

Updated 3 min read

What is “promotional text in title”?

Google’s Shopping data quality policy prohibits product titles from containing promotional language, marketing superlatives, capitalization abuse, or non-product information. This is a fixable data quality issue, not a policy violation requiring an appeal.

What Google explicitly prohibits in titles

Promotional phrases

  • “FREE SHIPPING” — belongs in Merchant Center shipping settings

  • “SALE,” “50% OFF,” “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” — belongs in sale_price + Google Promotions

  • “Limited Time Offer,” “Today Only,” “Deal of the Day”

  • “Clearance,” “Closeout,” “Liquidation” — show the reduced price with sale_price instead

Marketing superlatives

  • “#1 Best Seller,” “#1 Rated,” “Top Rated”

  • “Best,” “Amazing,” “Incredible,” “Perfect”

  • “Award-Winning” without verifiable specifics

  • “As Seen On TV”

Capitalization abuse

  • ALL CAPS words for emphasis (“PREMIUM Leather Belt”). Acronyms (USB, LED, HDMI) and brand styling (iPod, LaCrosse) are acceptable.

  • Excessive initial caps — capitalizing every word like a headline can be flagged in some markets.

Emojis and special characters

  • Emojis: ✨🔥⭐👉 — categorically prohibited

  • Visual decorations: ”★★★★★” or ”→ Premium Belt ←”

  • Repeated punctuation: “Best Coffee Maker!!!”

Non-product information

  • Store name in titles

  • Website URLs

  • SKUs at the beginning

  • CTAs: “Buy Now,” “Order Today,” “Shop Now”

Before/after rewrites

Before:

🔥 BEST SELLER! Nike Air Max 90 - FREE SHIPPING - Buy Now - 50% OFF Today Only ✨

After:

Nike Air Max 90 Running Shoe — Men's — White/Black — Size 10

What a good title looks like

Google’s recommended formula: Brand + Product Type + Key Attributes (color, size, material, model). The first 70 characters carry the most weight for query matching.

Category formulas

  • Apparel: Brand + Gender + Product Type + Color + Size + Material

  • Electronics: Brand + Product Name + Model Number + Key Spec

  • Consumables: Brand + Product Name + Quantity/Weight + Key Attributes

  • Books: Title + Author + Format

  • Auto parts: Brand + Part Name + Compatible Models + Part Number

Where promotional info actually belongs

  • Sale price / discount → sale_price attribute (Google shows strikethrough + “Sale” badge automatically)

  • Free shipping → Merchant Center shipping settings

  • Promotional offers → Google Promotions in Merchant Center

  • Product rankings → Seller ratings (appear automatically with enough reviews)

Step-by-step fix workflow

  • Filter the Needs attention tab by title-related data quality issues.

  • Export affected titles.

  • Rewrite using Brand + Product Type + Attributes formula.

  • Move promotional info to correct attributes.

  • Update feed source.

  • Re-fetch — typically resolves within 24 hours.

Prevention

  • Set title generation rules in your feed tool to strip known promo phrases

  • Audit titles when running seasonal campaigns — use GMC Promotions, not titles

  • Normalize titles for newly imported supplier data

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