Account creation at checkout: what Merchant Center allows

Google does not require guest checkout: you may ask shoppers to create an account, if it is free and needs no app download or device change to finish. Plenty of advice online says otherwise. Here is what Google’s checkout page actually says, and where stores really trip up.

Major5 min read

By Edvinas Ivanauskas How the guides are reviewed

Why this matters

Google's checkout requirements settle the guest-checkout argument in two lines. Under “Keep account creation barrier-free” they say: “You can require customers to create an account to complete a purchase, but the registration must have no added barriers. For example, the account must be free, and must not require an app download or device change to finalize the purchase.” Under “Support guest checkout”: “Customers on your online store can check out as guests or verify their details using a mobile or desktop one-time passcode.”

So a required account is allowed, and so is a sign-in by one-time code. Shopify's own customer accounts, for instance, sign shoppers in with a code sent to their email rather than a password. What crosses the line is a barrier: a paid membership, “download our app to complete your order”, a code that only works on a different phone, or a sign-up that asks for things the order does not need.

That last one has its own rule. The same page says “Individuals who aren’t part of a business must still be able to purchase from your online store”, which is why company name and company ID fields have to be optional, and adds: “During the checkout process, collect only the details that are necessary to process the order.” A date of birth, a phone verification or a marketing questionnaire standing between the shopper and the payment step is the sort of step those two lines are there to stop.

The harder wall is the one before checkout. Google's account guidelines say “Make sure users can successfully add products to the cart and fully complete the checkout process.” A store that hides prices or product pages behind a login, typical of trade-only and wholesale shops, blocks that for anyone arriving from an ad. If you sell trade-only, that audience is not the one Shopping serves.

The free scan notes when checkout asks for a login and it cannot see a guest or one-time-code route, and flags a company field that checkout makes compulsory. It reports a product page or a price hidden behind a login as a failure. Whether a sign-up is free and finishes on the same device is a manual check: walk it yourself. The other checkout checks are listed on the misrepresentation checker, and the full journey test is in how to audit your checkout.

Typical evidence

A wall where the checkout should be

Requiring an account before payment can add friction for a shopper who wants to buy. Test the checkout in a fresh session and choose the account policy deliberately; a public scan cannot complete the flow or determine an account outcome.

Account required

Checkout

Create your account to continue

email address

choose a password

Create account & continue

No “continue as guest” anywhere on the step

VerdictGuest path unavailable — review the customer journey.

Guest checkout offered

Checkout

Continue as guest

Account offered after purchase, not before

VerdictGuest path is available for a shopper to test.

The public signals this check looks for:

Checkout requires an account, and sign-up asks for an app download, a paid membership or a…
Checkout requires an account, and sign-up asks for an app download, a paid membership or a code sent to a different device.
The sign-up form demands a company name or VAT number from every shopper
The sign-up form demands a company name or VAT number from every shopper.
Registration asks for a date of birth, phone verification or survey answers that the order…
Registration asks for a date of birth, phone verification or survey answers that the order does not need.
Prices or product pages are hidden behind a login, so a shopper arriving from an ad cannot…
Prices or product pages are hidden behind a login, so a shopper arriving from an ad cannot see what they would pay.
A guest option exists but sits below the fold on mobile, under a large “Sign in” panel
A guest option exists but sits below the fold on mobile, under a large “Sign in” panel.
A loyalty app replaced the platform’s sign-in and added a password rule and email confirma…
A loyalty app replaced the platform’s sign-in and added a password rule and email confirmation step before payment.

What it looks like once it is right

Checkout offers “Continue as guest” and “Sign in with a one-time code” side by side. Company name is optional, the form asks only for delivery and billing details, and prices show to everyone on the product page.

Common mistakes

Common mistake

Checkout opens on a sign-in wall. Creating an account asks for a company name, a date of birth and a code sent by text, then says “Download our app to complete your order”. Prices are only visible after signing in.

Fix checklist

Open a private window, add a product to the cart and go to checkout without signing in. Note whether you can pay as a guest, sign in with a one-time code, or must create an account.
If an account is required, create one on the same device. It must be free, and it must not send you to an app store or ask you to confirm on another phone.
Compare every field in sign-up and checkout with what you need to ship and bill the order. Make company name, company number and VAT fields optional, and remove anything else the order does not need.
If a loyalty or membership app changed the sign-in, test it again after each update: these apps tend to add steps quietly.
Remove any login wall in front of product pages or prices for the products you send to Merchant Center.
If you keep a required account, say so early: a line on the product page or cart such as “You’ll create a free account at checkout” beats a surprise at the last step.
If you offer guest checkout, make it the obvious button on mobile, not a text link under a sign-in panel.

One setting can change the checkout path

Guest checkout is often controlled by account policy. Test the experience logged out in a fresh window and choose the setting that matches the journey you intend; a public scan cannot complete checkout or settle an account outcome.

Shopify · Settings → Checkout → Customer accounts

Accounts are required

Currently selected — guest checkout unavailable

Accounts are optional

Recommended — guest path stays open

Don’t use accounts

Also fine — pure guest checkout

Investigator’s note

Switch it to Optional, then open an incognito window and buy something without signing in. And make “continue as guest” a primary button — not grey text hiding under a louder “Create account”.

StoreVerifier compliance desk

Questions merchants ask

Does Google Merchant Center require guest checkout?

No. Google’s checkout requirements say you can require customers to create an account to complete a purchase, as long as registration has no added barriers: the account must be free and must not require an app download or device change to finalize the purchase. Guest checkout and one-time passcodes are also accepted.

Can my checkout ask for a company name or VAT number?

Only as an optional field. Google’s checkout requirements say individuals who aren’t part of a business must still be able to buy, so business fields such as company name or company ID number must be optional.

Can I sell trade-only with prices behind a login and use Google Shopping?

Not for those products. Google’s account guidelines ask that users can add products to the cart and fully complete the checkout, and a shopper from an ad cannot do that behind a trade login. Advertise only products anyone can see and buy.

Is sign-in with a one-time code allowed?

Yes. Google’s checkout requirements name it: customers can check out as guests or verify their details using a mobile or desktop one-time passcode. Make sure the code arrives on the device the shopper is using, by email or text, so nobody has to switch devices to pay.

Remediation

Risk signal

Account creation is a legitimate choice; a sign-up that turns into an obstacle course is not. Most of the fixes are settings you can change in an afternoon. Walk the path as a stranger on your own phone, remove every step the order does not need, and tell shoppers early what to expect.

PriorityAddress and document this finding as part of the store’s remediation work.

EvidenceRecord the current state before each change, apply the fix, then capture the corrected state so every change is evidenced.

Similar cases

Sources

Last reviewed 23 Sep 2026.

That is one issue. The library documents 134.

The free scan lists what it finds on your store. The paid report adds the affected pages, captured evidence and step-by-step fixes. Start free, with no account needed.