Cookie banners over policy pages: what Google asks
A cookie banner can stay on your returns, shipping and privacy pages, as long as the policy text underneath is readable and scrollable before anyone clicks. The classic trap is the banner’s own “Privacy policy” link, which opens a privacy page the same banner then covers.
Why this matters
Policy pages are where Google’s rules expect shoppers to find answers. The Misrepresentation policy lists a “Return and refund policy that is unclear, missing, or not easily discoverable.” as an omission of relevant information, and Google’s fix page for a missing return policy says “Customers should be able to understand the return and refund policy of your store when they land on your website.” A policy that loads behind a consent overlay is published and still unread.
The layout rule is the one that covers every landing page. Google’s “About landing page requirements” page says “a pop-up or download banner shouldn't cover important information for your customers”, and the “Editorial and professional requirements” list “Websites with pop-ups or interstitial ads that interfere with the customer’s ability to view the content requested” under “Usefulness”. On a policy page, the policy text is the content requested.
The awkward case is the privacy page. Consent banners usually link to it, so a careful shopper who wants to read before choosing clicks through and finds the same box sitting on top of the privacy policy, with the page locked from scrolling. It is an easy loop to build by accident and a maddening one to be stuck in. Check that page first.
Product Experts on Google’s Merchant Center Community go further than Google’s help pages: their 2026 misrepresentation guide asks for business and contact details that are not blocked by pop-ups, overlays or banners, and for every policy to be checked on several browsers and devices. Their advice is aimed at stores recovering from a suspension, and it does no harm anywhere else.
The free scan flags a marketing popup that follows shoppers onto your returns, shipping, privacy or contact pages. It does not grade consent banners, so open each policy page in a private window and check the text is readable before you choose. Every popup and policy check is listed on the misrepresentation checker. For the store-wide consent setup, see cookie consent without a wall.
Typical evidence
A consent wall is a locked door to a fresh visitor
Test each page in a fresh session with no prior consent. A full-screen modal that hides the content can make a returns policy effectively unavailable until someone clicks through.
The public signals this check looks for:
The consent box covers the returns, shipping or privacy text on a first visit, and the pag…
The consent box covers the returns, shipping or privacy text on a first visit, and the page will not scroll until a choice is made.
The banner’s “Privacy policy” link opens the privacy page with the same banner covering it…
The banner’s “Privacy policy” link opens the privacy page with the same banner covering it.
On a phone, the banner takes the lower half of the screen, so the policy shows two lines a…
On a phone, the banner takes the lower half of the screen, so the policy shows two lines at a time.
The consent tool is set to block the whole site, policy pages included, until the shopper …
The consent tool is set to block the whole site, policy pages included, until the shopper chooses.
The “Cookie settings” panel opens on top of the policy and has no close button
The “Cookie settings” panel opens on top of the policy and has no close button.
What it looks like once it is right
The banner sits along the bottom of every page with equal “Accept” and “Reject” buttons. On the privacy page the full policy is readable and scrollable behind it, and either button closes the banner.
Common mistakes
Common mistake
Fix checklist
Non-blocking and compliant are not opposites
The consent itself is fine — you still gather it lawfully. The only thing that has to change is the mode: a wall that blocks until interaction versus a banner that leaves the content readable while consent is pending.
Questions merchants ask
Can a cookie banner cover my privacy policy page?
It can show on the page, but it should not cover the text. Google’s landing page requirements say a pop-up or banner shouldn’t cover important information for your customers, and the Editorial and professional requirements name pop-ups that interfere with viewing the requested content. On a privacy page, the policy is that content, so use a banner layout that leaves it readable.
Do I need to exclude policy pages from my consent tool?
Only from any blocking overlay. The consent banner can still appear there; what matters is that a first-time visitor can read and scroll the returns, shipping, privacy and contact pages before choosing, and close the banner with either button. See policy pages shoppers can’t open for the other ways a policy page gets locked.
Is an ordinary cookie banner a finding in StoreVerifier’s free scan?
No. The free scan does not grade cookie banners, and it keeps cookie and age banners out of its check for marketing popups on policy pages. Whether yours hides the policy text is a manual check.
Remediation
Risk signal
Similar cases
Sources
Community guidance
Written by Product Experts, the users Google recognises for their answers on its Merchant Center Community forum. Often stricter than Google’s help pages, and not Google policy.
Last reviewed 29 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.