How to audit your product feed for misrepresentation
A feed audit puts each row of your product data next to the product page it links to and checks that both describe the same offer. Start with the Needs attention tab, then sample the rows nobody has opened in months. It is dull work, and it is the only way to find the rows that went stale quietly.
You run this check yourself
Our scanner can’t see inside your Google accounts, so this one’s on you. Work through the checklist below without running a scan.
How do I audit a Google Merchant Center product feed for misrepresentation?
Put each row of your product data next to the product page it links to, and check both describe the same offer. Dull work, and the only way to find the rows that went stale quietly. Google’s landing page requirements say the page must show all key elements of the product and match your submitted product data: title, description, image, price, currency, availability and a buy button. Title, description and images can be worded differently as long as they refer to the same product or variant; price, currency and availability get no such leeway. Google’s Misrepresentation policy covers product data too, ruling out offers that are not accurate, realistic and truthful, and promoting products that aren’t stocked or deals that are no longer active. Start in Merchant Center under Products, in the Needs attention tab. Then sample the rest: best sellers, the oldest rows, a few per category, anything on sale. Open each link in a private window, compare, and fix wrong rows where they come from.
Why this matters
Google's Misrepresentation policy covers product data as much as pages. It rules out “Offers that represent you or your products in a way that's not accurate, realistic, and truthful”, lists “Promoting products that aren't stocked, promoting a deal that’s no longer active” under unavailable offers, and points you to the “Product data specification attributes on availability and price for specific guidelines to comply with this policy.” A stale row is exactly that kind of offer, even when the page it links to is fine.
What to compare is set out in Google's landing page requirements: “Submit a landing page that shows all key elements of your product, and ensure those details match with your submitted product data source.” The key elements are listed: “These elements include title, description, image, price, currency, availability, and a buy button.” Not everything has to be word for word; the same page says “Title, description, and images don’t always need to be identical to the content in your product data, but they still should refer to the same product or product variant.” Price, currency and availability get no such leeway.
Merchant Center itself is where to start. Google's “Issues in Merchant Center” page says product-level issues “can occur if the product data you provide doesn’t match the product information on your website”, and every one of them is listed in the Needs attention tab under Products. The product data specification sets the bar for the rest: “Make sure everything you submit is of the quality you'd show to a customer.”
This is a manual feed audit: StoreVerifier does not connect to Merchant Center or your product data. What the free scan adds is the page side of each row. It reports structured data whose price, stock state or currency contradicts the page, and flags an invalid GTIN in the page’s markup. The page-side checks are all on the misrepresentation checker. For the price and stock rules in detail, see mismatched prices and variant stock status.
Typical evidence
What a neglected feed can look like
This is an illustrative Diagnostics-style worksheet: stale price data, broken image URLs after a CDN migration, promotional titles, and availability that updates too slowly. Use your own account data to establish what is actually present.
The public signals this check looks for:
Titles that name a colour, size or bundle the page does not offer
Titles that name a colour, size or bundle the page does not offer.
Rows still marked in_stock for products that sold out or were discontinued months ago
Rows still marked in_stock for products that sold out or were discontinued months ago.
Links that open a category page, a search result or the home page instead of the product
Links that open a category page, a search result or the home page instead of the product.
Sale prices from an old promotion still sitting in [sale_price]
Sale prices from an old promotion still sitting in [sale_price].
A condition of new on items the page sells as refurbished or used
A condition of new on items the page sells as refurbished or used.
Feed images that show a different product or version from the one on the page
Feed images that show a different product or version from the one on the page.
What it looks like once it is right
The same store samples fifty rows a month against the live pages, deletes discontinued products at the source, and keeps a dated sheet of every fix. The lamps are gone from the data before anyone clicks them.
Common mistakes
Common mistake
Self-check steps
The monthly audit as a recurring operational task
A feed audit should not be triggered by a compliance flag. It should be a standing calendar event, the same as a financial month-end review. Every month: check Diagnostics, sample top items, verify templates.
Questions merchants ask
Where do I find product issues in Merchant Center?
Under Products, in the Needs attention tab. Google's “Issues in Merchant Center” page says every product-level issue is listed there, and you can filter the list and download the affected items as a .csv to work through.
How often should I audit my product feed?
Whenever prices or stock change in bulk: after a promotion, a price rise, or a platform or app change. In between, a small regular sample keeps old rows honest. Google's “Price [price]” page puts the underlying rule plainly: “Keep your prices up to date.”
Do my feed title and description have to match the product page word for word?
No. Google's landing page requirements say title, description and images don't always need to be identical to your product data, but they should refer to the same product or product variant. Price, currency and availability are different: those have to match the page.
Remediation
Risk signal
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.