Lorem ipsum on a live store: what Merchant Center expects
Lorem ipsum, “[YOUR COMPANY]” and “Add your text here” tell shoppers nobody finished the store, and Google's help pages tell you to remove them. Search every product, collection and page for template text, replace it with real facts, and read the pages you never click. Dull work, and about the cheapest fix a store can make.
Why this matters
Google's fix page for a store that is not fully functional opens with this: “Make sure your website is fully functional and customized for your business and products. Remove any placeholder images, templated text, or broken links.” Its steps name lorem ipsum text and default template images, and say plainly: “These prevent your store from being verified as a trusted business.”
The “Editorial and professional requirements” say it twice more. Under “Website needs improvement” they list “Websites that aren’t fully-functional, don’t have business specific content, have information that is difficult to understand, or display product content that is incomplete”, with the example “A website has broken links, templated content, placeholders of text or placeholders for images.” A separate item on generic placeholders ends: “Ensure text and images on the website are tailored to your business.” And Google's “Building trust with your customers” page gives the reason in one line: “Avoid placeholders for text and images; this gives the feeling that the website is unfinished.”
The same rules reach the quieter version: the identical “High quality. Fast shipping. Buy now!” blurb on every product. It is not lorem ipsum, but it is templated content that says nothing about the item. Product Experts on Google's Merchant Center Community say lorem ipsum “should never appear on your live site”, and add that “Each product should have a unique description to help with SEO and provide value to the customer.”
The free scan searches your homepage and product pages for placeholder text: lorem ipsum, “[YOUR …]” tokens, “insert text” prompts, “under construction” and demo-store wording. On a product page it is reported as a failure; on the homepage it is flagged. The About page is not searched, so read it yourself. Policy pages have their own guide, placeholder text in store policies, and empty collections are the same unfinished feeling in grid form. See every storefront check on the misrepresentation checker.
Typical evidence
The page that admits nobody finished it
StoreVerifier can check product copy for visible placeholder text. Lorem ipsum and untouched theme prompts are concrete strings to replace before a shopper finds them.
The public signals this check looks for:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” in a product description, an About page or a collection blurb…
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” in a product description, an About page or a collection blurb.
“[YOUR COMPANY]”, “[Store name]” or “insert text here” left in a template
“[YOUR COMPANY]”, “[Store name]” or “insert text here” left in a template.
Theme demo copy such as “Your collection description goes here” or “Add customer reviews h…
Theme demo copy such as “Your collection description goes here” or “Add customer reviews here”.
The same “High quality
The same “High quality. Fast shipping. Buy now!” blurb on every product.
“Description coming soon” on a page that is live and taking orders
“Description coming soon” on a page that is live and taking orders.
“This is a demonstration store” or “Just another WordPress site” left in a header, footer …
“This is a demonstration store” or “Just another WordPress site” left in a header, footer or page title.
What it looks like once it is right
“A5 notebook cover in full-grain leather. Holds two notebooks and a pen, magnetic closure, one card slot. 16 × 22 cm.” Specific, finished, and written by someone who has held it.
Common mistakes
Common mistake
Fix checklist
Clear it catalogue-wide, highest-value first
One page can be an oversight; the placeholder text left on page nine is still visible to shoppers. Search every product body, collection blurb and meta field, then fix the pages with the most traffic first.
Questions merchants ask
Is lorem ipsum on my store a Merchant Center problem?
Google's own pages say so. The fix page for a store that is not fully functional tells you to remove placeholder images and templated text, and says placeholders such as lorem ipsum prevent your store from being verified as a trusted business. The Editorial and professional requirements list placeholders of text under “Website needs improvement”.
Is a generic product description the same as placeholder text?
Not literally, but it fails the same test. Google's editorial requirements ask for business-specific content and say text on the website should be tailored to your business. The same filler on every product tells a shopper nothing about the item, and Product Experts advise a unique description for each product.
Where does placeholder text hide on a live store?
Wherever nobody clicks after launch: collection descriptions, footer columns, About pages, theme sections for reviews or testimonials, image alt text and page titles. Search the live site as well as your product export, because theme and app content is not in the export.
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 25 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.