PrestaShop Google Merchant Center Errors — How to Fix Them

You have set up your Google Merchant Center account, generated your PrestaShop product feed, and submitted it — only to find a list of errors and warnings in the Diagnostics tab. This is extremely common. Google has strict requirements for product data, and even small issues can prevent your products from appearing on Google Shopping.

This guide covers the most common Google Merchant Center errors for PrestaShop stores and exactly how to fix each one.

Where to Find Feed Errors in Google Merchant Center

Log in to Google Merchant Center and go to **Products → Diagnostics**. You will see:

– Errors — these prevent affected products from being shown. Must be fixed.
– Warnings — these do not block products but may limit visibility or performance. Should be fixed.
– Notifications — general recommendations.

Click on any error to see which products are affected and what the issue is.

Error: Missing Required Attribute — GTIN

What it means: Google requires a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number — the same as EAN or UPC) for products from well-known brands. If your products have barcodes, Google expects them in the feed.

How to fix it:
1. Add EAN/barcode values to your PrestaShop product catalog (Product → EAN-13 field)
2. Make sure your feed module maps the EAN field to `gtin` in the feed
3. For products you manufacture yourself (own brand), you can set `identifier_exists` to `false` in your feed to tell Google no GTIN exists

In XML Feeds Pro, check the field mapping for your Google Shopping feed and verify that the `gtin` field is mapped to the PrestaShop EAN-13 field.

Error: Price Mismatch

What it means: The price in your feed does not match the price shown on the product page. Google checks this automatically and will disapprove products where the prices differ.

How to fix it:
– Make sure your feed uses the same price your customers see on the product page, including VAT
– If you show prices with VAT on your site, your feed must also include VAT
– Check if you have any promotional prices active — the feed price must match the current displayed price
– Update your feed more frequently using CRON so price changes sync quickly

This error is one of the most common for stores that update prices frequently without also updating their feed.

Error: Image Not Crawlable or Missing

What it means: Google cannot access the product image URL in your feed, or the image does not meet size requirements.

How to fix it:
– Make sure product images are publicly accessible (not behind login or blocked by robots.txt)
– Google requires a minimum of 100x100px for non-apparel, 250x250px for apparel
– Recommended size is 800x800px or larger
– Do not use placeholder images, watermarked images, or images with promotional text overlays
– Make sure the image URL in the feed is the direct image URL, not a redirect

Error: Landing Page Not Crawlable

What it means: Google cannot access the product page URL in your feed.

How to fix it:
– Check that the product page URL in your feed is correct and publicly accessible
– Make sure your robots.txt does not block Googlebot
– Check if your PrestaShop store has any IP-based access restrictions
– Verify that the URL includes the correct language/currency parameters if your store uses them

Error: Missing Value — Shipping

What it means: Google requires shipping information either in the feed itself or configured in Merchant Center settings.

How to fix it in Merchant Center:
1. Go to **Shipping and returns** in Merchant Center
2. Add your shipping service with name, country, and rates
3. Google will apply these shipping settings to all products that do not have shipping in the feed

How to fix it in the feed:
Add shipping fields to your XML feed with the correct values for each shipping destination. In XML Feeds Pro, you can configure default shipping values in the feed settings.

Error: Missing Value — Brand

What it means: Google requires a brand value for most product categories.

How to fix it:
– Add manufacturer/brand values to your PrestaShop products (Product → Brand)
– Make sure your feed maps the brand field to the PrestaShop manufacturer field
– For own-brand products, use your store or brand name
– Do not leave the brand field empty or use generic values like “unknown”

Warning: Promotional Overlay on Image

What it means: Google detects text or promotional badges on your product images (e.g. “Sale”, “20% off”, “Free shipping”).

How to fix it:
– Use clean product images without text overlays for your feed
– In XML Feeds Pro, you can map a different image field to use for the feed — if you have clean images stored separately

Warning: Limited Performance Due to Missing Attributes

What it means: Your products are approved but missing optional attributes that improve match quality and performance — such as `color`, `size`, `material`, `age_group`, or `gender`.

How to fix it:
– Add these attributes to your PrestaShop product combinations or features
– Map them in your feed module
– These are especially important for apparel, footwear, and accessories categories

Warning: Availability Mismatch

What it means: The availability in your feed (in stock / out of stock) does not match what Google sees on the product page.

How to fix it:
– Make sure your feed updates frequently enough to reflect real-time stock changes
– Set up CRON to update your feed every 1–6 hours if you have fast-moving stock
– Check that your PrestaShop availability status is correctly mapped in the feed

How to Prevent Feed Errors Going Forward

The best way to avoid Merchant Center errors is to keep your feed accurate and up to date. Here is what helps:

CRON automation — set your feed to update automatically every few hours. This keeps prices, stock, and product data in sync without manual work.

Feed validation — before submitting to Google, validate your feed using Google’s Feed Validator tool or the preview function in your feed module.

Regular diagnostics checks — review the Diagnostics tab in Merchant Center weekly, especially after making bulk product changes or price updates.

Complete product data — fill in EAN, brand, and all relevant attributes in your PrestaShop catalog. The more complete your data, the fewer errors you will encounter.

Fixing Errors Quickly with XML Feeds Pro

XML Feeds Pro for PrestaShop includes a feed preview function that lets you check individual product data before submitting. You can filter products with missing EAN, images, or other required fields and fix them in bulk before they cause errors in Merchant Center.

The module also supports custom field mapping, so if your product data is stored in custom PrestaShop features or combinations, you can map those fields directly to the correct Google Shopping attributes.

XML Feeds Pro for PrestaShop generates clean, validated Google Shopping feeds and supports 100+ other channels. One-time payment. View the module →