Shopify GMC Compliance Checklist

Settings → General → Store name matches GMC business info exactly

Shopify exposes Store name to the storefront's metadata, email sender, and various theme blocks. Must match the legal entity name in GMC business info character for character.

Path: Open Shopify admin → Settings → General → Store details → Store name. Save.

Theme footer brand text matches Settings store name

Many Shopify themes include a hard-coded brand text block in the footer that overrides Settings → General. This is the single most-overlooked NAP inconsistency cause.

Path: Online Store → Themes → Customize → Footer → any text block with brand → update to match Settings store name.

Theme header logo / brand text matches

Header brand block (logo alt text + brand text) also overrides Settings → General if customized.

Path: Online Store → Themes → Customize → Header → Logo / Brand text → update if needed.

Email sender name matches business name

Customer notification emails go out with a sender name that the customer sees. Inconsistent sender name vs site brand reads as untrustworthy.

Path: Settings → Notifications → Customer notifications → Sender name.

Settings → Locations primary address is complete

Settings → Locations → primary location must have a full street address (no P.O. boxes). Shopify uses this address in shipping calculations and exposes it to GMC.

Path: Settings → Locations → click primary → fill all address fields → save.

Store phone number in international format

Settings → General → Store contact information → Phone. Use +country-code format. Same number on contact page and footer.

Path: Settings → General → Store contact information.

Business email on your own domain (not @gmail.com)

Shopify allows setting a customer-facing email. Using hello@yourbrand.com instead of a free provider is a trust signal that affects GMC review.

Path: Settings → Notifications → Customer email. Domain registrars include free forwarding so the inbox can still be your Gmail.

Settings → Policies → Refund policy customized with specific terms

Shopify's auto-generated template is a starting point. Customize with 30-day window, eligibility, process, refund timeline. 'Contact us for returns' fails.

Path: Settings → Policies → Refund policy → Replace with template → customize → save.

Settings → Policies → Shipping policy lists target countries with cost + ETA

Country-by-country breakdown matching GMC target countries exactly.

Path: Settings → Policies → Shipping policy → write country list.

Settings → Policies → Privacy policy customized with business name in body

Replace every [STORE_NAME] placeholder. Mention specific data collected (Shopify payments, Google Analytics, Klaviyo, etc.) and third parties.

Path: Settings → Policies → Privacy policy → edit each paragraph.

Settings → Policies → Terms of service customized

Governing jurisdiction, dispute resolution, business name in body.

Path: Settings → Policies → Terms of service → edit.

Footer menu includes links to all 4 policies + contact + about

Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu → add /policies/refund-policy, /policies/privacy-policy, /policies/terms-of-service, /policies/shipping-policy, /pages/contact, /pages/about.

Path: Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu → Add menu items.

About page has 2+ substantive paragraphs

Founding year, what you sell, where you operate, who runs it. Generic copy fails.

Path: Online Store → Pages → About → rewrite.

Contact page lists email + phone + address above the form

Form-only contact pages fail. The three direct methods must appear above any form.

Path: Online Store → Pages → Contact → edit page content → add address block above the form.

Recharge default selling plan set to 'one-time purchase'

Recharge ships with 'Subscribe & save' pre-selected on every product page. This is the textbook misrepresentation trigger. The Olivia case study (5-month suspension) was this exact issue.

Path: Recharge admin → Settings → Sell more options → Default selection → One-time.

Bold Subscriptions default set to 'one-time purchase'

Same pattern as Recharge for Bold subscription app.

Path: Bold app → Settings → Product display → Default selection → One-time purchase.

Yotpo Subscriptions default set to 'one-time' or 'no subscription'

Same pattern for Yotpo subscriptions widget.

Path: Yotpo admin → Subscription widget → Default frequency → One-time.

Loop Subscriptions default set to 'one-time purchase'

Same pattern for Loop.

Path: Loop admin → Settings → Widget → Default selected option → One-time.

Skio default selling plan set to 'one-time purchase'

Same pattern for Skio.

Path: Skio admin → Selling plans → Default plan → One-time.

Product price renders in raw HTML (not JavaScript-only)

Right-click product page → View page source → search for price digits. If absent, theme is rendering price in JS only. Currency-switcher apps are the most common cause.

Path: Theme customizer → check 'Render price server-side' option. Otherwise edit sections/main-product.liquid to render {{ product.price | money }} before any JS hooks.

Product JSON-LD validates cleanly at Rich Results Test

Required: name, image, brand, offers.price, offers.priceCurrency, offers.availability, offers.url. Most modern Shopify themes emit this correctly.

Path: Test at search.google.com/test/rich-results. Fix theme template if needed.

No duplicate Product schema (theme + SEO app conflict)

If you use Smart SEO, SearchPie, or similar, disable Product schema emission in the app and let the theme emit.

Path: SEO app settings → Schema → Product → Disable. Or vice versa.

Every product has Vendor field populated

Shopify uses Vendor field as the Brand in Product schema and feed. Empty Vendor = missing Brand = item-level disapprovals.

Path: Admin → Products → bulk edit → ensure every product has Vendor set.

HTTPS enforced site-wide (Shopify automatic)

Shopify enforces HTTPS by default. If you have custom code with http:// references, audit those.

Path: Search theme code for 'http://' → replace with 'https://'.

Product pages not blocked by noindex

Right-click product page → View source → search for 'noindex'. Should not appear on product pages.

Path: Check SEO app settings for accidental per-page noindex.

Google channel showing recent successful sync

Apps → Google & YouTube → check Last sync timestamp. Should be within 24 hours.

Path: Apps → Google & YouTube → Products → three-dot menu → Refresh products.

Google Business Profile claimed and verified

Free, takes 30 minutes plus 1-2 weeks for postcard verification.

Path: business.google.com → claim → verify.

LinkedIn company page with same business name

15-minute setup. Real LinkedIn page, logo, description, footer link from your store.

Path: linkedin.com/company/setup → create → use same name as GMC.

Trustpilot or Sitejabber profile claimed

Even zero reviews — having a claimed profile is the trust signal.

Path: trustpilot.com → claim your business profile.

Shopify Markets aligns with GMC target countries

Every country GMC targets must be enabled as a Shopify Market with shipping configured.

Path: Settings → Markets → confirm enabled countries match GMC target list. Settings → Shipping → confirm shipping zones cover those countries.

Only one GMC account points at this Shopify store

Two GMC accounts targeting the same domain triggers brand-identity conflict flags.

Path: Confirm in Shopify admin → Apps → Google & YouTube → only one GMC account is connected.