// Merchant Center promotions
Google Merchant Center promotions — set them up without disapprovals
Promotions show as a "special offer" link on your Shopping ads — they boost CTR significantly. But Google rejects most first-time promo submissions for small format mistakes. This page walks you through what to get right.
// Run pre-submit scan
Check your store before submitting promotions
50+ store-side checks that affect promotion approval — including sale price consistency, promo display, and policy alignment.
Start free scan →Three ways to create a promotion
- Merchant Center UI — Marketing → Promotions → New. Easiest for one-off promos.
- Promotion feed — TSV or XML upload. Best for many promos or scheduled rotations.
- Content API — for stores already pushing products via API.
Required attributes for every promotion
- promotion_id — unique per promo. Letters, numbers, dashes only.
- product_applicability — all_products / specific_products.
- offer_type — no_code / generic_code / unique_code.
- long_title — displayed text. Up to 60 chars.
- promotion_effective_dates — ISO 8601 start/end. Both required.
- redemption_channel — online / in_store. Online for Shopping ads.
The 5 reasons promotions get disapproved
- Promo not visible on landing page — the discount must show on the product page, not only at checkout.
- Coupon code does not actually work — Google tests it. Test it yourself first.
- Promo period mismatch — feed says expires Dec 31, banner on site says Dec 25.
- Wrong promo type — marking a permanent price as a 'sale' is misrepresentation.
- Eligibility unclear — minimum spend, member-only, region-limited promos need explicit terms on-site.