Merchant Center 'Insufficient Contact Information': How to Fix It on Shopify and WooCommerce

"Insufficient contact information" (Google now also calls it "Missing contact information on your online store") is one of the more fixable Merchant Center problems. Google is asking a simple question: can a shopper find and reach the business behind this store?

It still catches many stores out. Contact details tend to be scattered across a theme footer, a Contact page, the checkout, and Merchant Center, and when one of them doesn't match, Google can flag the account under Misrepresentation or Website needs improvement, not just as a contact issue.

This guide covers what Google asks for, how to set it up on Shopify and WooCommerce, and how to check your work before you request a review.

What Google actually requires

Google's fix page, How to fix: Missing contact information on your online store, summarises it in one line:

Show at least a business address, phone number, email, contact form, or social media business profile on your online store. Also, add your business phone number on the Business information page in Merchant Center.

The same page lists the reasons the issue usually happens:

• Inconsistent business details. Your business name, address, or phone number in Merchant Center doesn't match your website (for example, the footer or Contact page).
• Missing contact information. Your website or Merchant Center account is missing a verified phone number, physical address, or email address.
• Incomplete identity verification with government-issued IDs or business documents.
• Unclear policies. Shipping or returns and refunds aren't explained in enough detail.
• Technical flaws such as placeholder content, broken links, or an insecure checkout.

A note on older advice

You may find older guides saying you need two of the three: phone, address, and email. That was the rule until Google relaxed it in 2021 (reported by PPC Land). Today the minimum is one contact method. In 2022 Google also changed enforcement for free listings: accounts with this issue stay active but can have limited visibility. Shopping ads and full suspensions are a separate matter, so don't treat "limited visibility" as harmless.

So although the minimum is "one contact method," a review looks at the whole picture. Treat it as a consistency problem, not just a missing-email problem.

The fix, in five parts

1. Decide on one set of business details

Before you edit anything, write down the exact version you'll use everywhere:

• Business name: the name you trade under, written the same way each time. If your legal entity name differs, show both clearly, for example "Acme Goods, operated by Acme Trading Ltd".
• Address: a real address where you can be contacted.
• Phone number: in international format if you sell abroad.
• Email: ideally on your own domain (support@yourstore.com) rather than a personal webmail address.

Be honest here. Google's Misrepresentation policy lists presenting a false identity or contact information, and displaying a false or virtual physical address as your headquarters while operating from an undisclosed region, as egregious violations. Accuracy matters more than looking big.

2. Put the details on your website

You need at least one reachable contact method that's easy to find before checkout. In practice, a good setup is:

• A Contact page with name, address, phone, email, and a working contact form.
• The same details (or at least email and phone) in the site footer on every page.
• An About page that says who runs the store and where you operate.
• Social links that go to real, active business profiles, or no social icons at all. Google's fix pages specifically mention checking that social links work.

3. Add the same details in Merchant Center

From Google's fix page:

1. In Merchant Center, go to Settings → Business info.
2. On the Details tab, find the Business details card.
3. Select Edit business details and enter your business information.
4. Verify your phone number.

Check that the name and address match your website character for character. "Ltd" vs "Limited" or a missing unit number is the kind of small mismatch that's easy to overlook.

4. Complete identity verification if requested

Look in Products → Needs attention for any verification request. Google's review documentation says verification must be completed before you can request a review in these cases. Make sure the documents you upload show the same name and address you've entered. The document rules and the failure cases are in how to pass identity verification.

5. Tighten your shipping and returns pages

Because contact issues often appear alongside Misrepresentation, fix these at the same time. Google's guidance asks for:

• Specific delivery timeframes, not "fast shipping."
• Clear return procedures, including returns for change of mind ("buyer's remorse").

Add a return address and say who pays return shipping.

How to do it on Shopify

Shopify's own Google & YouTube channel requirements say your store must show at least one contact method (mailing address, phone number, email address, or contact form) on a page customers can see. It also requires a Refund policy and Terms of service in your footer menu.

Practical steps:

1. Store contact details. In Shopify admin, open Settings → General and check your store name, address, phone, and sender/support email. These appear on checkout and in order emails, so they need to match everything else.
2. Contact information policy. In Settings → Policies, fill in Contact information. Shopify publishes it at /policies/contact-information.
3. Other policies. In the same section, complete the Refund, Shipping, Privacy, and Terms of service policies with real, store-specific content. Don't leave template wording in place.
4. Contact page. Under Online Store → Pages, create or edit a Contact page. Most themes include a contact form template. Add your address, email, and phone as text above the form.
5. Footer menu. Under Content → Menus, add Contact, About, Refund policy, Shipping policy, Terms of service, Privacy policy, and Contact information to the footer menu.
6. Theme footer text. In the theme editor, check the footer blocks. Older contact details are often hard-coded in a text block.
7. Domain. Make sure your store uses your custom domain, not only the myshopify.com address, and that Merchant Center lists the same domain.

The Google & YouTube app shows a setup checklist with links to fix each requirement. Use it as a first pass, then check manually.

How to do it on WooCommerce

WooCommerce gives you more freedom, so there are more places for details to drift apart:

1. Store address. Under WooCommerce → Settings → General, set your store address. Check that it matches what you'll put in Merchant Center.
2. Contact page. Create a Contact page with address, phone, email, and a contact form plugin. Test that the form actually delivers messages.
3. Footer. Add contact details and policy links through your theme's footer widgets, block editor footer, or menus (depending on your theme).
4. Policy pages. WordPress can generate a privacy policy page. Shipping, returns, and terms pages you'll need to write yourself, specific to what you sell.
5. Order emails. Under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails, check that the sender name and address match your business name.
6. Review requests. WooCommerce's Google reviews and approvals documentation says that if you created your Merchant Center account through the Google for WooCommerce extension, you can request a review from Marketing → Google for WooCommerce → Product Feed. If you linked an existing account, request the review in Merchant Center.

Check your work like a reviewer

Before you request a review, open your store in a private browser window, ideally on a phone, and check:

• From a product page, can you reach the Contact page in one or two clicks?
• Are the business name, address, phone, and email identical on the Contact page, in the footer, at checkout, in Merchant Center, and in your verification documents?
• Does the contact form send? Does the email address receive mail?
• Does the phone number connect to your business?
• Do social icons open real profiles?
• Are the shipping and returns pages specific, with timeframes, costs, process, and return address?
• Is there any leftover placeholder text in the footer, About page, or policies?

Requesting the review

Once everything is live, give Google time to see it. Google's fix page says new crawls usually finish within 24 to 48 hours after fixes go live. Then:

1. Go to Products → Needs attention and open the issue.
2. Select I fixed the issue, read the requirements, and select Request review.
3. Allow up to 7 business days for the result.

Google says that if issues aren't resolved by the second review attempt, a one-week cool-down may begin, so don't request a review until every item above is done. Our guide to rejected reviews and cool-downs explains the rules, and our appeal templates include one for contact information.

FAQ

Is an email address alone enough? Google's minimum is one contact method. In practice, showing an address, phone, and email that all match Merchant Center gives a reviewer far more confidence, especially if Misrepresentation is also involved.

Can I use a PO box or virtual office? Google's policy is concerned with addresses that misrepresent where you actually operate. Whatever you show must be accurate and honest about your business location and where products ship from.

I'm a home-based business. Do I have to publish my home address? Google's minimum is one contact method, and an address is one option. Consider a contact form, business phone, and email, and make sure whatever you list is accurate and consistent with Merchant Center and your verification documents.

Why was I flagged for Misrepresentation and not contact information? Google lists inconsistent and missing contact details as typical causes of both "Misrepresentation" and "Website needs improvement" outcomes. Fix contact consistency whichever label you got.

Check every contact signal in one scan

Mismatched details are hard to spot by eye because they live in so many places. UnlockMerchantCenter scans your store's public pages for missing and inconsistent contact information, policy gaps, and the other trust signals Google's reviewers look at.

Run a free store scan → Find the mismatches before your next review request.

UnlockMerchantCenter is an independent tool and isn't affiliated with Google. Only Google can decide whether to reinstate an account.