FeedwatchInstall on Shopify

Guides

Why is Google Merchant Center rejecting my Shopify products for a missing image?

Short answer

Every product on Google Shopping needs an image, and a product with no image isn't listed at all. On Shopify this usually means the product has no media: it was imported without images, or the images were deleted. Add at least one image to the product in Shopify, and the channel sends it on the next sync.

Two different problems

  • No image at all: the product in Shopify has no media, so there's no image link to send. Fix it in Shopify.
  • "Image not processed" / image processing failed: there is an image, but Google couldn't fetch or accept it. Google says processing usually takes up to 3 days and can take up to 30. Causes include a firewall or CDN blocking Google's crawler, redirects, or a URL that points to a page instead of an image. On Shopify-hosted images this is rare; if it happens, re-upload the image (a new file name gives it a new URL).

What Google expects of an image

  • It shows the product itself, not a placeholder, logo or "image coming soon" graphic.
  • No promotional text, watermark or border over the product.
  • Minimum size 100 × 100 pixels (250 × 250 for apparel); larger is better, 800 × 800 or more is common.

How often this happens

We scanned the public catalogs of 3,170 Shopify stores that run Google Ads. 30% had at least one product with no image; in a typical one of those stores, it was about 0.5% of the catalog. That share is small, but products with no image are usually new arrivals or recent imports, the ones you most want to sell.

How to fix it on Shopify

  1. Products → filter or sort to find products without media (the thumbnail column is empty).
  2. Open each, add at least one image under Media, and save.
  3. For variants (sizes, colours) whose own image is missing, assign one in the variant's edit screen. Google uses the variant image when there is one.

Questions

Does a missing image also affect Meta?

Yes. Meta requires an image for every catalog item.

Can I use a placeholder image until I have a photo?

No. Google doesn't allow placeholder or "no image" graphics, and products that use them can be disapproved.

Related guides

Sources

Last reviewed 30 September 2026