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Troubleshooting Common Google Listings & Ads Plugin Sync Issues

28 threads Sep 22, 2025 Plugin → Google for woocommerce

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Why Aren't My Products Syncing with Google Merchant Center?

If you're using the Google Listings & Ads plugin for WooCommerce, you might encounter situations where your products don't sync properly with Google Merchant Center (GMC). This is a common frustration, but it's often solvable by checking a few key areas. Based on community reports, here are the most frequent causes and their solutions.

1. The "Pending Review" Status That Lasts Too Long

The Problem: The plugin shows that your products are "Pending review" from Google, but the status doesn't change for over a week.

Why It Happens: While Google states this review can take up to 3-5 days, extended delays can occur due to account verification requirements or issues flagged by Google's automated systems that aren't visible in the plugin.

What to Do:

  • Be Patient (Initially): Allow the standard 3-5 business days for the initial review to complete.
  • Contact Google Merchant Center Support: If the status remains "Pending review" for more than a week, the delay is on Google's end. The 'Google for WooCommerce' plugin team has no control over this process. You need to contact Google Merchant Center Support directly to inquire about your account's review status.

2. Missing or Incomplete Product Data

The Problem: Some products sync while others don't, often with errors like "This value should not be blank [description]".

Why It Happens: Google has strict data requirements. Products missing essential attributes like a description, GTIN, clear images, or correct pricing will fail to sync or be disapproved.

What to Do:

  • Check the Product Feed: Go to Marketing > Google Listings & Ads > Product Feed. This page shows sync status and errors for each product.
  • Review Product Attributes: Ensure every product has a full description, a primary image, a price, and if applicable, a GTIN or MPN. Use the attribute mapping feature in the plugin settings to ensure WooCommerce fields are correctly mapped to Google's requirements.
  • Fix Individual Products: Address the specific errors listed in the Product Feed for each affected product.

3. Account Connection and Setup Problems

The Problem: The setup process gets stuck, accounts won't connect, or the plugin resets to the setup page after a few days.

Why It Happens: This can be caused by an incomplete setup (e.g., skipping the Google Ads account connection), a conflicting plugin, or a temporary glitch during the initial connection.

What to Do:

  • Complete the Full Setup: The plugin requires a Google Ads account to be connected, even if you only plan to use free listings. This is a technical requirement for the integration to function.
  • Disconnect and Reconnect: If the connection seems stuck, try disconnecting all accounts (WordPress.com, Google Account, Merchant Center, Google Ads) from the plugin and then reconnecting them fresh.
  • Check for Plugin Conflicts: As seen in one case, a plugin like "Cost & Reports for WooCommerce" can cause blank pages. Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except WooCommerce and Google Listings & Ads to see if the issue resolves. If it does, reactivate them one by one to find the culprit.

4. "Error Retrieving Your Product Feed" Message

The Problem: You see the message "An error occurred while retrieving your product feed. Please try again later" in your WordPress dashboard.

Why It Happens: This is often a server resource issue. Generating the feed for a large number of products can cause PHP scripts to time out if server limits are too low.

What to Do:

  • Increase PHP Limits: Contact your web hosting provider and ask them to increase the max_execution_time and memory_limit for your site. This gives the plugin more resources to process the product feed.
  • Wait and Retry: Sometimes, the error is temporary. Wait a few hours and check the page again.

5. Products Not Appearing in Google Ads Campaigns

The Problem: Products are in Merchant Center but aren't showing up in your Google Ads shopping campaigns.

Why It Happens: The plugin's primary sync function is for the product feed to Merchant Center. Campaign management and data reporting for campaigns created directly in Google Ads may not be fully reflected within the WordPress dashboard.

What to Do:

  • Check Google Ads Directly: Always use the Google Ads interface as the primary source for campaign performance and billing information. The data in the plugin may be limited or delayed.
  • Verify Product Approval: In Merchant Center, confirm that the products you want to advertise have an "Approved" status.

Need More Help? Gather This Information

If you've tried these steps and the problem persists, you'll need to investigate further. Before seeking help from the community, gather the following information, which is frequently requested for diagnostics:

  • System Status Report: Found under WooCommerce > Status > Get system report.
  • Plugin Logs: Found under WooCommerce > Status > Logs and select a log file starting with google-listings-and-ads.
  • Screenshots: Take screenshots of error messages, the Product Feed page, and your account connection settings. Use a free service like Snipboard.io to share them.

By methodically working through these common issues, you can usually resolve product sync problems and get your listings live on Google.

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