We have recently had a number of customers inform us that their Google Shopping account has been suspended. The reason for the suspension was that the merchants’ website was not collecting customer data securely, as it did not have SSL on the checkout pages.
This is likely to affect all Google Shopping users, and we would like to highlight it as a potential issue and recommend applying an SSL certificate to the checkout if Google Shopping is an important revenue channel for your business.
From our understanding, Google did not warn our customers of this suspension and therefore it is important to be proactive.
What is SSL?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.
What is Google’s Merchant Policy?
The follow link provides more information on Google’s Merchant Policy relating to the collection of customer data: https://support.google.com/merchants.../6150122?hl=en
How do I fix or prevent this?
You need to add an SSL certificate to your checkout, which your hosting company will provide. If you are using SellerDeck Hosting, please contact us immediately on 0845 189 1859. If you are not using SellerDeck Hosting and would like to migrate to our servers, please call the same number.
PLEASE NOTE: adding SSL to your entire website can cause a drop in search engine rankings due to the domain name changing from ‘http’ to https’; please ensure that you follow the necessary steps to prevent this from happening. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact SellerDeck on 0845 189 1859.
This is likely to affect all Google Shopping users, and we would like to highlight it as a potential issue and recommend applying an SSL certificate to the checkout if Google Shopping is an important revenue channel for your business.
From our understanding, Google did not warn our customers of this suspension and therefore it is important to be proactive.
What is SSL?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.
What is Google’s Merchant Policy?
The follow link provides more information on Google’s Merchant Policy relating to the collection of customer data: https://support.google.com/merchants.../6150122?hl=en
How do I fix or prevent this?
You need to add an SSL certificate to your checkout, which your hosting company will provide. If you are using SellerDeck Hosting, please contact us immediately on 0845 189 1859. If you are not using SellerDeck Hosting and would like to migrate to our servers, please call the same number.
PLEASE NOTE: adding SSL to your entire website can cause a drop in search engine rankings due to the domain name changing from ‘http’ to https’; please ensure that you follow the necessary steps to prevent this from happening. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact SellerDeck on 0845 189 1859.