Google Shopping image rules: why your catalogue ad designs can't go there
Google Shopping rejects overlays, text, logos and borders on main product images. What the rules say, how they differ from Meta, and how to run both from one feed.
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If you’ve designed branded catalogue ad images for Meta, with your logo, the price and a sale badge, it’s tempting to use them everywhere. Google Shopping is the one place they don’t belong. Google’s image rules for the main product image are strict, and an image that breaks them won’t show.
This post sets out what Google’s Merchant Center help says about image_link, checked on 28 October 2026, and how to run Google Shopping and Meta catalogue ads from one feed without the two getting in each other’s way.
What Google allows on the main image
Google’s help page for image_link says the main image must give “an unobstructed, clean view of the item for sale”. It then lists what to keep off it:
- Promotional elements: calls to action, price or shipping details, and promotional adjectives.
- Text added afterwards. Google says post-production text “will cause an image disapproval”.
- Overlays and watermarks: stock photo watermarks, copyright symbols or graphic stamps.
- Logos and store names added in post-production. A logo that is physically part of the product, printed on a mug, say, is fine.
- Borders.
- Barcodes, QR codes and serial tags overlaid on the photo.
- Placeholders, generic images and single-colour squares.
In other words, almost everything that makes a catalogue ad design a design.
What happens if you break them
Google says an image that doesn’t meet the requirements won’t appear on Google surfaces, and you’ll see a notification in the Diagnostics section of Merchant Center. Violations can lead to disapproval.
Google also recommends turning on automatic image improvements in Merchant Center, which can fix minor image issues, including some promotional overlays, to help avoid disapprovals. That’s a safety net, not a plan.
Size and format
From the same page:
| Spec | Google Shopping |
|---|---|
| Minimum size | 500 x 500 pixels, required for all products from 31 January 2027 |
| Recommended | Around 1500 x 1500 pixels or more |
| Maximum | 64 megapixels and 16 MB |
| Formats | JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF |
The file extension has to match the actual format.
How Meta is different
Meta’s catalogue documentation sets out formats and sizes for image_link: JPEG or PNG, at least 500 x 500 pixels, up to 8 MB. It doesn’t have Google’s list of banned overlays, and branded catalogue images with prices, badges and logos are widely used in Meta catalogue ads.
So the same product can reasonably have two different main images:
| Google Shopping | Meta catalogue ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Main image | Clean product photo | Product photo or a branded design |
| Price on the image | No | Common |
| Sale badge | No | Common |
| Logo added | No | Common |
| Text added | No | Common |
Our guide to Meta catalogue ads specs has Meta’s full image and field requirements.
Where you can show more on Google
The main image has to be clean, but Google gives you other places:
- Additional images (
additional_image_link) are for other angles and close-ups of the product. - Lifestyle images (
lifestyle_image_link) show the product in use. - Sale prices belong in
sale_price, not on the image. Google can then show the sale in the listing itself. Our post on sale prices in catalogue ads covers the fields.
The rule of thumb: the facts go in the feed, and the photo shows the product.
Running both from one feed
The usual way this goes wrong is a feed tool or plugin that swaps the designed image into image_link, and the same feed being sent to Merchant Center. Every product with a price on its image is then at risk.
To avoid it:
- Keep the original photo as the source of truth in your product data.
- Send designed images to Meta only, by catalogue sync or a Meta-only feed.
- Send the original photo to Google, and check Merchant Center’s Diagnostics after any change to your image setup.
- Don’t rely on automatic improvements to clean up a feed full of designed images.
In AI Shopping Feeds, the DPA Creative Editor renders your designs for Meta and sends them through our Meta catalogue sync, while our Google Merchant Center sync always sends the original product photos. One feed, two image setups, and you don’t have to manage the split by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put text or a sale badge on Google Shopping images?
Not on the main image. Google's image_link rules say the image must give an unobstructed, clean view of the product, and list calls to action, price or shipping details, promotional text, watermarks, added logos and borders as things to avoid. Post-production text causes an image disapproval.
What size should Google Shopping images be?
Google's help centre says at least 500 x 500 pixels, which it says becomes required for all products from 31 January 2027, and recommends around 1500 x 1500 pixels or more. Images can be up to 64 megapixels and 16 MB.
Can I use the same images for Google Shopping and Meta catalogue ads?
The original product photos, yes. Branded catalogue ad designs with prices, badges or logos suit Meta, but shouldn't be sent to Google as the main image. Keep the original photo in the Google feed and send designed images only to Meta.