Google Shopping duplication tactic sparks policy compliance warnings

A rising pattern on LinkedIn selling product duplication strategies for Google Purchasing campaigns has drawn criticism from industry experts who warn the observe violates platform insurance policies and dangers service provider account suspensions. The technique, which entails creating a number of variants of similar merchandise with totally different titles and pictures, conflicts with Google’s abuse of advert community coverage established to forestall unfair aggressive benefits.

Emmanuel Flossie, a Google Purchasing Specialist and Google Adverts Diamond Product Knowledgeable, revealed a video evaluation on December 6, 2025, figuring out the observe as a direct coverage violation. Based on Flossie, “retailers who attempt to acquire an unfair benefit in purchasing campaigns” face suspension underneath Google’s purchasing advertisements coverage framework. The coverage seems in Google’s Service provider Middle Assist documentation underneath the “Abuse of the advert community” part, which prohibits content material designed to control promoting techniques.

A number of LinkedIn posts documented by Flossie show the proliferation of this tactic throughout skilled networks. One put up by Cem Atik generated 1,122 feedback and eight reposts, whereas others amassed between 90 and 900 feedback from advertising and marketing professionals expressing curiosity in implementing the technique. The posts describe creating 2-4 product listings for similar gadgets by modifying titles, descriptions, and pictures to seize a number of purchasing advert positions.

Based on the technique paperwork circulating on LinkedIn, proponents declare the method delivers outcomes together with a 31% discount in cost-per-click for a espresso model and a 2.4x improve in click-through charge for a trend retailer. The strategy facilities on figuring out high-converting search phrases with two or extra conversions, then creating product variants in e-commerce platforms like Shopify earlier than importing them into Google Service provider Middle. Every variant targets totally different search intents whereas selling the identical bodily product.

The tactical framework outlined in these posts recommends deciding on best-performing merchandise, creating variant listings with modified attributes, and mapping every variant to particular purchaser search patterns. For instance, a single espresso product may seem as “Natural Arabica Espresso Beans – Darkish Roast 1kg,” “Honest Commerce Espresso Beans – Robust & Clean,” “Premium Colombian Espresso – Complete Beans,” and “Specialty Espresso Beans – Freshly Roasted Day by day” in separate listings.

Google’s purchasing advertisements coverage explicitly addresses this conduct. The coverage states that Google desires “purchasing advertisements to be helpful, assorted, related, and protected for customers” and prohibits retailers making an attempt to achieve unfair benefits in purchasing campaigns. The coverage language encompasses practices past these particularly enumerated, permitting Google to handle rising manipulation strategies with out modifying coverage textual content for every new tactic.

Flossie emphasised in his video that “itemizing the identical product twice is taking an unfair benefit” and warned that advertisers claiming the coverage lacks specific prohibition of double-listing misunderstand how platform insurance policies operate. Based on his evaluation, insurance policies should stay generalized to handle a number of conditions and anticipate future advertiser behaviors that Google can not predict when drafting coverage language.

The suspension threat extends past instant account penalties. Flossie famous that retailers usually stay unaware when their promoting businesses or consultants make use of these ways, creating legal responsibility points when accounts face suspension. “As soon as suspended, it is rather exhausting to get accredited,” Flossie acknowledged, drawing on his expertise dealing with suspension instances day by day. The issue of account reinstatement creates long-term enterprise penalties for retailers whose advertisers pursued short-term efficiency features via coverage violations.

Trade professionals flagging duplicate product listings can set off enforcement actions. Flossie defined that accountable advertisers report coverage violations as a result of “that helps our purchasers” by sustaining aggressive equity. Group boards include quite a few posts from retailers questioning how rivals keep a number of product listings, adopted by explanations of coverage violations and steerage on reporting mechanisms. Suspended accounts usually face decision inside weeks of violation experiences.

Google’s third-party policy enforcement, which underwent vital strengthening in November 2024, holds promoting businesses accountable for consumer account violations. The coverage launched instant suspension with out prior warning for egregious violations and everlasting platform bans for third-party companions enabling coverage circumvention. This framework amplifies penalties for businesses selling duplication ways.

The duplication technique gained traction throughout a interval when Google has intensified policy enforcement across advertising platforms. The corporate suspended 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, representing a 208% improve from 12.7 million suspensions in 2023, in line with Google’s Adverts Security Report. These enforcement actions make the most of synthetic intelligence techniques to establish coverage violations at scale.

Service provider Middle coverage compliance has turn out to be more and more technical as Google refines product information specs. Recent updates to product data requirements applied on April 8, 2025, modified how retailers deal with installment pricing, power effectivity classifications, and delivery attributes. Extra modifications to member pricing and gross sales tax necessities took impact July 1, 2025, requiring steady service provider adaptation to specification requirements.

The model attribution necessities additionally obtained clarification when Google updated its product title policy on October 3, 2025, establishing that resellers should use producer model names reasonably than their very own firm names in product listings. This modification addressed confusion round model attribution and prevented misrepresentation of product origins, demonstrating Google’s ongoing give attention to itemizing accuracy.

Feed administration infrastructure continues evolving as retailers navigate coverage compliance. FeedArmy launched enhanced Shopify tracking capabilities on September 20, 2025, introducing Google Tag Supervisor options for native stock feeds that remove conventional file add necessities. These technical options assist retailers keep correct product information whereas complying with platform specs.

The promotional nature of LinkedIn posts advocating duplication ways raises questions on whether or not content material creators implement these methods themselves or promote them solely for social media engagement. Flossie steered in his video that some promoters could search profile visibility via controversial content material that generates feedback and connections, doubtlessly increasing their consumer bases with out personally using the ways they suggest.

Advertising and marketing professionals managing Google Purchasing campaigns face strain to show efficiency enhancements whereas sustaining coverage compliance. The stress between short-term outcomes and long-term account viability creates moral issues for businesses dealing with consumer promoting. Retailers counting on Purchasing campaigns for income technology should consider whether or not their promoting companions perceive platform insurance policies and prioritize sustainable methods over dangerous strategies.

The proliferation of coverage violation ways via skilled networks highlights info asymmetry in digital promoting. Many retailers lack technical experience to evaluate whether or not their advertisers make use of compliant methods, creating vulnerability to suspension dangers they might not perceive. The duty for coverage information falls on promoting professionals, who should keep present understanding of platform necessities throughout quickly evolving specs.

Account suspension penalties prolong past instant promoting interruptions. Suspended retailers lose entry to Purchasing campaigns throughout vital gross sales intervals, face potential information loss, and should navigate complicated appeals processes with unsure outcomes. The reputational injury from suspensions impacts service provider relationships with promoting companions and creates monetary publicity via misplaced income and reinstatement prices.

Google’s machine studying techniques detect duplicate listings via sample evaluation evaluating product identifiers, photos, descriptions, and service provider conduct throughout accounts. The automated detection operates constantly, evaluating new listings towards current stock and flagging potential violations for evaluate. Guide experiences from rivals or customers complement automated techniques, creating a number of pathways for violation discovery.

The coverage framework distinguishes between official product variations and manipulative duplication. Retailers promoting merchandise with real dimension, shade, or configuration variations can create separate listings for every distinct variant. The vital distinction entails whether or not variations characterize precise product variations or merely tactical reframing of similar gadgets to seize further promoting positions.

Skilled requirements in digital promoting require practitioners to keep up platform experience and moral practices. The 15-year expertise Flossie references in his evaluation displays the information funding obligatory for Purchasing marketing campaign administration. Promoting professionals missing complete coverage understanding threat consumer relationships and enterprise viability when pursuing ways they don’t absolutely consider for compliance implications.

The general public nature of LinkedIn posts selling duplication methods creates documentation trails that enforcement techniques can analyze. Platform algorithms monitoring advertiser discussions could incorporate social media content material into violation detection frameworks, notably when posts obtain substantial engagement indicating widespread adoption of questionable ways.

Small and medium-sized companies notably weak to suspension impacts could lack sources to get better from account termination. These retailers typically depend upon single promoting channels for buyer acquisition, making Purchasing marketing campaign suspension an existential enterprise risk. The focus of income sources amplifies dangers when promoting companions make use of non-compliant methods.

Different efficiency optimization approaches exist inside coverage parameters. Flossie emphasised that white hat ways present sustainable outcomes with out suspension dangers, suggesting that long-term success requires compliance reasonably than circumvention. Feed optimization, bidding technique refinement, product information high quality enhancements, and viewers concentrating on characterize official avenues for marketing campaign enhancement.

The episode demonstrates how social media amplification can popularize practices that violate platform insurance policies. Skilled networks allow speedy info dissemination, creating viral adoption of ways earlier than thorough vetting happens. The remark quantity on duplication technique posts signifies substantial curiosity from advertising and marketing professionals, suggesting potential widespread implementation makes an attempt.

Account suspension restoration companies exist due to suspension prevalence, however Flossie characterised the reinstatement course of as “extremely exhausting” regardless of his success serving to retailers regain platform entry. The issue underscores prevention significance, as avoiding violations proves far less complicated than reversing suspensions after they happen.

Timeline

Abstract

Who: Emmanuel Flossie, a Google Purchasing Specialist and Google Adverts Diamond Product Knowledgeable, warned about coverage violations. A number of LinkedIn advertising and marketing professionals together with Cem Atik promoted the duplication technique. The observe impacts retailers utilizing Google Service provider Middle and Purchasing campaigns, together with promoting businesses managing consumer accounts.

What: Advertising and marketing professionals promoted a Google Purchasing technique involving duplicate product listings with modified titles, descriptions, and pictures to seize a number of promoting positions. The tactic violates Google’s abuse of advert community coverage, which prohibits retailers from gaining unfair benefits in purchasing campaigns. The observe dangers instant account suspension and everlasting platform bans.

When: The warning video was revealed December 6, 2025, addressing LinkedIn posts that amassed a whole bunch of feedback throughout late 2025. The tactic emerged amid intensified coverage enforcement, with Google suspending 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, up 208% from the prior yr.

The place: The duplication technique unfold via LinkedIn skilled networks, affecting Google Purchasing campaigns globally. Coverage violations affect retailers throughout all markets the place Google Service provider Middle operates. The tactic entails e-commerce platforms like Shopify for product variant creation earlier than import to Google Service provider Middle.

Why: Proponents declare the tactic delivers efficiency enhancements together with diminished cost-per-click and elevated click-through charges by capturing a number of purchasing advert positions. Nonetheless, the observe violates platform insurance policies designed to keep up truthful competitors and helpful search outcomes for customers. Specialists warn the short-term features create long-term dangers together with account suspension, service provider fame injury, and troublesome reinstatement processes. The widespread promotion could stem from social media engagement incentives reasonably than real strategic suggestions.