Google Shopping duplication tactic sparks policy compliance warnings

A rising development on LinkedIn selling product duplication methods for Google Procuring campaigns has drawn criticism from industry experts who warn the follow violates platform insurance policies and dangers service provider account suspensions. The technique, which entails creating a number of variants of equivalent 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 Procuring Specialist and Google Adverts Diamond Product Knowledgeable, printed a video evaluation on December 6, 2025, figuring out the follow as a direct coverage violation. Based on Flossie, “retailers who attempt to acquire an unfair benefit in procuring campaigns” face suspension beneath Google’s procuring advertisements coverage framework. The coverage seems in Google’s Service provider Middle Assist documentation beneath the “Abuse of the advert community” part, which prohibits content material designed to control promoting programs.

A number of LinkedIn posts documented by Flossie display the proliferation of this tactic throughout skilled networks. One publish by Cem Atik generated 1,122 feedback and eight reposts, whereas others gathered 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 equivalent objects by modifying titles, descriptions, and pictures to seize a number of procuring advert positions.

Based on the technique paperwork circulating on LinkedIn, proponents declare the approach delivers outcomes together with a 31% discount in cost-per-click for a espresso model and a 2.4x enhance in click-through charge for a trend retailer. The method 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 would possibly seem as “Natural Arabica Espresso Beans – Darkish Roast 1kg,” “Honest Commerce Espresso Beans – Robust & Clean,” “Premium Colombian Espresso – Entire Beans,” and “Specialty Espresso Beans – Freshly Roasted Each day” in separate listings.

Google’s procuring advertisements coverage explicitly addresses this conduct. The coverage states that Google desires “procuring advertisements to be helpful, various, related, and protected for customers” and prohibits retailers trying to achieve unfair benefits in procuring campaigns. The coverage language encompasses practices past these particularly enumerated, permitting Google to handle rising manipulation methods 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 express prohibition of double-listing misunderstand how platform insurance policies perform. Based on his evaluation, insurance policies should stay generalized to handle a number of conditions and anticipate future advertiser behaviors that Google can’t predict when drafting coverage language.

The suspension threat extends past rapid account penalties. Flossie famous that retailers sometimes 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 laborious to get authorised,” Flossie said, drawing on his expertise dealing with suspension instances every day. The problem of account reinstatement creates long-term enterprise penalties for retailers whose advertisers pursued short-term efficiency beneficial properties by coverage violations.

Business 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 shoppers” by sustaining aggressive equity. Group boards comprise quite a few posts from retailers questioning how rivals keep a number of product listings, adopted by explanations of coverage violations and steering on reporting mechanisms. Suspended accounts sometimes face decision inside weeks of violation studies.

Google’s third-party policy enforcement, which underwent vital strengthening in November 2024, holds promoting businesses accountable for shopper account violations. The coverage launched rapid 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% enhance from 12.7 million suspensions in 2023, based on Google’s Adverts Security Report. These enforcement actions make the most of synthetic intelligence programs to determine coverage violations at scale.

Service provider Middle coverage compliance has develop into more and more technical as Google refines product information specs. Recent updates to product data requirements carried out on April 8, 2025, modified how retailers deal with installment pricing, vitality effectivity classifications, and transport attributes. Further adjustments 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 acquired 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 get rid of 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 urged in his video that some promoters could search profile visibility by controversial content material that generates feedback and connections, doubtlessly increasing their shopper bases with out personally using the ways they advocate.

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

The proliferation of coverage violation ways by skilled networks highlights data 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 accountability for coverage data falls on promoting professionals, who should keep present understanding of platform necessities throughout quickly evolving specs.

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

Google’s machine studying programs detect duplicate listings by sample evaluation evaluating product identifiers, photos, descriptions, and service provider conduct throughout accounts. The automated detection operates repeatedly, evaluating new listings in opposition to present stock and flagging potential violations for overview. Handbook studies from rivals or customers complement automated programs, creating a number of pathways for violation discovery.

The coverage framework distinguishes between authentic product variations and manipulative duplication. Retailers promoting merchandise with real dimension, colour, or configuration variations can create separate listings for every distinct variant. The crucial distinction entails whether or not variations symbolize precise product variations or merely tactical reframing of equivalent objects to seize extra 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 data funding crucial for Procuring marketing campaign administration. Promoting professionals missing complete coverage understanding threat shopper 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 programs 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 susceptible to suspension impacts could lack assets to get well from account termination. These retailers usually rely on single promoting channels for buyer acquisition, making Procuring 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 focusing on symbolize authentic avenues for marketing campaign enhancement.

The episode demonstrates how social media amplification can popularize practices that violate platform insurance policies. Skilled networks allow speedy data 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 laborious” regardless of his success serving to retailers regain platform entry. The problem underscores prevention significance, as avoiding violations proves far easier than reversing suspensions after they happen.

Timeline

Abstract

Who: Emmanuel Flossie, a Google Procuring 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 follow impacts retailers utilizing Google Service provider Middle and Procuring campaigns, together with promoting businesses managing shopper accounts.

What: Advertising professionals promoted a Google Procuring 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 procuring campaigns. The follow dangers rapid account suspension and everlasting platform bans.

When: The warning video was printed December 6, 2025, addressing LinkedIn posts that gathered a whole lot 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 by LinkedIn skilled networks, affecting Google Procuring campaigns globally. Coverage violations influence 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 procuring advert positions. Nevertheless, the follow violates platform insurance policies designed to keep up truthful competitors and helpful search outcomes for customers. Specialists warn the short-term beneficial properties create long-term dangers together with account suspension, service provider repute injury, and tough reinstatement processes. The widespread promotion could stem from social media engagement incentives reasonably than real strategic suggestions.