Google has changed its Merchant Center help page: a product with blurry, pixelated or low-resolution images keeps showing in Shopping ads and free listings. Previously it could be held back until the photo improved. This matters to any online store selling through Google Shopping. What does arrive is a new minimum image size in 2027.
What we know
- What the help page says now: Merchant Center's "How to fix: Low image quality" page says a product flagged this way will continue to show in ads and free listings.
- What it said before: according to Search Engine Roundtable, which reported the change on October 12, 2026, the earlier wording warned that the product could be prevented from showing until image quality improved. The outlet does not know when Google edited the page.
- Why it still matters: the same page says image quality correlates strongly with engagement and clicks.
- The new minimum: Google's image requirements page sets at least 500 x 500 pixels for all products from January 31, 2027, and recommends 1500 x 1500 or more.
- Warnings have started: since July 2026, Merchant Center flags images that meet the current minimum but fall short of 500 x 500, per the help page.
- Upper limits: no image larger than 64 megapixels or 16 MB.
What changes and what doesn't
A bad photo no longer hides your product. That removes the risk of a quality warning cutting off sales overnight.
Nothing else changes. A blurry image next to a sharp competitor still loses clicks, as Google says on the same page, and the warning still shows in Merchant Center so you can fix it.
The other image rules also stand: no watermarks, added logos, prices or promotional text on the photo, and no "coming soon" placeholders.
The 500 x 500 minimum does have a date. From today, October 12, there are 111 days left until January 31, 2027, by this article's count.
How to tell if it affects you
- Find the warning. In Merchant Center, go to Products → Needs attention and filter by "Low image quality [image_link]."
- A handful of products? Open each one, upload a better image and save.
- Many products? Download the CSV from the same filter, fix the images and resubmit your product data.
- Check size too. Look for warnings about images under 500 x 500. If your catalog feeds from WooCommerce or Shopify, Google usually gets the product's main image: replace it there and let the feed refresh.
- Aim for 1500 x 1500. That is Google's recommendation. Use JPEG or WebP, a clean background and the whole product in frame.
- Check afterwards. Go back to Needs attention; Google notes updates can take time. In Google Ads, compare clicks on the fixed products with previous weeks.
Related: ChatGPT Adds Virtual Try-On: What Your Store Needs
Sources
- Google, Merchant Center Help, "How to fix: Low image quality [image_link]"
- Google, Merchant Center Help, image requirements
- Search Engine Roundtable, "Google: Poor Image Quality Won't Stop Products From Showing In Search Or Ads," October 12, 2026
Updates: this article will note if Google announces the change elsewhere or moves the January 31, 2027 date.