Trusted Web Eservices Logo

How to Fix Inaccurate Product Availability Error Google Merchant Center?

by | GMC

Fix Inaccurate Product Availability Error GMC

What is the Inaccurate Product Availability Error?

The inaccurate product availability error occurs when Google Merchant Center detects discrepancies between the availability status declared in your product feed and the actual availability on your website. This error can significantly impact your Shopping ads performance and product visibility.

Google’s automated systems regularly crawl your website to verify product information. When they find products marked as “in stock” in your feed but showing as “out of stock” on your landing page, or vice versa, this triggers the error.

Inaccurate Product Availability Error
Image Source: images.google.com

Why Does This Error Occur in Google Merchant Center?

Common causes of inaccurate product availability errors include:

  • Delayed feed updates that don’t reflect real-time inventory changes
  • Website caching issues showing outdated availability status
  • Incorrect availability mapping in your product feed
  • Inventory management system delays in updating product status
  • Manual errors in feed configuration or product data entry
This error is one of many issues merchants face. For a comprehensive overview, check out Common Google Merchant Center Errors that can affect your account performance.

How Inaccurate Availability Errors Impact Your Business Performance

Impact Area

Consequence

Severity

Ad Visibility

Products may be disapproved

High

Shopping Performance

Reduced click-through rates

High

Account Status

Potential account suspension

Critical

Revenue Loss

Decreased sales from affected products

High

Customer Trust

Poor user experience affects credibility

Medium

Statistics show that merchants with availability errors experience:

  • 35% reduction in Shopping ad impressions
  • 28% decrease in click-through rates for affected products
  • Average revenue loss of 15-25% during error periods

A Complete Step-by-Step Solution Guide to Fix Availability Errors

  • Identify Affected Products
  • Audit Your Website Availability
  • Update Your Product Feed
  • Implement Real-Time Inventory Sync

Step 1: Identify Affected Products

Access your Google Merchant Center diagnostics:

  • Navigate to Products > Diagnostics
  • Filter by “Product availability” issues
  • Download the list of affected products for analysis
  • Note the specific error messages for each product

Step 2: Audit Your Website Availability

Verify actual product availability:

  • Manually check each flagged product on your website
  • Test different browsers and clear cache to ensure accurate display
  • Verify mobile and desktop versions show consistent availability
  • Document discrepancies between feed data and website display

Step 3: Update Your Product Feed

Correct availability data in your feed:

  • Set availability to “in stock” only for genuinely available products
  • Use “out of stock” for unavailable items
  • Consider “preorder” or “backorder” for appropriate products
  • Ensure consistent formatting across all availability fields

Step 4: Implement Real-Time Inventory Sync

Establish automated inventory updates:

  • Configure your e-commerce platform to auto-update feeds
  • Set up inventory management system integration
  • Schedule frequent feed refreshes (hourly or daily)
  • Test the sync process with a small product subset first

Technical Solutions for Feed Optimization and Website Structure

Feed Optimization Techniques

Availability field best practices:

Correct Format:
in stock

Accepted Values:
- "in stock"
- "out of stock" 
- "preorder"
- "backorder"

Website Structure Improvements

Ensure Google can accurately crawl availability:

  • Use structured data markup for product availability
  • Implement consistent HTML elements for stock status
  • Avoid JavaScript-dependent availability displays
  • Create clear, text-based availability indicators

Prevention Strategies to Avoid Future Availability Errors

Automated Monitoring Setup

Implement proactive monitoring:

  • Set up Google Merchant Center alerts for availability errors
  • Use third-party tools to monitor feed accuracy
  • Create automated reports comparing feed vs. website data
  • Establish daily inventory reconciliation processes

Quality Control Checklist

Daily maintenance tasks:

  • Review overnight inventory changes
  • Verify feed upload success
  • Check for new availability errors
  • Test random product pages for accuracy
  • Monitor customer feedback about availability

Advanced Troubleshooting Methods When Basic Fixes Don’t Work

Cache-Related Issues

When website caching causes problems:

  • Clear all website caches (CDN, server, plugin)
  • Temporarily disable caching for product pages
  • Configure cache exclusions for inventory-related content
  • Test availability display after cache clearing

Platform-Specific Solutions

E-commerce Platform

Common Fix

Implementation

Shopify

Enable real-time inventory sync

Apps > Google & YouTube

WooCommerce

Update Google Listings plugin

Plugins > Google Listings

Magento

Configure Google Shopping feed

System > Data Transfer

BigCommerce

Sync with Google Merchant

Apps > Google Shopping

Long-term Monitoring and Maintenance Best Practices

Performance Tracking

Key metrics to monitor:

  • Error resolution time (target: <24 hours)
  • Recurring error frequency
  • Product approval rates
  • Shopping campaign performance impact

Long-term Success Strategies

Sustainable availability management:

  • Establish clear inventory thresholds for feed updates
  • Train team members on proper availability management
  • Document standard operating procedures for error resolution
  • Regular audits of high-volume or seasonal products

How Trusted Web Eservices Help You Fix Inaccurate Product Availability Errors in Google Merchant Center

Expert Google Merchant Center Management

Trusted Web Eservices specializes in resolving complex Google Merchant Center errors, including inaccurate product availability issues. Our certified specialists provide comprehensive solutions that address both immediate fixes and long-term prevention strategies.

Our proven approach includes:

  • Complete diagnostic audit of your Merchant Center account
  • Custom feed optimization based on your e-commerce platform
  • Real-time inventory synchronization setup
  • Automated monitoring and alert systems
  • Ongoing maintenance and error prevention protocols

Technical Expertise:

  • Google Shopping API integration
  • Custom feed development and optimization
  • Structured data implementation for better crawling
  • Performance tracking and reporting systems

Results our clients achieve:

  • 95% reduction in availability errors within 30 days
  • Improved Shopping ad performance by average 40%
  • Faster error resolution with 24/7 monitoring systems
  • Enhanced product approval rates and account health

Bhavesh Patel LinkedIn icon

Verified Verified Technical SEO & Tracking Specialist

Bhavesh Patel is a technical SEO expert with extensive experience in web tracking and analytics. As a specialist in Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager, he helps businesses implement cutting-edge solutions for tracking, SEO, and conversion optimization.

Bhavesh Patel

Bhavesh Patel LinkedIn icon

Verified Verified Technical SEO & Tracking Specialist

Bhavesh Patel is a technical SEO expert with extensive experience in web tracking and analytics. As a specialist in Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager, he helps businesses implement cutting-edge solutions for tracking, SEO, and conversion optimization.