The refund, shipping and contact pages Google expects from a Shopify store
Google checks your Shopify store for a refund policy, shipping details and contact information. What each page should say, and where to set it up in Shopify.
The short answer
Google expects three things a shopper can find without starting checkout: a refund and return policy, shipping costs and times, and a way to contact you. Shopify can generate all three from your settings under Settings > Policies. Generating them is the easy part. The hard part is making sure they say what your store actually does and match what you entered in Merchant Center.
Where these rules come from
Google's editorial and professional requirements list three related issues: "Insufficient contact information", "Missing return and refund policy", and "Website needs improvement", whose example includes "missing policy pages". The misrepresentation policy adds hidden fees, hidden shipping costs and refund restrictions that only appear after purchase.
Shopify's Google & YouTube channel requirements set a minimum before you can even connect: a refund policy and terms of service in the footer menu, and contact details on a store page.
Setting the pages up in Shopify
Go to Settings > Policies. Shopify's policy guide says the return and refund policy, terms of service, shipping policy and contact information can be automated, which means Shopify writes and updates them from your store settings. To write one yourself, open it, turn off Use automated policy, edit and save.
Shopify links policies in the checkout footer automatically. Google wants them reachable from the store too, so add them to your footer under Content > Menus with Add menu item. The policy URLs are /policies/refund-policy, /policies/shipping-policy, /policies/privacy-policy and /policies/terms-of-service.
Refund and return policy
Google's help page for this issue asks for three things:
- Easy to find. Google gives a footer link on every page as an example.
- Specific. State conditions and deadlines, such as which reasons qualify and the time window.
- Consistent. The same terms in the footer, the returns page and any banners.
If you don't accept returns, say so on the page. Google's help page asks for exactly that.
Cover who pays return shipping, any restocking fee, and how and when refunds go back. The misrepresentation policy specifically names hidden restocking fees and undisclosed return shipping costs. It also says international return windows should start on delivery, not on the purchase date.
Then set the same policy in Merchant Center. Google's return policy guide for Shopify users asks for it in both places: in Merchant Center, open Shipping and returns, then Return policies, then Add return policy. Use the same window and fees as your store page.
Shipping policy
Your shipping page should list where you ship, what it costs or how it is calculated, handling and delivery times, and where orders ship from. Google's misrepresentation policy calls out misleading claims about where items ship from, for example implying local stock. If you dropship from abroad, say so and give honest delivery times.
The numbers must match Merchant Center and checkout. Google's Shopify shipping guide says the costs you submit "must match the costs you charge on your Shopify store." The shipping guide covers getting rates into Merchant Center.
Contact information
Google's contact information page asks for at least one of a business address, phone number, email, contact form or social media business profile, visible before checkout. It also asks that your business name, address and phone match across the footer, the contact page and Merchant Center.
Shopify's automated Contact information policy pulls from Settings > General > Store contact details. That includes store address, phone, email and company name, and, if you have them, EU or UK VAT numbers from Settings > Taxes and duties. Shopify warns that policies are public, so use business details, not personal ones.
A contact form alone meets Google's minimum, but more helps a reviewer. A Shopify Community thread on a misrepresentation suspension ended with the merchant adding a full address and phone number to the footer before resubmitting. Showing the same business name and address in the footer, on a contact page and in Merchant Center under Settings > Business info removes a common doubt.
Other pages worth having
Google's online store guidance lists an "About" page, return policy, shipping info and business info as examples of what a store should show. Shopify's channel requirements suggest an About us page if you have no other page with contact details. Terms of service and a privacy policy are also in Shopify's policy settings. The refund policy and terms of service are both required for the Google & YouTube channel.
A five-minute test
- Open your home page in a private window.
- Find the return window, the shipping cost to your main country and a way to contact you. Time yourself.
- Open the same policies in Merchant Center under Shipping and returns and Business info.
- Write down any difference and fix it at the source.
At the time of writing (November 2026), these menu paths match Shopify's and Google's help pages. Both change often.