What Is a Merchant Center Promotion Title?
A promotion title is the short line, up to 60 characters, that describes a retailer’s offer when Google shows it with products in Shopping ads and free listings. It is set in the long_title attribute of a promotion (Promotions data specification). Google reviews every promotion: it “reviews all promotions against program policies and editorial requirements before displaying them” (Google). Google’s pages we read give no review time, so leave a margin before a sale starts.
How to Fix a Promotion Title at a Glance
| Step | Action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Export or list your active and scheduled promotions | Every title in one place |
| 2 | Find titles with dates, codes or extra text | A short list to rewrite |
| 3 | Move dates into the date fields | Start, end and display dates set |
| 4 | Rewrite the title to state the offer | 60 characters or fewer, value first |
| 5 | Resubmit and check status | Approved, with the title shown as written |
Time: about 30 minutes for ten promotions. Tools: Merchant Center access. Cost: none. Skill level: beginner.
Step 1: List Every Promotion That Runs After Today
Start with anything that will still be live on November 27. The live rule applies to what Google reviews now, and we found no statement that promotions approved under the earlier wording are exempt. Include scheduled Cyber Monday promotions: November 30, 2026 is 16 days from November 14. If the same sale asks buyers for reviews in return for a discount, Google’s separate rules apply, covered in our guide to labeling incentivized reviews.
Step 2: Check Each Title Against the Rules
Look for six things the editorial page rules out. We wrote ten typical holiday titles and checked them against the live page (Merchant Center Help):
| Title | Characters | Result | Rule involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25% off all winter boots | 24 | Pass | Specific value and product type |
| Free $25 gift card with purchases over $150 | 43 | Pass | Free item with a dollar value; minimum stated |
| 15% off your first order for new customers | 42 | Pass | New-customer condition stated |
| Nov savings: 20% off all knitwear | 33 | Pass | Short month abbreviation allowed |
| 25% off all winter boots, Nov 27 to Nov 30 | 42 | Fail | Dates in any format |
| 25% off all winter boots through 11/30 | 38 | Fail | Dates in any format |
| $20 off orders of $100+ with code SAVE20 | 40 | Fail | Codes belong in their own field |
| Ends Monday! 30% off all coats | 30 | Fail | Exclamation mark |
| Cyber Monday 2026: 40% off sitewide plus free shipping over $50 | 63 | Fail | Over 60 characters; a year is a date |
| Black Friday: 25% off all winter boots | 38 | Not addressed | Event names are not mentioned |
The last row is the one most retailers will hit. Google’s page does not say whether “Black Friday” counts as a date. It does rule out “irrelevant text,” with “Happy holidays!” as its example (Merchant Center Help). Our recommendation, not a Google rule: leave the event name out, since the display dates already tie the offer to the sale.
Characters, counted by us, against Google’s 60-character limit for promotion titles
Source: titles written and counted by Media Morpheus Research, November 14, 2026; limit from Google Merchant Center Help, Promotions editorial requirements. Read November 14, 2026.
Only the first title breaks the length limit. Length is one rule of several; see the table for which titles fail on dates, codes or punctuation.
The chart shows that length is rarely the problem: seven of the eight titles fit comfortably, and the failures in the table come mostly from dates, codes and punctuation.
Step 3: Put the Dates in the Date Fields
Use promotion_effective_dates for when the offer applies and promotion_display_dates for when Google shows it. The effective dates are required; Google’s syntax note says “Start date and end date are separated by a forward slash (/)” (Promotions data specification). Codes go in the code field: generic_redemption_code takes up to 20 characters. Free and discounted shipping promotions “need to include a redemption code in the promotion’s source, not in the title” (Merchant Center Help).
Step 4: Rewrite the Title Around the Offer
Lead with the value, name what it applies to and state any condition. Google asks for the lowest value when a promotion is mapped to products (“$10+ off,” not “Up to $20 off”), a minimum purchase if there is one, and the product type when the offer is limited (Merchant Center Help). Titles of only numbers or symbols are disapproved as “Unclear title.”
Step 5: Resubmit and Read the Title Google Shows
Approval is not the end: Google may rewrite parts of the title. Google says it may make “non-material changes,” including “removal of redemption details from title” (Merchant Center Help). Check the approved promotion as shoppers see it. The same habit applies to offers on a Google Business Profile, where Google also decides what appears.
Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Promotion disapproved after editing | A date or year left in the title | Remove it; set effective dates |
| Title shown differently from what you wrote | Google’s permitted edits | Rewrite so nothing needs removing |
| “Unclear title” | Only numbers or symbols | Add the product or offer in words |
What Not to Do
Do not put “ends Sunday” or a countdown in the title. Consequence: disapproval or an edited title. Correction: set the end date in promotion_effective_dates. Do not lead with “Up to” on a promotion mapped to products. Consequence: Google says such promotions “should never just show the highest possible value.” Correction: state the floor, as in “$10+ off.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Merchant Center promotion title include a date?
No. Google’s editorial page says “Don’t include dates in any format” and that redemption dates belong in their own fields. A short month abbreviation such as “Jan” is allowed.
How long can a promotion title be?
60 characters. Google says titles longer than 60 characters aren’t allowed, and the long_title attribute has that limit.
Where do promotion dates go?
In promotion_effective_dates, which is required and sets when the offer applies, and optionally promotion_display_dates, which sets when Google shows it.
Can I say Black Friday in a promotion title?
Google’s page does not address event names. It rules out irrelevant text such as “Happy holidays!” We suggest leaving the event name out and using the date fields.
Can a promotion code go in the title?
No. Google says codes should be entered only in the fields designed for them, such as generic_redemption_code, which takes up to 20 characters.
When did Google change the date rule?
Google gave no date. Search Engine Roundtable reported it on November 13, 2026 and says a September 25, 2026 archived copy still listed date formats.
Sources and Methodology
This guide is built from Google’s promotion editorial requirements and promotions data specification, read November 14, 2026, and one Search Engine Roundtable report. The ten titles, character counts and pass/fail calls are our test against the published rules, not Google’s review. We could not open the archived September page. This is not legal advice.
- platform documentation Google Merchant Center Help, Promotions editorial requirements. Date, code, length, punctuation and wording rules. Read November 14, 2026.
- platform documentation Google Merchant Center Help, Promotions data specification. Date fields, long_title, code field, review statement. Read November 14, 2026.
- trade press Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Roundtable, Google Merchant Center Promotions Titles Now Disallows Redemption Dates (November 13, 2026). Date of the report; archived earlier wording. Read November 14, 2026.