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Merchant Center issue

Fix text on image and promotional overlays

Merchant Center shows "Text on image" when it finds added text, logos or graphics on a product image. Older accounts and many forum threads still call it "Promotional overlay on image". This page lists what Google does and does not allow on a product image, how automatic image improvements can remove overlays for you, and how to replace images in bulk.

Diego Nijboer · WISEPIMLast updated:

Short answer

Send a clean product photo as image_link, without calls to action, prices, shipping or promotional text, watermarks or added logos. You can turn on automatic image improvements under Products, Automations to let Merchant Center remove overlays from the main image, or change image_link yourself, one product at a time or in bulk with a CSV. Changes can take 24 to 72 hours to show.

What this issue means

Google wants product images to show the product, not a message about it. Not allowed on the image: calls to action such as "Buy" or "Shop now", price and shipping details such as discounts or "Free shipping", service or warranty claims, promotional adjectives such as "Best" or "Cheap", condition or compatibility text such as "New" or "2-piece set", overlaid barcodes, QR codes or serial tags, watermarks, copyright symbols, graphic stamps, and added brand, manufacturer or retailer names and logos.

Some text is fine. A logo or name that is a physical part of the product, such as a brand name printed on a shoe, is allowed, and so are AI labels added to creatives. The issue only applies to text and graphics added on top of the photo. For images that are too small, see Image too small.

DetailValue
Issue in Merchant CenterText on image
Also shown asPromotional overlay on image [image_link]
Attributeimage_link [image_link]
EffectProducts are disapproved until their images are updated without the text or overlay.
CheckedAgainst Google Merchant Center Help on 11 October 2026

Common causes

  • The main image is a marketing banner with a discount, price or "Free shipping" badge.
  • Your shop adds a watermark or logo to every product photo.
  • Supplier images include the retailer's or distributor's logo.
  • A "New" or "Sale" sticker was added to the photo instead of being kept in the product data.
  • A lifestyle or comparison image with captions was set as the main image.

How to fix it, step by step

  1. In Merchant Center, open Products, go to the Needs attention tab and filter on this issue to see the affected products.
  2. Decide whether to let Google fix the image. Under Products, Automations you can turn on automatic image improvements: Merchant Center then removes text, a watermark, an overlay or a logo it detects. It improves the main image only, not additional images, and shows the result as Improved image quality [image_link].
  3. If you fix it yourself, get a clean version of each image without the overlay, from your own photography or from the supplier.
  4. For a few products, choose Edit product, change image_link to the clean image and save.
  5. For many products, download the affected products as a CSV file, update image_link with the URLs of the clean images and upload the data with your usual method.
  6. If you use a third-party platform or app to send products, follow its instructions to change the main image there, or the old image comes back on the next sync.
  7. Check Needs attention again after 24 to 72 hours. If the disapproval remains and you believe the image complies, request a review; review limits may apply.

Free tool

Check a product against Google Shopping rules

Enter one product's title, description, price, GTIN and image link. The checker lists the errors and warnings Merchant Center's core requirements would raise, before you upload.

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How to prevent it

  • Keep a clean packshot as the main image of every product, and use banners only on your own site.
  • Put promotions, prices and shipping offers in the product data and in Merchant Center promotions, not on the photo.
  • Turn off automatic watermarking for the image URLs you send to Google.
  • Ask suppliers for images without their own or a retailer's logo.

How WISEPIM helps

WISEPIM does not detect text, logos or watermarks on images, so it will not flag this issue for you. What it does help with is control over which image Google gets: you keep all images of a product in one place and choose which one comes first.

The Merchant Center connection sends the first image as image_link and up to 10 more as additional images. So once you have set a clean packshot as the main image in WISEPIM, the next export sends that image to Google instead of a banner.

Sources

Vendor documentation we read for this guide, as of October 2026. Features and names change, so check the current documentation before you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if the logo or name is a physical part of the product, such as a logo printed on the packaging or the item itself. A logo added on top of the photo afterwards is not allowed.

No. Google says the feature improves the main image only. Additional images with text or overlays need to be replaced yourself.

Yes. Promotional overlay on image is the older label for the same problem. Google now shows it as Text on image, and the fix is the same: send an image without the added text or graphics.

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