Feed error
Item disapprovedExcessive capitalization
The "Excessive capitalization [title]" issue means Google's editorial checks found too much capitalised text in a product title, such as all-caps words used for emphasis. On Shopify it usually comes from supplier titles in capitals, upper-case vendor names or promotional words like NEW or SALE.
How this appears in your account
The exact wording the channel shows, so you can match what you are looking at.
- Excessive capitalization [title]
- Excessive capitalization
- Remove excessive or gimmicky uses of capitalization
What it affects
- Channels
- Google Shopping Microsoft Advertising
- Scope
- A subset of items
Why it happens on Shopify
Titles were imported in all capitals
Supplier price lists and older systems often store product names in upper case. Imported into Shopify unchanged, the whole title reaches the feed in capitals.
Capitals are used for emphasis
Words like NEW, SALE, FREE or BEST SELLER in capitals are exactly what Google's editorial requirements prohibit, and they are also promotional text that does not belong in a title.
The brand is styled in capitals
A vendor field written as an upper-case wordmark and prepended to every title adds a block of capitals to each one. Combined with other capitalised words it can tip a title over the threshold.
Automated systems flag legitimate titles
Google's checks are automated. Titles with many accepted capitals, such as model codes, sizes and acronyms, can occasionally be flagged even though they follow the rules.
How to fix it
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List the affected titles
Filter the Needs attention tab for the issue and download the affected products. Whether the capitals come from the Shopify title, the vendor or a feed template decides where the fix goes.
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Convert titles to normal case
Use sentence or title case for the descriptive words. Converting at the source in Shopify fixes the storefront as well as the feed, which matters because the two are compared.
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Keep legitimate capitals
Acronyms, initials, model numbers, sizes such as XL, and country or currency codes can stay in capitals. A blanket lower-case conversion breaks these and makes titles harder to read.
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Remove promotional words entirely
Rather than lower-casing SALE or NEW, drop them from the title. Sale information belongs in sale_price, and the title should describe the product.
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Request a review if the title is correct
If a title only contains accepted capitals and was flagged anyway, resubmit or request a review in Merchant Center rather than rewriting a correct title.
How feedlab handles this
feedlab can apply case transformations to title and brand with conditional rules, for example converting all-caps supplier titles to title case while leaving recognised codes and sizes untouched. The rule preview shows the result on every affected product before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
Which capitals are allowed in Google Shopping titles?
Capitals for abbreviations, acronyms, initials, phone numbers, countries and currency codes are accepted. What is not allowed is using capitals for emphasis or writing whole words or titles in upper case.
My brand name is written in capitals. Is that a problem?
A short acronym brand is fine. A longer brand written as an all-caps wordmark adds capitalised text to every title, so it is safer to write it in normal case in the feed.
Does excessive capitalization only apply to titles?
The issue is reported against titles. Descriptions written in capitals are not what this issue flags, but they read as shouting to shoppers, so converting them at the same time as the titles is usually worthwhile.
Related errors
- Text too long: title The "Text too long [title]" warning means a product title is longer than the 150 characters Google accepts, so it is cut off. On Shopify it usually happens when a feed appends variant options, vendor and keywords to an already long product title, or when an SEO title is used as the feed title.
- Promotional overlay on image The "Promotional overlay on image" issue means the main image carries added text, badges, logos or watermarks, so the item is disapproved. On Shopify it usually means sale badges or brand marks were baked into the image file itself, or supplier photos arrived with watermarks or promotional text already applied.
- Misrepresentation A Misrepresentation suspension means Google judged that your store could mislead shoppers about who you are, what you sell or what a purchase costs. On Shopify it usually traces to thin trust signals: missing contact details or return policy, an unclear business identity, costs revealed late or overstated claims.
Primary sources
Channel specifications change. These are the official documents this page is based on.