Image Contains Promotional Overlay
Your product image has promotional text or graphics overlaid on it. Google's policy strictly prohibits: sale banners ('SALE!', '50% OFF', 'NEW'), price overlays ('$19.99', 'Starting at $15'), watermarks (seller URL, logo in corner), brand logos unless they're part of the physical product, shipping/stock overlays ('Free Shipping', 'In Stock'), or any decorative graphics not part of the actual product. Google wants product images to show the product as shoppers would see it in real life, without marketing layers.
Promotional overlay on image / Image contains promotional overlayImpact: Image overlays are a strict policy violation. Google bans promotional text, watermarks, and graphical overlays on product images to ensure a clean, consistent visual experience on Shopping. Products with overlaid images are disapproved until the images are replaced. Repeated overlay violations across the catalog can trigger broader feed quality reviews.
Root Causes
- 1A Shopify app, WooCommerce plugin, or third-party tool auto-adds promotional badges ('NEW', 'SALE', '-20%') to product images.
- 2Your images have watermark overlays (company URL, logo, 'Sample' text) baked into the source files.
- 3Products have 'price overlays' from print-on-demand platforms or dropshipping suppliers that include price tags on images.
- 4Decorative borders, frames, or backgrounds added to images for aesthetic reasons but outside the product itself.
- 5Lifestyle compositions where promotional text is included (e.g., a dress on a model with a banner reading '30% OFF').
Fix by Platform
- 1Identify the overlay source. Common culprits: 'Hextom Pro', 'Ultimate Sales Boost', 'Sales Pop Pro', 'Yotpo Badges', 'Frequently Bought Together'.
- 2Disable the overlay on primary product images: in the app's settings, exclude the main product image from badge/overlay display. Most apps let you control where badges appear.
- 3If overlays are baked into the image files themselves: you need to replace the images. Download clean versions from your supplier or create new product shots without overlays.
- 4For print-on-demand integrations (Printful, Printify, Gelato): these sometimes include price or mockup elements. Check their feed settings to use 'clean mockups' without text overlays.
- 5Bulk replace: export your image URLs, identify ones with overlays, generate clean versions (AI tools can help), re-upload. Or use Shopify's CDN to serve alternate image versions via a custom Liquid filter.
When This Doesn't Apply
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have my store's logo as a small watermark in the corner?+
No. Even subtle seller watermarks are considered promotional overlays and cause image disapproval. Google wants clean product images that show the product itself, not the seller's branding. If you're worried about image theft, remember that Google Shopping displays images from your feed — competitors using your exact images would need to link to your CDN, which is easily detected.
What about images with the product's own brand logo (not the seller's)?+
That's fine. If you're selling Nike shoes and the image shows a Nike logo on the shoe itself (part of the physical product), that's allowed and expected. The rule is about added promotional overlays, not content that's genuinely part of the product. A book cover with text, a branded t-shirt with a logo, a product with packaging text — all acceptable.
Does the no-overlay rule apply to lifestyle/context images too?+
Yes. Lifestyle images can't have promotional text overlaid on them either. A model wearing your dress is fine; the same image with '30% OFF' text across the top isn't. For primary product images, Google actually prefers clean product-focused shots (white background, product is 75%+ of frame). Lifestyle shots work better as secondary gallery images.
How long after I fix images does the warning clear?+
After replacing images with clean versions and updating the feed URL (if the CDN URL changed), trigger a manual feed fetch in GMC. Google re-scans images within 24–48 hours. The overlay flag typically clears within 3–5 business days. If the same image URL is still flagged after you fixed it, force a cache bust by changing the URL (e.g., add a version query parameter) so Google fetches the new version.