What changed
Google’s 2026 Merchant Center product-data specification update says the minimum resolution for both image_link and additional_image_link becomes 500×500 pixels across all product categories and marketing methods on January 31, 2027. Google began surfacing warnings ahead of enforcement so merchants can identify affected products early.
Official references: Merchant Center product data specification update 2026 and Google image_link guidance.
What PAL can help you check
Shopify image dimensions
PAL Catalog Check reviews image dimensions when Shopify exposes them and flags images below the 500×500 readiness target.
Missing product images
Catch products that do not have an image before relying on them for downstream shopping feeds.
Catalog readiness
Review titles, vendors, URLs, identifiers, prices and variant consistency alongside image readiness.
Read-only workflow
The Shopify app requests only product-read access and does not edit products, variants or images.
Two ways to use the current PAL tools
PAL Catalog Check for Shopify is live on the Shopify App Store. The Free plan can inspect Shopify catalog fields directly after installation, including observable image-readiness gaps.
Product Feed Preflight Auditor is already public and runs CSV checks locally in your browser. It is useful for structural feed problems, missing fields, identifiers, variant inconsistencies and other preflight checks without uploading the CSV to PAL.
Important limitation
PAL provides readiness guidance, not a guarantee of Google Merchant Center approval. Google can evaluate additional feed, website, policy and account-level factors that are outside the scope of a Shopify catalog scan.