When your products have problems on Google, you can hire a freelance Google Merchant Center consultant or a specialized agency. Both can do good work. The right choice depends on the size of your catalog, how much of your revenue comes from Google and how fast you need things fixed.
What a Merchant Center consultant does
A consultant is usually one specialist who works on specific tasks: fixing a group of disapproved products, setting up a new account, or advising your team on how to improve the feed.
- Good for: one-off problems, small catalogs, stores with someone in-house who will keep the work going.
- Watch out for: availability. If the consultant is on vacation when your account gets suspended, you wait.
What a Merchant Center agency does
An agency covers the whole cycle: audit, feed setup, optimization, policy issues and ongoing monitoring, with more than one person who knows your account.
- Good for: large catalogs, several countries or languages, stores where Google Shopping is a key sales channel.
- Watch out for: agencies that only manage ads and treat the feed as an afterthought. Ask who works on the product data.
Side by side
| Consultant | Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Specific tasks and small catalogs | Ongoing management and larger catalogs |
| Coverage | One person | A team that knows the account |
| Monitoring | Usually on request | Usually scheduled |
| Suspensions | Depends on their availability | Process and backup in place |
Five questions that decide it
- How much of your online revenue comes from Google Shopping and free listings?
- How many products do you have, and how often do prices and stock change?
- Do you sell in more than one country or language?
- Does anyone in your team look at Merchant Center every week?
- What would a week without products on Google cost you?
If the answers point to a small, stable catalog and someone in-house, a consultant is usually enough. If Google drives a large share of sales or downtime is expensive, an agency is the safer choice.
What to ask either of them
- Will the account stay in my name?
- How will you report what you changed?
- Have you fixed a misrepresentation suspension before, and how? (Read our guide to fixing a misrepresentation suspension.)
- Which ecommerce platforms do you work with?
Where Avafa fits
Avafa is a Google Merchant Center agency: we work as a team on audits, feeds, suspensions and monitoring, in English and Spanish. For the full picture, see what a Google Merchant Center agency does.
FAQs
Is a consultant cheaper than an agency?
For a single task, usually yes. For ongoing work on a large catalog, the cost of downtime often matters more than the fee.
Can I start with a consultant and move to an agency later?
Yes. Just make sure the account, the feed and the documentation stay with you so the handover is simple.
¿Por qué elegimos a Avafa Consulting como nuestra agencia SEO? Tuvimos la oportunidad de trabajar anteriormente con Víctor García y su equipo en otro proyecto, y la experiencia fue muy positiva tanto por su profesionalismo como por los resultados obtenidos.
Ruben Albardias Idiarte
Communication & Digital Marketing Manager
Elegimos a Avafa Consulting por su enfoque estratégico del SEO como eje central de crecimiento digital... Su experiencia en eCommerce y Marketplaces es bien sabida.
Laia Valero
CEO de DESKandSITm
