Google Ads policy violations explained

There’s nothing more frustrating than missing out on connecting with your audience, and losing previous data when your ads are pulled due to violations. In the wrong hands, entire campaigns can be disapproved and accounts suspended. So, how do you approach Google Ads with complete responsibility, ready to avoid every common pitfall when advertising? 

The answer lies in this article. Understanding Google’s strict policies is crucial for maintaining compliance and ensuring successful campaigns. This guide explores common policy violations, how to fix them, and the best practices to prevent future issues.

• What are Google Ads policy violations?
• Frequent/common types of policy violations
• How to identify policy violations in your campaigns
• What happens when your ad violates a policy?
• Steps to fix a policy violation
• Best practices to stay compliant

What are Google Ads policy violations?

Google Ads has strict policies designed to ensure a safe, high-quality experience for users. Violations occur when an ad, website, or business practice breaches these guidelines. These policies cover various aspects, including prohibited content, restricted industries, misleading claims, and technical compliance.

Types of Google Ads policies

• Prohibited Content: Bans on illegal products, counterfeit goods, and harmful content.

• Prohibited Practices: These include deceptive advertising, data collection misuse, and abusive content.

• Restricted Content: Certain industries (e.g., alcohol, gambling, healthcare) require compliance with specific regulations.

• Editorial & Technical Standards: Ads must be clear, professional, and meet technical quality guidelines.

Frequent/common types of policy violations

Let’s get down to the basics. The vast majority of violations will fall into these four categories:

Misrepresentation and deceptive practices
This includes things like false claims, clickbait tactics, or misleading promotions. It also involves the failure to provide essential product or service details.

Prohibited or restricted products & services
Any advertising of banned substances, weapons, or regulated financial services without approval. There are special cases for some instances, but on the whole, these are very highly regulated services to advertise and are held to a very high restriction as a result.

This category also includes running ads for restricted products without proper certification. This is of vital importance for legal reasons, far beyond basic marketing etiquette.

Copyright and trademark infringements
If you’re using trademarked terms without authorisation, you may fall at this hurdle. Similarly, if you plagiarise competitor’s content in ads, Google will pick up on this infringement.

Malicious or harmful content
Any websites containing malware, phishing scams, or deceptive downloads will be flagged and ads surrounding them will be instantly paused. In a similarly extreme case, ads leading harmful landing pages will also be flagged and face swift consequences. This is a policy that is all about protecting users safety and well-being online. 

Ad Format and editorial issues
Your formatting matters in ads. Using excessive capitalisation, punctuation, or unclear calls to action can result in policy violations, alongside landing pages that are broken, misleading, or not user-friendly.

How to identify policy violations in your campaigns

There are a few platforms and tools in your arsenal that you can use to assist in flagging potential policy violations before they do any harm. With larger campaigns in particular, these can be a real time-saver, and a surefire way to keep an eye on every element of your highly detailed and intricate campaigns with ease.

• Google Ads Notifications: Check account alerts for disapproved ads or policy warnings as this is often the first place you’ll be notified about any updates.

• Google Ads Policy Manager: Here you can review flagged ads and receive explanations for violations.

• Google Ads Diagnostic Tools: Use tools like Ad Preview and Diagnostics to spot potential issues.

Manual Review: Regularly audit ads, keywords, and landing pages for compliance by hand. As much as AI and machine learning are useful, humans tend to be better at sensing when something is being misrepresented online.

What happens when your ad violates a policy?

There are several stages to a policy violation, with each stage escalating the severity of the consequence or punishment from Google. In some instances, this escalation may be faster than anticipated, depending on how severe the violation is.

• Ad Disapproval: The ad or ads stop running until the issue is fixed.

• Account Warnings: Repeated violations may result in warnings and restrictions.

• Account Suspension: Severe or persistent violations can lead to a temporary or permanent account ban.

• Appeals Process: If you believe an error has occurred, you can request a manual review. This can be a time consuming process, but it’s worth chasing if you feel a mistake has been made in the assumed policy violation.

Steps to fix a policy violation

If you’ve had an ad or campaign trigger a policy violation, you don’t need to panic. There are a few ways you can quickly regain control of your campaign, including a formalised review process from Google.

• Review the violation notice: Identify the specific policy breach in Google Ads.

• Correct the issue: Edit the ad, adjust targeting, or update the landing page.

• Resubmit the ad for review: After making changes, request Google to review the updated ad.

• Check for additional issues: Ensure compliance across all campaigns to avoid repeated violations.

• Seek expert help: If unsure, consult Google’s support or a PPC specialist.

Best practices to stay compliant

Read Google Ads policies regularly
Stay updated on policy changes to ensure you don’t accidentally fall behind. Or hire an expert to look after your PPC with an expert knowledge of the latest developments.

Use clear and honest advertising
Avoid misleading claims or vague offers that may confuse users. Ultimately, you want your ads to be specific and tailored to your ideal audience, so keep things simple and focus on your customer’s needs and expectations.

Ensure landing page quality
Your site pages should load quickly, be relevant, and not contain restricted content. These are simple checks that you can do to avoid basic policy violations that can be easily avoided.

Educate your team
Ensure all PPC managers and marketers working with you understand Google’s requirements. This is a meaningful way to unite your team and upgrade the standards of your marketing overall.

In conclusion

Avoiding Google Ads policy violations is essential for maintaining a successful advertising account, but it needn’t be a minefield to navigate. By understanding common issues, regularly auditing ads, and following best practices, you can easily prevent disapprovals and maintain compliance.

In cases where violations occur, quickly fixing issues and using the appeals process can help get ads reinstated efficiently. If you stay informed and proactive, violations will rarely be a concern, as you usher in long-term marketing success with Google Ads.