The Shark Tank

The second week of February saw quite a large number of Google ads getting disapproved. While the problem had been ongoing for a few days, it was only on the 15th that Google posted a tweet addressing the issue to calm advertisers’ concerns.

According to Ginny Marvin, a Google Ads liaison’s tweet sent Monday at 4:50 AM, Google was aware of the problem and was working on a fix.

“Our team has identified the problem, and a fix is rolling out. The affected parties are not required to take any action on their end. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience,” said Ginny Marvin in the tweet. Besides the promise of creating a fix for this issue underway, Google did not give specific timelines for when it would fix the problem.

It Coincides With a Similar Issue Last Year

This issue coincides with a similar issue that occurred around the same time last year. In last year’s case, Google was quick to dismiss the claims saying there was no bug with its ad policy enforcement and no mass disapproval of search ads.

Addressing the problems in a tweet in 2022, Google said its priority was safety and that a range advises its policies of concerns, including the ads’ content and the advertisers’ behavior. While the 2022 policy update may have affected the increased cases of disapproval, Google said it did not record any mass disapproval that would indicate a bug.

While it is uncommon to have mass ad disapprovals, in the last few years, Google has become stricter in the content it allows. Not only does Google monitor the types of ads the users see, but it also takes action against advertisers that continually go against its policy guidelines.

Google’s Three Strikes Policy

Google has a three-strike policy to policy guideline violations. The first strike comes if you repeat a violation you had been warned about within 90 days of receiving the warning. A first strike results in a three-day account suspension, after which it starts running normally, save for the flagged ad.

You get a second strike if you repeat the same violation within 90 days of your first strike. A second strike comes with a seven-day account suspension, after which you must submit an acknowledgment form to reactivate your account. If you violate the same policy within 90 days of your second strike, your account is closed indefinitely.

Reasons for Disapproval

There are many reasons why Google could disapprove your ads, but some are more common than others. Some of the most common reasons for disapproval include mentioning copyrighted content or using too many symbols that do not add weight to the content, such as exclamation points, question marks, hashtags, etc.

Your ads may also get disapproved if they say “click here,” have a root domain URL that is different from its destination URL, are in all caps, have low-quality images and video, have prohibited content on the landing page, or link to a landing page that isn’t live.

You can do several things if your ad is disapproved, but you must first determine why. Once you identify the reason, update it to comply with guidelines and resubmit for review. If you believe your ad has been unfairly disapproved, you can contact the Google support team with your complaint or ask for a review.