Why did Google disapprove my ad?
A disapproved ad has broken one of Google’s ad rules, and it won’t show again until it’s fixed. Common causes are a phone number in the text, a claim you can’t back up, an offer that isn’t on your page, or the way the text is written.
What a disapproval means
Google reviews every new ad, and reviews it again each time you edit it. Google Ads shows the reason next to the ad, so start there. Fix that line, save the ad, and it goes back for review. If you think Google got it wrong, you can appeal the decision instead.
Rules to check first
- A phone number in the ad text. Use a call asset instead.
- A promise nobody can back up, like a set number of leads.
- An offer in the ad that people can’t find on the page.
- A license, review count or number of years that isn’t real.
- Clickbait, fake buttons or fake alerts.
How the text is written
Google also checks style: shouting in all caps, extra “!!!” and odd spacing can all get an ad stopped. In a standard text ad, headlines can be up to 30 characters and descriptions up to 90. Avoid repeating the same line across them.
The page your ad sends people to
The ad and the page have to agree, so if the ad offers something, the page should show it. The page also has to load and work on phones. Our post on what your website needs before you run ads covers the rest.
How we write ads that pass
We only write claims the client can show on their page. At least one headline carries the service and city, and each headline makes sense on its own, because Google can show them in any order. Before an ad goes live, we check it with Google’s ad preview tool.
Questions
It says misleading, but I didn’t lie. What went wrong?
Google checks that every claim can be backed up and every offer is easy to find on your page. A line like “best in Miami”, a promise of results, or an offer that isn’t on the page can be flagged even if you meant it honestly.
Can I say “call now” or show a price?
You can ask people to call or book. Any offer or price in the ad has to be easy to find on the page the ad sends people to.
How long does it take after I fix it?
Google reviews the ad again after you edit it. Google says most ads are reviewed within one business day, and some take longer.
Google says the problem is my page. What does that mean?
Google checks the page your ad sends people to, not only the ad. A broken link, a page that won’t load, or a missing offer can stop the ad. Fix the page, then the ad is reviewed again.
Ad disapproved and not sure why? See how we run Google Ads, or book a call and tell us what Google flagged.