MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Google’s ad revenue has been steadily increasing year after year, reaching 256.73 billion last 2021. Undoubtedly, advertising in the Google Ad network has become an essential part of a business’ digital marketing mix. A study conducted by Google and Ipsos MediaCT research shows online ads help increase brand awareness by 80% and display advertising has proven to increase traffic to a website by 300%. Advertising lifts top-of-mind awareness, and drives conversions too.
However, in July 2021, Google piloted a policy program in which repeat offenders will get a series of penalties —with the third strike resulting in indefinite account suspension. The testing began in September with three pre-existing policies for ads that earn violations including dishonest behavior, healthcare and medicine, and dangerous products/services.
Recently, Google announced that they will include more policy types to avoid targeting clickbait, misleading ad design, among others. It will expand the scope of its system that would punish the non-compliant advertisers, with the addition of nine more policies in scope of the three-strike ads system namely compensated sexual acts, mail-order brides, clickbait, misleading ad design, bail bond services, call directories, forwarding services, credit repair services, binary options, and personal loans.
Google will begin implementing this on June 21, 2022, with a gradual ramp up over a period of three months.
A strike will be issued to the advertiser’s Google Ads account via in-account notification and an email if your ads violate any of Google ads policy. Each account can receive a maximum of three strikes and one warning for each policy violation.
Truelogic Managing Partner Bernard San Juan III emphasized the importance of following these new policies to stay in Google’s good graces.
“Before you advertise, it’s important to familiarize yourself and to always look out for the evolving Google Ads policies. Play by the rules and focus on creating compelling ads that will help your account safe from being suspended,” he said.
Strikes and Penalties
For first time violators of Google’s above-laid policies, the advertiser will receive a warning and the ad will be removed. If the same policy is violated within 90 days after the warning, there will be a three-day hold placed on the account and you will not be eligible to run an ad.
An additional violation within 90 days of the first strike will result in a second strike and a seven-day account hold. Lastly, for the third strike, if the same policy is violated within 90 days after the second strike, your account will be suspended.
Here’s the catch: for the first and second strike, you have an opportunity to correct any violation. And after the correction, you must submit an acknowledgment form to resume serving ads. If the account is in good standing for 90 days without additional violations, the strike expires. On the other hand, accounts suspended after a third strike can’t run any ads or create new content unless the suspension is successfully appealed.
So as an advertiser, what can you do to avoid strikes and suspension?
San Juan reminds us to “make it a habit to review the content in your Google Ads accounts.” Look for any disapprovals you may have and correct them immediately.
“If you find a campaign falsely flagged, appeal it.”
Familiarizing yourself with the Policy Manager helps immensely but if it becomes too overwhelming, work with a trusted marketing partner who can guide you through the many policy changes in any ad network, not just Google.
