Today, we’ll focus on a specific policy issue that has recently become more prevalent: unreliable claims. This falls under the Misrepresentation policy, which aims to ensure that ads are clear, honest, and provide necessary information.
Unreliable claims entice users with improbable results as likely outcomes. They fall into three sub-categories:
Claims related to health and weight loss. 🏋️♂️⚖️
Claims related to financial products or money-making schemes. 💰📈
Claims related to politics, social issues, or matters of public concern. 🗳️📰
Want to brainstorm with our team on new ways to scale your business with YouTube Ads (and other performance video platforms)?
Join us for a free YouTube ad brainstorming session👇
The foundation of every click in video advertising lies within the messaging. In a world flooded with ads, you need to stand out. If you don’t shock, excite, surprise, wow, or worry your audience, there’s a high chance your ad will be brushed aside. 🎯✨
However, without restraint, all our ads might start with sensationalist claims like “SHOCKING DISCOVERY! THE WORLD IS GOING TO END…” 🚨🌎 To prevent this, Google Ads has policies to ensure marketers don’t prey on emotions while promoting their products.
Google Ads policies strive to support a healthy, trustworthy, and transparent digital advertising ecosystem. 🌐🔒 They are designed to ensure a safe and positive experience for users while adhering to applicable laws. These policies prohibit harmful content and ensure the overall quality of ads. 📜✔️
Google advertising policies cover four broad areas:
Prohibited content: Content you can’t advertise on the Google Network. 🚫
Prohibited practices: Actions you can’t take if you want to advertise with us. 🛑
Restricted content and features: Content you can advertise, but with limitations. ⚠️
Editorial and technical: Quality standards for your ads, websites, and apps. ✏️💻
When you encounter a policy violation, such as unreliable claims, you have two options for appeal: dispute the decision or make necessary edits and update your ad. 🔄✍️
You can track your appeals in the Tools -> Troubleshooting -> Policy Manager tab. If your appeal fails, contact Google Ads support for further assistance.
Under the sub-tab Appeal history, you can find the outcome of your appeal.
If your appeal fails, contact Google Ads support for further assistance.
If you have dedicated account support, reach out and ask for extra assistance to speed up the process.
Another thing to check is whether your landing page is causing the issue. Sometimes, it’s not the creative assets causing the problem but the final URL. Contacting support to get the cause properly defined is a crucial step if your appeal does not go through.
In the past, we’ve encountered situations where the same video would run in one campaign but get flagged in another. We’ve also seen cases where one appeal would be successful, while another would not. Sometimes, a video that has been working for months suddenly gets flagged. We can’t provide a foolproof solution, but we can offer tools to give you a fair chance of resolving the issue. 🛠️⚖️
Having policies is beneficial as they set the rules and keep advertisers responsible. However, when facing a policy violation, arm yourself with knowledge, build endurance, and drench yourself in patience. Resolution can come immediately, today, this week, or this month. 💪⏳
How do you set up your ads to comply with the policies? Reply to this email and let us know if you’ve had similar issues.
Good luck on your marketing journey! 🚀📈
Want to brainstorm with our team on new ways to scale your business with YouTube Ads (and other performance video platforms)?
Join us for a free YouTube ad brainstorming session👇
Want more content like this?
Don’t miss out on the latest news and updates from the world of Direct Response advertising! Subscribe to our newsletter today 👇
Dejan Bovan, Senior Media Buyer
Having started out at Inceptly as a tracking whizz and a certified GTM, GDS, and Segment expert, Dejan then transitioned into media buying. His background and analytical mindset now help him spot and take advantage of untapped opportunities for our clients.
Like this post? Let's continue the conversation!
Get in touch with us by shooting us a quick email or tagging us on LinkedIn or Instagram, and sharing your thoughts. Your feedback helps us keep our blog relevant and interesting.
Get Our Newsletter
Need Help?
Get in touch with us for an insightful evaluation of your ads + actionable tips to help amp up your direct response revenue
