Google Appeal Form: How to Fix and Apply for Disapproved Google Ad?

So, your pay-per-click (PPC) campaign is all set. You’re feeling confident about your keyword lists, you’ve optimized your ad copy, and your account is like a finely-tuned machine. It’s time to launch — but suddenly, there’s a misfire. You don’t see any spend, impressions, or clicks. Nothing! What’s going on?

Before long, you realize that your ads have been disapproved. Now, you have a new problem. Luckily, the Google Appeal Form makes this challenge a little easier to handle.

In this article, we’ll tell you what the Google Appeal Form is, why it matters, and of course, we’ll show you how the Google Ads approval process works so you know how to fix disapproved ads.

What is Google Appeal Form?

Google Appeal Form is a new feature from Google Ads that allows advertisers to appeal in the case where the advertising platform has disapproved ads. Google aims to empower each business to optimize the performance of its ads, but there are certain policies put in place to ensure the safety of its stakeholders.

Google wants to give each advertiser the best chances of success on the platform. However, with the massive volume of ads created and published daily, there are specific regulations that advertisers must follow to make it fair for everyone.

Simplicity is a crucial aspect of Google Ads. There are enough metrics and features to consider without the company making it more complicated. With that in mind, Google Ads is designed in a way that enables you to manage your ads in a single interface.

If your ads are disapproved because they do not abide by all the policies of Google Ads, you can file a complaint through the Google Appeal form.

You can resubmit the ads that were disapproved after making some tweaks to get in line with the Google Ads policy.

Refer to the policy guidelines to figure out why your ads were disapproved, and then make the necessary changes. Once you make your changes, your ads will be ready to be published.

Click submit once you fill in the necessary boxes.

How COVID-19 Impacts the Google Appeal Form Process

With the plight of the COVID-19 situation impacting global business in all industries, the advertising world is taking a hit. Google has been taking the wellbeing of its workforce into account and putting their health above everything else.

As a result, there may be some delays in the process if you lodge a Google Appeal Form. However, Google requests that everyone has some patience and understanding during this time, and advises advertisers to use self-help tools wherever possible.

How the Google Ad Approval Process Works

Once an ad has been submitted, the process of reviewing the ad will begin as soon as possible. Every detail will be considered in your ads. Every element utilized will be checked and processed.

 
When this process is occurring, your ads will be ‘Under review.’

Once your ad passes the initial checkpoints, its status will change to either ‘Approved’ or ‘Disapproved.’

If the review determines that you are violating a particular Google Ads policy, you will be informed immediately on what the issue is, and will have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

Why Are Certain Google Ads Not Approved?

Google policies are strict, but it’s not impossible to stay in the good books. Here are some common reasons that an ad may be disapproved in Google Ads:

1. You are advocating products that do not align with Google Ads policies

Google will automatically disapprove ads that advocate for products that do not align with Google Ads policies. If you are advertising or advocating for products that may endanger third parties, such as weaponry, drugs, explosives, etc. then it’s highly unlikely your ad will be approved.

2. You are advertising inappropriate content

If your ad targets certain social groups, undermines individuals/ businesses, or portrays acts of profane behavior, or elements of self-harm, bullying, crime-related images, then your ads will be put under review.

3. Ads that misrepresent your destination

Transparency is paramount. You can’t mislead people by advertising one thing on your ad, then another on your landing page. Misrepresentation may suspend your account. Worse still, if your landing page doesn’t include essential details or deliberately hides pertinent information, like hidden costs, fees, or taxes, then you are guilty of misrepresentation.

Deliberate misrepresentation could be part of a phishing scam, which will probably result in your Ads account getting suspended.

4. Restricted content doesn’t meet the policies

On Google Ads, there are specific categories of content that you may only advertise to limited audiences or with restricted targeting. For instance, you can advertise adult content through Google, but you must set restrictions so that it only displays to people of legal age.

 
Here are some mandatory guidelines for advertising restricted content on Google Ads:

• Adult Content – You must meet the appropriate restrictions for matching search queries, user age, and any applicable local laws.
• Alcohol – You must meet any applicable local laws, and only display ads to people above the legal age.
• Copyrighted content – You must have the legal right to use the copyright. Google is cracking down hard on copyright and trademark issues now.
• Gambling content -You must meet the requirements for targeting and local laws. These restrictions apply to everything from online poker games to sports betting to physical casinos.
• Healthcare-related content – You must meet any applicable local laws.
• Political content -You must advertise in line with any applicable local campaign and election laws, and provide full disclosure where required.
• Financial services – You must only advertise legitimate services and avoid unlicensed financial services, like payday loans. Also, you must meet any applicable local or regional laws.

 
If your ad fails to measure up Google’s restrictions, it will be disapproved, and your ad will not run.

5. Plaintext phone numbers in your ad copy

Google tracks ad performance. If you run a click-to-call ad, but include a plaintext phone number, there’s no way for the platform to track the calls through your ad. Of course, you’re free to include a number if you want to use a Google phone extension instead.

6. The ad copy text is too long

Google will reject your ads if the copy is too long. The ideal length for ad copy is about 25 characters for a headline and 35 for the URL. Stick within the limits to create optimized ads.

7. There is a domain mismatch

The URL domain and destination domain must match, even if there is a URL redirection in place.

8. Google detects malware on the advertised website

If Google detects any malicious software on a website, it won’t run ads that attempt to direct people to that site. By prioritizing the safety and security of its users, Google will reject any attempts to approve such ads.

9. Legal reasons

Sometimes, Google Ads will deny ads for legal reasons, such as:

• Someone filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), or Google detected the use of copyright you don’t own.
• Anti-content, which is any content explicitly attempting to deter people from doing business with another organization, group, or person.
• Blatant illegal activity, like advertising underage-themed sexual content or sale of illicit narcotics.
• A third party court order. However, if your ads are disapproved because of this reason, you will probably already be aware of the ongoing court case involving your company!

Wrap Up

When Google Ads disapproves your ad, it can be a major setback to your PPC campaign. However, it doesn’t always mean disaster. Quite often, you just need to make some minor adjustments to get the green light.

With the Google Appeal Form, you can rectify issues to ensure your ad meets the standards and policies required by Google Ads. Over time, as you create more ad campaigns, you will invariably get better at creating ads that fit the bill.

If you want to learn more about Google policies, read our blog, 6 Reasons Why Google Ads Policies Are Rejecting Your Ads.