What can’t be advertised on Google Ads?

Advertising is a lever of commerce. Properly conducted marketing activities can translate into increased popularity and sales of our products. One of the main platforms for placing ads on the Internet is Google Ads. With billions of users, the scale of reaching the public’s consciousness here is unimaginable. Not surprisingly, a significant number of advertisers have decided to advertise in Google’s environment. The idea is simple: I have a product, a website, and a Google Ads account, and I can start creating campaigns. That’s usually how it goes. However, some restrictions do not allow you to advertise certain product categories.

Google Rules

Before we create our first campaign, we must read (optional) and accept (mandatory) all Google Ads Rules. They include information about restricted content, attitudes toward copyright, and prohibited practices. Google also pays attention to the editorial and technical requirements of the material used in ads, making the user experience associated with ads more positive.

Banned content

The user experience of Google ads is also affected by the products advertised. Google does not agree to advertise items that:

1. Are unoriginal This refers to counterfeit products of well-known brands that have identical or very similar logos belonging to another manufacturer. If there are such products on our site, we cannot advertise them either.
2. It may be dangerous or illegal. This includes psychoactive substances, weapons, explosives or fireworks. We will also fail to promote instructions to produce explosives or tobacco products.
3. Prevent fraudulent behaviour Advertising fake documents, „writing a thesis for someone” services or selling „followers on Instagram” is prohibited.
4. Contains inappropriate content, that is, content that is inconsistent with netiquette. Ads of a vulgar nature, promoting violence or intolerance, will not be displayed. The same applies to products with slogans that discriminate against others for any reason. Content depicting drastic scenes, crime scenes or other types of cruelty are also not allowed.

Disallowed practices

In addition to content prohibited by law (or by other imposed rules), Google offers its three cents on restrictions. Intentionally misleading users is undesirable. Google effectively deletes ads that direct users to a different destination than they would expect to reach. If an ad suggests clicking on it will take you to an electronics store, but the landing page harbours malware or one big banner ad, Google will remove it. Any other type of deception of potential viewers is also penalized.

Due to delays in generating the product file, the prices of products in the store (on the site) and the ads may be different. Google will first reject such a product in the Google Merchant Center, and if the situation persists, it may even suspend our Google Ads account!

Pages that present false information, phishing or impersonating trusted companies will also not be advertised in the Google environment.

These products can be advertised, but…

Some products require special treatment because of legal restrictions. As I mentioned initially, Google’s user network is huge and includes minors. The age of users is just one factor that advertisers who promote restricted products must consider.

Erotic content

First, Google will not display such ads to minors (those who are not logged in or those the system marks as potentially minors). Only adults will see them, provided they have previously searched for similar content. The regulations of the country where the user is located must also allow such ads to be displayed. A fairly common opinion in the industry is that „sex sells.” Some advertisers thus try to circumvent Google’s rules by depicting ad characters in explicit situations without showing forbidden elements, such as:

• sexual organs;
• breasts;
• erotic gadgets;
• nightclubs;
• models and models in erotic positions; 

Alcohol

Percentage drinks are a touchy subject on the Internet. They usually cannot be promoted on Google or any social media site. For example, manufacturers try to circumvent regulations by advertising non-alcoholic beers on Instagram. In Google Ads, this will not go through. The restrictions include:

• beer;
• wine;
• vodka and other spirits;
• beer non-alcoholic beer;
• other non-alcoholic beverages produced by distillation;
• and almost everything associated with alcohol;

In some countries, alcohol advertising is allowed, provided that the target group is not minors. In Poland, according to the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism, only beer advertising is allowed. However, restrictions apply here as well. Beer advertising must not:

• suggest that beer consumption contributes to professional or social success;
• be targeted at people under 18 (coincides with Google’s rules);
• encourage excessive beer consumption;
• suggest that beer has medicinal, nutritional or refreshing properties;

Hazard

As I mentioned above, Google strictly adheres to the laws of the country where we want to display ads. According to the Gambling Act, advertising dice, card, and slot games is prohibited in Poland, so we won’t see such ads on Google either. However, there are countries where we can advertise gambling games. In Poland, for example, pari-mutuel betting is permitted, provided that the organizer has received a special permit.

If a country’s law allows advertising (or we have received special permission), we still must meet Google’s requirements. These mainly concern the target audience’s age or type of ads.

Advertisers try to circumvent the law by offering, among other things, betting and games of chance, the subjects of which are virtual equivalents of money rather than money itself. Google usually does not allow such ads, but other platforms are less restrictive…

Medicines and medical devices

The advertising of medicines is a rather sensitive issue. Some time ago, the Ministry of Health banned the use of actors who played the role of doctors or specialists to promote medical devices. Advertisements also cannot be aimed directly at children. There are a whole host of government guidelines on the promotion of medicines. As with alcohol or gambling, the law precedes Google’s rules here. However, the platform requires that ads not include images or videos that show invasive procedures or open wounds.

Additionally, to advertise drugs, the manufacturer of the products must be certified by Google. We also cannot include the names of prescription drugs in the advertisement’s content. In some countries, it is also forbidden to advertise addiction treatment services, contraception and drugs containing unapproved substances. The full list of restrictions Google provides in the Google Ads policy centre.

Copyright

We can’t use copyrighted images or text in our ads. Google pays special attention to this, especially when someone submits our ad. To claim copyright on some content, we should submit a form available on Google’s support page.

Financial Services

Google wants users to be able to make informed decisions, so intentionally misleading them is prohibited. This is especially true for financial services. These services are not only traditional banks, but also brokerage houses, stock market instruments or cryptocurrency-related activities. Google allows them to be advertised as long as it is legal in the country where the ads are displayed. This topic is difficult in Polish law, but it is worth knowing that we should not refer to false data in ads. This applies, for example, to potential financial performance, the identity of the entity offering the service or the legal nature of the service. In Poland, the limits of advertising financial services are defined by many legal acts, such as the Banking Law, the Payment Services Act or the Consumer Credit Act. If you operate in such an industry, you should consult the content of advertisements with lawyers

Political content

Promoting political parties or advocating a particular position on political issues can be advertised in Google Ads. Here, Google does not add anything of its own except that the ads must comply with the country’s laws. This includes periods of electoral silence or special marking of ads.

Trademarks

Google allows major companies to reserve their trademarks. We will then be unable to display ads containing a particular company’s logo or name. This also applies to text ads: we cannot use, for example, the word Facebook in headlines and ad text.

Our specialists are familiar with Google Ads campaigns. Even in the most demanding industries!

Does your company have medical-related activities? Do you want to advertise a brokerage house or financial advisory services? Contact us and together we will find the best solutions!

Learn more!

Ad quality requirements

One of the goals of Google Ads is to provide users with quality ads. Therefore, we cannot use low-resolution images, overly generic headlines, or write non-standardly („BUY at Na$!!!”). This does not look aesthetically pleasing and builds a brand image as frivolous. We cannot use exclamation points or too many capital letters in headlines.

When creating an ad, Google tells us its requirements next to each parameter. If the image size is too small, we won’t use it in the ad. If the graphic is blurry, the ad will not pass verification. There is no way around this mechanism. 

Verify ad content

Every ad we create in Google Ads has to go through a verification process. If everything is fine with it, it will start to show up in ad networks or search results after some time. If there’s something wrong with it, we’ll see a notification of rejected ads in the campaign preview. When we look at the ad, there will be an element highlighted in red that needs to be corrected. At the ad creation stage, even before checking, the system will check some elements, such as the photo format or the text’s length. If the text is too long and the photo too small (or too heavy), the ad will not even make it to verification.

Consequences of not following the rules

The least painful consequence of creating an inappropriate ad will be its rejection. We can correct it and submit it for re-verification. It gets more difficult when Google deems that we are intentionally misleading users. Then, our account may receive restrictions, warnings or a temporary block. When we receive three warnings, the account (and all other accounts that can be linked to us somehow) will be permanently blocked. We can, of course, appeal this decision, but the process is tedious and lengthy.

It is also worth mentioning that the advertiser, not Google, is legally responsible for the ads. If we somehow manage to create an ad that breaks the law in a particular country, then the responsibility will be on the side of the person/organization paying for the ads.

Summary

Thanks to Google Ads rules, ads are unobtrusive and usually don’t disrupt the user’s online experience. At least not to the extent that we would be „attacked” from all sides by ads for drugs, alcohol and aeroplane crash scenes. These restrictions also affect the image of the Google Ads network. Advertisers would be less likely to advertise their products or services when controversial content is displayed alongside their ads. Effectively enforcing the rules and aligning them with local laws is one of the reasons for the success of Google’s platform.