When you want to drive more high-quality traffic to your website, one of the best ways to do so is through Google advertising.

Through Google advertising, you can target people based on who they are, what they’re interested in and what they’re researching online, as well as those who previously visited your website or interacted with an ad.

Google ads are an effective way to connect with people who are actively searching for what you have to offer online. But you can’t do that if your ads are rejected.

Google has a long list of policies your ad needs to comply with, and keeping up with them can often feel like an uphill battle. Keep reading to learn about a few of the most reasons Google ads are disapproved — and what you can do to fix them.

6 common reasons Google ads are rejected (and how to get them approved)

Reason #1. Your ad infringes on an existing copyright or trademark

If your ad infringes on someone else’s copyright or trademark, Google will reject or remove your ad. Google’s algorithm generally only catches trademarks and copyrights of bigger brands, but if the copyright or trademark holder reports an infringement, the ad may be pulled.

It’s best to avoid using trademarked names of products or competitors in your ads; however, you can still bid on them as keywords. There are a couple of instances where it’s acceptable to use trademarks:

• Re-selling – Recognized resellers can advertise products that have been trademarked
• Information – Content about a specific third-party brand or product can be promoted

How to fix it:

If you’ve removed the offending language from your ad (or if you believe that you are not infringing on a trademark), you can resubmit the ad and file a counter-notification.

Keep in mind that if you’re wrong about not infringing or you fail to file a counter-notification, you run the risk of your account being suspended due to multiple infringements or may be liable for damages.

Reason #2. Your ad has capitalization issues

As nitpicky as it may seem, one of the most common reasons Google ads are rejected is because of capitalization issues.

Sometimes, advertisers are tempted to draw the eye to certain words by using all capitalized letters. But, it’s important to realize that this violates Google’s policies and will result in disapproval of the ad.

Other capitalization issues that can get your ad rejected include failing to capitalize the first letter of proper nouns, capitalizing nouns that aren’t proper and random capitalization.

How to fix it:

Correct any capitalization issues your ad may have. Also, there are some circumstances when Google allows for non-standard capitalization, such as product and brand names, as well as common abbreviations, like ASAP. To use these exceptions, request a review for approval.

Reason #3. Grammar and spelling errors

If your ad has typos or misspelled words, there’s a high risk that it will be disapproved. That’s because Google’s ads are a reflection of Google’s standards and professionalism.

Grammatical errors can also result in ad disapproval, but Google is slightly more lenient where grammar is concerned. For example, your ad probably won’t be rejected if you use sentence fragments or a semicolon instead of a comma. But, big grammar errors can still result in rejection of your ad, so it pays to take the time to proofread your ad copy.

How to fix it:

Obviously, it’s important to correct any spelling or grammar mistakes in your ad. However, if the misspelling is intentional (i.e. “Kool Cutz”), you can get a special exemption by requesting a human review.

Reason #4. Incorrect use of punctuation and symbols

If you use punctuation marks and symbols in violation of Google’s policy, your ad may be rejected. Here are a few examples of punctuation and symbol use violations:

• Using exclamation points in the headline of your ad
• Using multiple exclamation marks in the ad copy
• Using non-standard symbols, like ellipses, bullet points or asterisks
• Using symbols that aren’t true to their purpose or meaning, like “@” instead of “at”
• Using unsupported characters, like emojis

How to fix it:

Avoid getting your ad rejected for incorrectly using symbols or punctuation by leaving them out as much as possible. Instead of drawing attention by using an exclamation point, for example, use stronger language.

If your product or brand name uses non-standard punctuation or symbols, you may be able to get it approved. But in order to do so, it must be used consistently in the ad’s destination (usually your landing page or homepage).

Reason #5. Using the wrong CTA

Your call to action (CTA) is one of the most important aspects of your Google ad, because it tells users what to do in order to take action on your offer. But not all CTAs are made equal, and some CTAs can get your ad rejected.

One of the most common CTA problems that can get your ad rejected is using “click here.” Google considers this to be “trick-to-click” text and will immediately flag your ad if you use it.

Your ad can also be rejected if you use a CTA that discourages (e.g. “Call us at…” or “Visit us at…”) Google earns money when users click ads and will reject ads that discourage them.

How to fix it:

Use specific CTAs that encourage clicks, like, “Subscribe,” “Shop today” or “Sign up now.” If you’d like to encourage more phone calls, take advantage of call-only ads. If you’d like to encourage people to visit other destinations on your website, use site link extensions.

Reason #6. There are issues with the ad’s destination

If the landing page that your ad points to has not been set up correctly or isn’t functioning properly, it can result in your ad being disapproved. This includes landing pages that:

• Aren’t live yet or crawlable
• Have errors, such as DNS or internal server errors
• Don’t load on common devices and browsers or in some destinations
• Don’t load quickly on popular browsers and devices
• Interfere with or disable the user’s back button
• Require downloading an additional application (apart from popular browser plug-ins)

Your ad can also be disapproved if the content on your landing page was designed primarily for showing the ad or to send users to a different destination.

How to fix it:

Correct any issues with your landing page, and make sure that your content is original, useful and unique. If you can’t make changes to your landing page, consider directing users to a different landing page.

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