Misrepresentation in your advertisement and violation of Google Ads’ policies can get your Google account suspended. Here are the pertinent details:
- Google will be updating its Misrepresentation Policy on November 21st, 2023 for pay-per-click ads.
- Following the update, the non-fulfillment of products or services as a result of lack of qualifications previously filed under the Misrepresentation policy, will now be subjected to the Unacceptable Business Practices policy.
- Violation of the policy will henceforth lead to Google Merchant Center account suspension without prior warning as it will be considered Google’s violation of terms of service.
The Implication of Google Ads Policies Update
The update in misrepresentation is being done to ensure users’ trust and seller information transparency. Previously, the aspect of non-fulfillment of services and products owing to lack of qualifications were under the Misrepresentation Policy, but are now being moved to the more stringent Unacceptable Business Practices policy and will be treated as such.
Thus if you want to keep your Google Ads up and running, it is pertinent to abide by the Google advertising policies. Failure to do so will get Google Ad Services blocked without any notice and you will no longer be able to advertise on the platform.
Google Ads Misrepresentation Policy
The Google Ads Misrepresentation Policy bars advertisements or locations that may mislead customers via exclusion of pertinent data or provision of false information about the product, service or the company.
The policy is intended to target unacceptable business practices, for instance misstating facts or concealing details about the product, service or the enterprise itself. Violations categorized under this policy include unfair pricing policies, misleading ads, clickbait, false claims and phishing scams.
Google Unacceptable Business Practices Policy
The Google Unacceptable Business Practices Policy bans impersonation of manufacturers, false promotion of an enterprise you cannot present or that cannot provide the advertised products or services, collection of personal data under false pretense and other ways to mislead consumers.
The policy also prohibits damaging false promotion for instance making claims to provide medical aid, deterring the consumer from seeking actual remedy.
Besides the direct violations, Google may also take action on external complaints regarding impersonation, or if an advertiser has received a regulatory warning or settlement claim associated with dishonest business practices.
Adhering to Google Ads Policies
Google Ads policies have a significant impact on the performance of your ads and in the instance of policy violations you may find your Google ads not working and your account getting suspended. Be it the Google Ads privacy policy, or Unacceptable Practices Policy or any other; compliance is a pertinent requirement to ensure the ads in your account continue serving.
You can check policy violation details in your Google Ads account’s policy manager. In an instance where you feel you have been wrongly accused of policy violation, please submit an appeal to Google to clarify the matter.