Google Ads updates the destination requirements policy in March 2022 to improve clarity for advertisers. Changes made will not affect existing policies.
Changes to destination policies will officially go into effect on March 21, 2022.
If you’re not sure why Google has rejected your ads in the past, these changes should help.
What will change?
When Google disapproves of an ad, it’s not always clear why it was disapproved, or what this means for the rest of the advertiser’s campaign.
The main goal of Google’s update of the destination policy is to provide clear examples and updated language for disapprovals. Policy changes include:
- Clarify the guidelines for ‘Not enough original content’ Policies
- Introducing the new “Destination unreachable” Policies
- Update examples in “destination not working” Policies
Not enough original content
The first change will be under the “Not enough original content” policy.
More specifically, websites with error messages including “Site under construction” in this policy will be labeled inadequate.
Previously, these error messages corresponded to the “Destination not working” policy.
The destinations that will now receive this error message include:
- parked domains
- A website just for reserving a web address (no content on it)
- Websites showing “coming soon” or “under construction” messages.
Below is an example of the updated language Google Ads will use.
The destination is not available
The second update is a new, independent policy from Google. This policy is called “Destination is not reachable” and falls under the access restrictions requirement.
Image credit: Support.google.com, February 2022For example, if your site shows “Maintenance Down” message, you will get this error message from Google Ads.
Other examples where you may receive this disapproval from Google include:
- Location Displays a message specifying location-based access at the target location
- A site that displays other messages regarding access restrictions in the target site
- Like “You don’t have access to view this page”
destination is not working
Finally, Google is updating its examples when showing the “Destination not working” policy. The reason for this update is to improve transparency and clarity for advertisers.
Google’s updated language about this policy will look like this:
Image credit: Support.google.com, February 2022If your site contains “http” or a server error code you will receive this message.
In addition, you may be at risk of receiving this denial if:
- Your website is returning an authentication error
- Your website does not work on popular browsers or devices
Why should advertisers care?
With Google providing more transparency and clarity about disapprovals, you’ll be able to troubleshoot ads faster. The faster you can identify a disapproval issue, the faster your ads will get reruns.
These policy updates go into effect March 21, 2022. You’ll need to make sure your website and accessibility are in good shape to avoid these disapprovals.
Source: Advertising policies help
Featured image: Catleski/Shutterstock
