Google Ads will update its destination requirements policy in March 2022 to improve clarity for advertisers. The changes will not affect the current policy.
The destination policy change will go into effect on March 21, 2022.
If you’re not sure why Google has disapproved your ads in the past, these changes should benefit you.
What has changed?
When Google rejects an ad, it’s not always clear why it was rejected, or what that means for the advertiser’s other campaigns.
The primary purpose of Google’s updated Destination Policy is to provide clear examples and updated disapproved language. Policy changes include:
- clear guidelines “Insufficient original content” policy
- Introduce new “Unreachable Destination” policy
- Example in update “Destination not working” policy
Insufficient original content
The first change will be within the “Insufficient Original Content” policy.
More specifically, sites with error messages including “Site under construction” will be classified under this deficiencies policy.
Previously, these error messages corresponded to the “Destination Not Working” policy.
Destinations that will now receive this error message include:
- Park the domain
- Site only for reserved URLs (no content)
- Sites that display “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction” messages.
Below is an example of the updated language that Google Ads will use.
Destination not accessible
The second update is a new independent policy from Google. This policy is called “destination inaccessible” and is an access restriction requirement.
Image source: Support.google.com, February 2022For example, you’ll get this error message from Google Ads if your site displays a “down for maintenance” message.
Other examples of where you might get a Google rejection include:
- Sites that display location-based access restriction messages at the destination
- A site that displays additional messages related to access restrictions at the destination
- For example “You do not have permission to view this page”
destination not working
Finally, Google is updating its example when it shows the “Destination Not Working” policy. The reason for this update is to increase transparency and clarity for advertisers.
Google’s updated language around this policy will appear as follows:
Image source: Support.google.com, February 2022You will get this message if your site contains “http” or a server error code.
Additionally, you may be at risk of being disapproved if:
- Your site returned an authentication error
- Your website doesn’t work on common browsers or devices
Why should advertisers care?
As Google provides more transparency and clarity around disapprovals, you’ll be able to troubleshoot ads faster. The sooner you spot disapprovals, the sooner your ads will be running normally.
These policy updates will take effect on March 21, 2022. You need to make sure your website and its accessibility are in good shape to avoid these disapprovals.
resource: Ad policy help
Featured image: Catleski/Shutterstock
