Beginning September 21, 2021, Google will implement a pilot program for a 3-strike system to increase penalties for advertisers who frequently violate Google Ads policies. The initial violation will be met with a warning, after which repeat violations will earn strikes with increasingly severe penalties ending with account suspension on the 3rd strike. Google has laid out how the strike system will work:
- Warning – The first violation for included policies. There are no penalties except for removal of the ads in question.
- 1st Strike – Violation within 90 days of initial warning. A 3-day temporary hold will be placed on the account.
- 2nd Strike – Violation within 90 days of 1st strike. A 7-day temporary hold will be placed on the account. This is the last notice for the advertiser before the account will be suspended.
- 3rd Strike – Violation within 90 days of 2nd strike. The account will be suspended.
In order to remedy the temporary account holds, Google will require that an acknowledgement form be submitted. The temporary holds will go into effect after the acknowledgement form is received. If an advertiser disagrees that a violation has taken place, an appeal can be filed to whether the strike should be issued or removed. Ads will resume immediately following a successful appeal. If the advertiser does not take action by either submitting the acknowledgement form or submitting an appeal, the account will remain on temporary hold. If an account is suspended, the advertiser will not be able to run any ads or create new content until an appeal has been successful.
As of now this new pilot system will only apply to 3 Google Ads Policies, however, the system will likely be expanded to more policies following a successful launch. The applicable policies are; Enabling dishonest behavior, Unapproved substances, and Dangerous products or services.
Enabling Dishonest Behavior
Google doesn’t allow products or services that they consider to enable dishonest behavior. This includes products that help users intentionally mislead others (such as forging documents, drug test aids, exam-taking services, etc.), products or services that help users gain unauthorized access (like hacking services or wire-tapping), and products or services that help users keep track of other people without consent (such as spyware, nanny cams, etc.).
Unapproved Substances
Google has a non-exhaustive list of unapproved pharmaceutical and supplemental substances. The also don’t allow the advertisement of products that contain ephedra, human chorionic gonadotropin (when in relation to weight loss or anabolic steroids), herbal and dietary supplements with active pharmaceutical ingredients, implications that products are as effective as prescriptions, products that imply prevention/ cure/ treatment that are not approved by the government, any substances that are regulated by the government, and products with names that can be easily confused with unapproved substances.
Dangerous Products or Services
Google does not allow the advertisement of dangerous products or services including but not limited to explosives, guns, gun parts, other weapons, recreational drugs and tobacco/ related products. Google will err on the side of caution when it comes to approval/ disapproval of ads in this category.
Potential Consequences
This new system gives advertisers clear boundaries and consequences for their actions. The intent here is to discourage advertisers from deliberately violating Google Ads policies. With the appeal system, acknowledgement forms and repeated chances, this seems to be a fair way to enforce Google Ads policies. The potential danger here is that if strikes are given without violations actually being committed, advertisers will have to jump through extra hoops in order to run ads. This will not be a problem if Google is meticulous with their judgement of violations.
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