The world of online advertising grows increasingly competitive by the day. But don’t let the cutthroat competition force you into making costly mistakes. Having your Google Ads account suspended can be costly. However, with the right plan, you can eventually get it reinstated.
What is Google Ads Jail?
Google Ads jail is a dark, cold, and lonely place. You’ll find it in a deep underground dungeon beneath Silicon Valley, filled with names and faces of…okay, we jest! Google Ads jail isn’t an actual physical place, but it’s absolutely a real thing. And even if Google would never refer to it as a “jail,” that’s basically what it is – in an advertising sense.
When you end up in Google Ads jail for violating their policies or performing questionable strategies and techniques, Google locks you out of your account and squashes your ability to run ads on their network. This means no clicks, conversions, or customers.
Once Google suspends your Ads account, it creates a host of other issues and consequences that may include:
- Preventing you from creating or running any new ads (including ones that already exist)
- Suspending associated accounts (including payment accounts, emails, etc.)
- Suspending Merchant Center accounts that are associated with the suspended account
- Preventing you from creating other accounts in the future
How to Avoid Google Ads Jail
You obviously don’t want to end up in Google Ads jail. Thankfully, if you follow a few rules, it’s unlikely that you will end up there.
It’s important to note that Google doesn’t want to send you to their “jail.” (Seriously, it doesn’t make good business sense for them to cut off someone who is sending them money.) They only do it to protect the integrity of their platform.
Here’s what Google has to say about suspending accounts:
“If we detect an egregious policy violation your account will be suspended immediately and without prior warning.
For other policy violations that lead to account suspension, we will send you a warning to outline the nature of the policy violation and any remedial action that can be taken, in order to comply. This notification will be sent at least 7 days prior to suspension action.”
So what are those egregious violations? According to Google, it’s a violation so serious that it’s either unlawful or poses a significant threat of harm to users and/or the advertising platform. This includes circumventing systems, coordinated deceptive practices, counterfeit, promotion of unauthorized pharmacies, unacceptable business practices, trade sanctions violations, and sexually explicit content.
Chances are, you won’t be making any egregious violations. In all likelihood, you’re much more prone to minor policy violations. However, if you make enough of them and/or fail to remediate the issue after a warning, you could end up there. This includes things like:
- Directing or redirecting to pages with dynamic content
- Missing business information on your website (like an email address or physical address)
- Publishing deceptive content (such as questionable weight loss programs)
- Having malware on your website (after being hacked)
- Having multiple Google accounts for ads
- Low quality landing pages
- Suspicious payment methods
When Google notices one of these issues, they’ll send you a warning with a brief explanation of where you’re in violation. The easiest way to avoid Google Ads jail is to promptly fix the violation within seven days.
Tips for Getting out of Google Ads Jail
Let’s say, for one reason or another, you find yourself in Google Ads jail. Now what?
The first step would be to call the Google Ads team to gather more information. (They can be reached at 1-866-2-Google.) While the representative you speak to on the phone is usually not someone in charge of suspensions, they might be able to provide some clarity on why your account was suspended. They may even give you a strategy for getting it reinstated. Take any strategy they give you with a grain of salt and make sure it doesn’t violate any other Google policies (e.g. sometimes they will tell you to create a new ad account, which violates Google’s policies).
Ideally, a call to Google is enough. However, these things are often much more complicated. And if you’re losing money every single day because your ads are offline, you don’t have time for complicated. You just need your account reinstated. At this point, it’s smart to work with a Google Ads expert to restore your suspended account. They understand the ins and outs of how Google works and can usually get your account back online.
Adding it All Up
Don’t let a Google Ads suspension keep you from advertising and generating revenue for your business. Make sure you’re familiar with the rules and do your best to follow them. But, remember, if you do land in jail, there’s hope. Move quickly to get reinstated as soon as possible!
Hi there! I’m Sethu, your go-to guy for all things tech, travel, internet, movies, and business tips. I love sharing insights and stories that make life more interesting. Let’s explore the world together, one article at a time!
