What are two reasons for why Google Ads would suspend an advertisers account?

Google Ads Suspension: How-to Guide for Fixing a Suspended Google Ads Account

Its an email no Google Ads user ever wants to receive: the dreaded your account has been suspended alert message.

Its understandable to, well, freak out a little bit if your Google Ads account has been suspended, particularly if the reason for the suspension is a violation you werent aware youd committed. Quite simply, your Google ad campaigns may play a major role in your business success. Your own finances may therefore be in jeopardy if your account is suspended.

Fortunately, except in some specific instances, suspension of a Google Ads account isnt necessarily permanent. There are various ways you can restore your account if its been suspended. This guide will explain them, helping you better understand what you can do to get your Google Ads account back up and running fast.

Avoiding Google Ads Account Suspension

Although the primary focus of this guide will be on the steps you can take to remedy the problem if your Google Ads account has been suspended, naturally, your main goal is likely to prevent your account from being suspended in the first place. To minimize the chances that your Google Ads account will ever be suspended for any reason, carefully review Googles applicable ad policies and Terms & Conditions. Also, remember that Google routinely updates certain policies, and you may want to regularly check them for any changes that may have been recently made.

Reviewing the relevant policies can also potentially help you determine the root of the issue if your account has been suspended but youre not entirely certain why. While the email Google sends informing you that your account has been suspended will typically cite the reason, sometimes, its still not precisely clear how Google justified suspending your account. The reasons Googles email may provide when explaining why your account was suspended are based on generic error codes (typically produced by artificial intelligence and machine learning engines) that may not be specific enough for you to thoroughly understand the nature of the issue.

Be aware that its possible your account was suspended through no fault of your own. For instance, someone could have hacked your account or site. If after doing so, they engaged in any behavior that violates Googles ad policies, you may be the one paying the price.

Common Reasons a Google Ads Account May Be Suspended

The potential reasons your Google Ads account may be suspended are numerous. The following are merely a few noteworthy examples:

Malicious or dangerous software

Googles ad policies are designed to protect users. Thus, if youre running ads that direct users to sites infected with malware or other dangerous software, your account may be suspended to prevent users from clicking on your ads.

Take immediate action if you have reason to believe a hacker added malware or unwanted software to your site. The presence of harmful malware or software wont merely result in your Google Ads account being suspended. It can also threaten your data, any existing content on your site, and more.

Counterfeiting

Even if you didnt intend to, you could have accidentally engaged in behavior that qualifies as counterfeiting affording to Googles policies, triggering an account suspension. For example, if youre using your Google Ads account to market products that are extremely similar to others, you may need to either modify your ads or the products themselves to indicate youre not violating any trademarks. Sometimes when a user markets products that are virtually indistinguishable from others, Google interprets their products as being counterfeit, when they may not actually be.

Violating the law

Googles own policies arent the only rules you need to keep in mind when running ads! Its also important to familiarize yourself with the laws of the areas in which you plan to advertise.

Sometimes, the laws regarding what you can and cant advertise may be surprising. For example, in the UK, its illegal to advertise paternity tests. This is an easy law to break if youre unaware of it. While you may assume youre not doing anything illegal with your Ads account, the possibility of breaking the law without meaning to is one you should consider. Protect yourself by taking the time to research these issues before planning and launching campaigns.

Unauthorized account access

Youre not always being punished when Google suspends your Ads account! There are instances when an account may be suspended in order to protect you in the long run. Specifically, if Google detects an unauthorized user trying to access your account, it may be automatically suspended to prevent a hacker from causing any damage.

Recovering a Suspended Google Ads Account: What You Need to Know

The reason your account was suspended will to some degree affect what you need to do about the issue. Googles policies make a distinction between regular violations and egregious violations.

You dont want your account suspended because a violation was deemed egregious. Generally, while its possible to recover an account that was suspended due to a normal violation, if youre found guilty of an egregious violation, Google usually wont let you recover your account. Your best bet in these circumstances is to contact Google and (truthfully, of course!) show that the violation youve been accused of was the work of a hacker. Even so, you cant be entirely sure Googles team will take your side.

In the case of typical violations, though, you can restore your account in the following ways. Keep in mind, this isnt a problem with a one-size-fits-all solution. The proper way to restore an account will depend on the reason it was suspended in the first place.

Your options include:

Remove malware or dangerous software

If the email you receive from Google explaining why your Google Ads account was suspended indicates your site is home to dangerous malware or software, invest in an effective malware-removal tool and clean your site up. If your account remains suspended even after youre confident youve gotten rid of any and all harmful malware or software, you might have to contact Google to explain that youve fixed the problem.

Modify your ads

Again, even if you didnt mean to violate Googles advertising policies or any local advertising laws, you may have done so simply because you werent aware of a law or policy. Luckily, after youve reviewed Googles justification for your account suspension, in many instances, restoring your account is as easy as changing your ads or behavior accordingly. For example, if your account was suspended because Google determined one or more of your ads were excessively inflammatory, you can remove or change those ads to better align with Googles standards.

Pay up!

It can be easy to lose track of your spending from time to time when running marketing campaigns. Depending on the size of your business, you might not even be directly involved in monitoring your spending most of the time.

Google might have suspended your Google Ads account because you havent paid for certain ads or a particular related service yet. Pay whats due, and Google should restore your account promptly.

That said, you may want to reach out to Google first if you receive an email claiming your account has been suspended and wont be reactivated until you pay a fee if you confidently feel youve remained up-to-date on all payments. At the very least, check to confirm your account actually is suspended before taking any action. A scammer could have sent you a phishing email pretending to represent Google in order to rip you off.

Secure your account

If Google suspended your Google Ads account because an unauthorized user tried to access it, you can fill out and submit a form to secure your account.

Create an account with Family Link

Depending on which country youre in, you have to be a certain age to have a Google Ads account. Google may suspend your account if its discovered you dont meet the age requirement. However, its sometimes possible to get around these requirements by creating a Google account with Family Link. This allows parents to exercise more control over which Google services and products their children can and cant access.

Appeal

Mistakes can and do happen. This is as true on Googles end as it is on yours. Perhaps your account was suspended over a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation. Not every supposed violation of Googles policies is actually a genuine violation.

If you think your account was suspended improperly, Google offers a form you can submit to appeal the suspension. However, if you do choose to appeal your account suspension, be extremely careful when filling out the firm, and double-check all information before submitting it. If the submitted form contains any false information, the assumption will typically be that you knowingly attempted to deceive Google. The result? Permanent suspension of your Google Ads account.

Its also worth noting that sometimes a valid and reasonable appeal will be rejected. Submitting the form to appeal your accounts suspension doesnt immediately guarantee your account will be restored. If your appeal is rejected, but you genuinely dont think it should have been, you can contact the Google Ads Team directly. Explaining the circumstances with an actual member of the team instead of hoping the person who reviews your appeal sees your side of the story can give you the chance to more clearly explain the situation.

Once more, though, be completely honest in any discussions you may have! Being caught in even a seemingly minor lie can make Googles team unwilling to consider any of your other points or arguments.

Other Need-to-Know Ways to Avoid Google Ads Account Suspension

Along with familiarizing yourself with all the relevant policies and laws regarding how you can (and cant!) use your Google Ads account, you can also avoid account suspension in such ways as:

Carefully creating and reviewing all ads

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if youve been running ads via a Google Ads account for a decent period of time, you might get complacent, no longer making a point of carefully reviewing your ads before submitting them for publication.

Dont fall into this habit. Whether you create your own ads, or employees create them for you, before submitting an ad for publication, always carefully review it with the specific intention of looking for any issues that would qualify as violations of Googles policies. If you even suspect an ad might cause problems, either modify it before submitting it, or check Googles policies again to confirm whether you have reason to be hesitant.

Asking questions

Youre not the only person who may feel Googles advertising policies are sometimes unclear. On Quora, Reddit, and many other platforms, there are numerous communities of users who ask and answer questions about Googles ad policies and similar topics. If youre at all confused about an issue, head to one of these communities and ask others for insights.

However, not every single member of such communities will necessarily be an expert, even if they claim to know what theyre talking about. Use your judgment when determining whether you feel you can trust any given member to provide you with accurate information. Obviously, you can also contact Google to ask a question, although you may have to wait a little bit longer to get an answer than you would on a forum or community page.

Staying secure

Installing a security plugin to protect your site from malware is never a bad idea. Additionally, create the strongest password possible for both your site and your Google Ads account, and periodically change your passwords to avoid unauthorized access.

Of course, hopefully youll never have to use any of the information here because your Google Ads account will never be suspended. Just remember that if it ever is, unless youve committed a major violation, restoring your account likely wont be too complicated.

That said, its also very wise to learn from this experience! If your Google Ads account is suspended, make sure you thoroughly understand why, so you can avoid these types of problems in the future.

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