Google Ads Disapproved: The Common Reasons And How To Fix Them

Most weeks someone forwards me a screenshot of a red “Disapproved” label and a message that just says “help”. The good news: a Google Ads disapproval is usually fixable in under an hour. Find the exact policy named in Policy manager, fix the ad, asset or landing page it points to, then save the edit or appeal. The bad news is that the way you fix it matters, because the wrong response can turn one disapproved ad into strikes, a hold and eventually a suspended account.

This post covers how to read the policy notice, the disapproval reasons I see most often and how to fix each one, when to appeal versus edit, and which policies put the whole account at risk.

What does “Disapproved” actually mean?

A disapproved ad can’t show anywhere. Zero impressions until the problem is fixed. That’s different from Eligible (limited), where the ad still runs but only in some places or to some audiences because of a policy restriction.

Don’t panic about the second one. Do act on the first one the same day, especially if it’s your best-performing ad or every ad in a campaign has gone.

How to read the policy notice

Most people skim the red label and start rewriting copy. Stop. Find out exactly what Google flagged first.

1. Go to Tools > Troubleshooting > Policy manager.
2. Open the Policy issues tab and find the affected ad or asset.
3. Read the named policy. “Destination not working” and “Editorial” need completely different fixes.
4. Check whether the issue sits in the ad text, an asset (sitelinks, images, callouts) or the destination. A single disapproved sitelink can look alarming on the dashboard and barely matter in practice.

You can also hover over the status in the Ads table to see the policy name. Either way, don’t touch anything until you know which part of the ad Google objects to. Blind rewrites waste review cycles and can trip a different policy.

The common reasons ads get disapproved (and the fix for each)

Nine times out of ten it’s one of these.

Disapproval reason	What usually caused it	The fix
Destination not working	404 or 500 errors, a broken redirect, or AdsBot blocked by a firewall or robots.txt	Fix the page or URL, then let Google recrawl
Destination mismatch	Display URL domain doesn’t match the final URL domain	Make the domains match
Editorial	Gimmicky punctuation, ALL CAPS, odd spacing, a phone number in the ad text	Rewrite in plain style, move the number to a call asset
Trademarks	Using a protected brand name in ad text without authorisation	Remove it or get the owner to authorise you
Misleading or unreliable claims	Promises you can’t back up, prices that don’t match the page	Bring the claim in line with what the landing page proves
Restricted categories	Healthcare, financial services, gambling and similar without certification	Apply for the right certification or verification

Destination not working

This is the one I see most. Google’s AdsBot crawler tries to load your landing page, gets an error, and disapproves the ad. Codes like 403, 404 and 500 all trigger it. So do “under construction” pages.

The trap: the page loads fine for you. That’s because the problem is often a security plugin, CDN rule or geo-block that stops AdsBot specifically. Check the final URL for typos, test it on mobile and desktop, then ask whoever runs the site whether anything blocks Google’s crawlers. If you migrated the site recently, start there.

Editorial

Google wants ads to read like normal sentences. “FREE FREE FREE”, “B U Y N O W” and “BEST PRICES” all fail. So does a phone number typed into a headline. Write clean copy and use a call asset for the number. The plain version usually performs better anyway.

Misleading claims and mismatched prices

If your ad says “From £49” and the landing page says £79, expect trouble. Same for “guaranteed results” or “number one in the UK” with nothing on the page to back it. Fix the page or soften the claim. I’d rather lose a punchy headline than a whole ad group.

Restricted categories

Some industries need permission before they can advertise at all. In the UK, any advertiser showing financial services ads must be verified by Google, which means proving FCA authorisation or qualifying for an exemption. Healthcare, gambling and some legal services have their own rules. If you’re in one of these sectors and a whole campaign is disapproved, check certification before you touch the copy. I’ve written more on this for law firms and what they can say in ads.

Should you fix the ad or appeal?

Decide based on one question: did you break the rule?

• You broke it. Edit the ad or the page. Go to Campaigns > Ads, hover over the ad, select Edit, fix the issue and Save. Saving resubmits it for review automatically.
• You fixed the landing page, not the ad. Appeal from Policy manager and choose Made changes to comply with policy.
• Google got it wrong. Appeal and choose Dispute decision. Add a short, factual note explaining why the ad complies.

Google says most ads are reviewed within one business day. Some take longer.

Appeal carefully. After three unsuccessful appeals on the same ad, you can’t appeal it again without contacting support. Google also asks you to wait at least 24 hours between appeals on the same ads so they aren’t marked as duplicates. Spamming the appeal button doesn’t speed anything up. It burns your chances.

One useful move from Google’s own guidance: if a destination appeal keeps failing after you’ve fixed the page, make a small edit to the ad text or final URL and save it. That forces a fresh crawl.

When does a disapproval put the account at risk?

Most disapprovals are just admin. Some are a warning shot. Know the difference.

The strike system

For a set list of policies, including clickbait, misleading ad design, personal loans, credit repair services, weapons and tobacco, Google runs a three-strike system:

Stage	What triggers it	What happens
Warning	First violation	Email warning, no penalty
Strike 1	Violation continues after the warning	3-day account hold, no ads run
Strike 2	Same policy again within 90 days	7-day account hold
Strike 3	Same policy again within 90 days	Account suspended

During a hold you can acknowledge the strike (remove the violating ads) or appeal. Ignore it and repeat the mistake, and you’re one step closer to losing the account.

Egregious violations

Some policies skip the warnings entirely. Circumventing systems, unacceptable business practices, counterfeit goods and malicious software can all lead to immediate suspension. If you see one of these named in a notice, stop everything and take it seriously. Don’t create a new account to get around it, because that is itself circumventing systems.

How to stop disapprovals coming back

Fixing the ad is half the job. Stop the next one before it happens.

• Check Policy manager weekly. It takes two minutes and catches asset-level issues before they spread.
• Monitor your landing pages. Most destination disapprovals come from site changes the marketing team didn’t hear about. Ask to be told before migrations, plugin updates and URL changes.
• Keep claims honest. Write ads the landing page can prove.
• Get certified before you launch in restricted categories, not after the first rejection.
• Build it into launch. Policy checks belong in your Google Ads pre-launch checklist, not in a panic on a Friday afternoon.

Need someone to look at your account?

Disapprovals are usually a symptom. When I see a lot of them, there’s often a wider problem with how the account is built and managed. Start with a free PPC audit and we’ll show you what’s flagged, what’s at risk and what to fix first. If you’d rather hand it over, see how our Google Ads management works.

FAQ

How long does it take for a disapproved Google ad to be reviewed again? Google says most ads are reviewed within one business day after you edit or appeal. Complex cases can take longer. If an ad sits under review for more than a week, contact Google Ads support.

Will a disapproved ad get my Google Ads account suspended? Usually not. Most disapprovals only stop that ad from showing. The risk comes from repeat violations under the strike system, or from egregious policies such as circumventing systems, which can lead to suspension without a warning.

Why is my ad disapproved for “Destination not working” when the page loads fine? Google’s AdsBot can’t load the page, even if you can. Firewalls, security plugins, robots.txt rules, broken redirects or geo-blocking often stop the crawler. Fix the block, then edit and save the ad to trigger a fresh crawl.

Can I appeal a Google Ads disapproval more than once? Yes, up to three unsuccessful appeals per ad. After that you need to contact support. Wait at least 24 hours between appeals on the same ads so they aren’t treated as duplicates.

Does editing a disapproved ad reset its performance history? Editing an ad in Google Ads creates a new version for review, so treat it as a fresh ad when you read performance. That’s another reason to fix the cause properly the first time rather than editing repeatedly.