It’s an awful feeling when you log into your Google Ads account and you see the dreaded error notification. After all, you’ve decided what your ad should include, fully researched your keywords, planned your message and managed to fit it all into the character limit, but yet it’s still somehow been disapproved.
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to get ads disapproved if you’re unfamiliar with, or find it difficult to keep up with, the ever-changing rules. Whichever camp you find yourself in below you’ll find common and uncommon mistakes that will disapprove your Google Ads and tips on how to fix the majority of errors that may occur.
1. Avoid Any Unnecessary Punctuation
Keep sentences short, punchy and to the point. Only ask one question per ad and avoid using exclamation marks. You are only allowed one anyway, and certainly not in the headline!
2. Correct Your Capitalisation
Keep your ad copy easy to read by using the correct capitalisation. Don’t use all CAPS where it’s unnecessary (you don’t need to shout) and definitely don’t SwiTcH BeTwEEn CaPiTALISaTiON and lowercase otherwise you can expect to be disapproved. Also, it’s really hard to read and you should aim for your ad to be as easy to read as possible for potential clients.
3. No Humble Bragging
You may think that your brand is the best thing since sliced bread but spammy style exaggerations won’t make the cut. Most people realise that if something sounds too good to be true then it often is and instantly your trustworthiness goes down the drain. Suggesting out of this world ideas and excessive bragging won’t impress your customers and Google won’t be too impressed either.
4. Make Sure to Match Destination and Display URLs
Your display and destination URLs must match as only one domain name can be used within an ad group. So be sure to double-check these details before submitting. Small mistakes such as putting a full stop in the wrong place or incorrectly spelling the URL will instantly cause disapproval.
5. Don’t Use $ymbols or Numb3rs
As well as making your ad doubly difficult to read, symbols and numbers used incorrectly will result in a yellow flag. “&” (ampersand) can be used where needed but using numbers and symbols in place of their proper counterparts e.g. 2 – 4 – 1 (two for one) can be confusing and won’t pass Google’s regulations.
6. Exclude Phone Numbers From Your Ad Copy
Fairly recently Google allowed phone numbers to be used within ad copy but this is no longer the case. Make sure to update any old ads and going forward any new ad copy should exclude phone numbers otherwise it won’t get the go-ahead.
7. Avoid Repeating Your Words
Unless you’re repeating yourself as part of your business name, word repetition will be disallowed in your ad copy. Marketing slogans such as “Click for our latest deal NOW NOW NOW” or “Buy our product before it’s going, going gone” sound gimmicky and won’t be approved. Repeating the same sentence more than once to fill the current number of characters won’t work in your favour either. And remember, repeating the same sentence more than once to fill the current number of characters won’t work in your favour either.
8. Make Sure Your Landing Pages Work
If you submit ads with broken destination URLs or that lead to “Error” pages, they will most likely be disapproved. Your landing page is the most important of these for your ads to be approved. If you’re changing servers or updating your website, it’s best to ensure all your redirects and any changes have taken place, with all web pages fully working before submitting ads.
9. Include a Call-to-Action But Not “Click Here”
A call to action is designed to prompt a response from your potential customer. This should include what is expected from them after they click on the ad and should include more detail than simply “click here”. Not only because this will get your ad disapproved but because the ad should be specific about how you’d like your customer to proceed – e.g. “Email Us For a Quotation”, “Browse Our Range of New Products” or “Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter.”
Now we’ve outlined these mistakes, you should be able to avoid some of the easiest pitfalls and successfully create some easily approved Google Ads. Which of these tips is your favourite and which have worked for you? Share below!
