Google Ads disapproved your ad or suspended you? Check before you appeal

If Google Ads disapproved your ad or emailed to say your account is suspended, it can feel like the end of your advertising. Usually it is not. Most problems come from a few common causes, Google tells you which policy is involved, and there is a set way to fix it and ask for a review.

This post helps you work out what kind of problem you have, find the exact policy, fix the cause and appeal in the right order. It also explains why opening a new account is the one thing that turns a fixable problem into a permanent one.

Disapproved, paused or suspended: know which one you have

These words mean different things, and each has its own route back.

• Ad or asset disapproved: that ad or asset cannot run, but the rest of your account carries on. An ad marked "Eligible (limited)" can run, but only in some places or to some people. Google's page on finding your ad status explains each status.
• Account paused: usually Google is waiting for something from you, such as a payment check or advertiser verification. Google's page on account pausing says an account is paused if verification is not completed within the 30-day notice period.
• Account suspended: all your ads stop. Google's account suspensions overview says egregious violations lead to suspension straight away, without a warning, and that for other policies Google sends a warning at least 7 days before any suspension.

Find the exact policy name first

Do not guess. Every disapproval and suspension names a policy, and each policy page explains its own fix.

For ads, hover over the status in the Ads table, or add the Policy details column, to see why an ad is disapproved or limited. For a full list, open Tools, then Troubleshooting, then Policy manager. For a suspension, the notice in your account and Google's email name the policy.

If the message is hard to read, paste it into the Suspension and Policy Appeal Helper, or tick what you see from a list in Google's own policy names. It explains what the message means in Google's words with a link to the policy, what Google says to fix before you appeal, the evidence to gather and an appeal text to fill in. It runs in your browser and cannot see your account, so it works only from what you paste and tick.

Common causes for local businesses

For small local advertisers, a handful of policies cause most of the trouble.

Destination not working

Google's Destination not working policy covers landing pages that return errors such as 404 or 500 to its crawler, AdsBot. A page can open for you and still fail for Google. Google's page on Destination not accessible says security settings, firewalls and website plugins can block its crawler, and suggests asking your developer to allow the AdsBot-Google and AdsBot-Google-Mobile user agents.

Phone numbers, capitals and symbols in the ad text

Google's editorial rules do not allow a phone number in the ad text; add it as a call asset instead. Its rules on capitalisation and punctuation and symbols catch words written in capitals to shout, decorative symbols and repeated punctuation.

Misrepresentation

Google's misrepresentation policies cover ads and pages that leave out or misstate information about your business, prices or results. Dishonest pricing practices covers not showing the full cost before purchase. Unreliable claims covers improbable promises. Unacceptable business practices, such as hiding who you are or suggesting a link to a brand you do not have, is egregious and leads to suspension without a warning.

Restricted categories

Some businesses need certification or verification first. Google's healthcare and medicines policy does not allow ads targeting India to promote prescription drugs, and online pharmacies need certification. To show financial services ads in India, Google's financial services verification for India requires you to show that the relevant regulator, such as the RBI or SEBI, licenses you, or that you are exempt.

Before you submit new ads, paste the text into the Google Ads Policy Pre-check. It highlights capitals, repeated punctuation, symbols, phone numbers, web addresses and risky claims such as "#1" or "best", with a link to the policy. It is not Google's review, so a clean result means fewer obvious problems, not a promise of approval.

Fix the cause, then appeal the right way

An appeal asks Google to look again. It only works when the cause is gone, or when you can show Google got it wrong.

1. Fix the ad, the page or the account. Edit the ad text, repair the landing page or complete what Google asked for.
2. Check the landing page as a whole. The Landing Page Checklist for Ads takes you through 22 questions, with Google's destination policies marked separately from its landing page guidance and our own conversion checklist. It works from your answers and does not open the page, so test it on a phone as well.
3. Appeal with the right reason. Google's page on fixing a disapproved ad or appealing a policy decision says you can appeal from the Ads page or Policy manager, and choose "Made changes to comply with policy" or "Dispute decision".
4. Wait for the result. Google's page about the ad review process says most ads are reviewed within one business day, and some take longer.

Appeals are limited. Google allows 3 appeals per ad; after 3 unsuccessful ones you need to contact Google Ads support. Since 21 July 2026, policy decisions made more than 6 months ago can no longer be appealed from inside the account.

A worked example: a packers and movers firm in Thane

Swift Shift Packers and Movers in Thane is a made-up business. One morning all its ads show "Destination not working", and one description is also disapproved.

The website loads fine for the owner. The cause: the firm moved to new hosting a week earlier, and the new firewall blocks automated visitors. The owner's developer allows Google's AdsBot user agents, then checks the page with Chrome's developer tools set to an AdsBot user agent, as Google's page on overriding the user agent describes. The second problem is a description that reads "Call 98XXX XXXXX for a free quote". The owner moves the number into a call asset and rewrites the line.

He appeals both with "Made changes to comply with policy", once. Someone suggests opening a fresh account "just to keep the ads running". He does not, for the reason below.

If the whole account is suspended

A suspension needs more care, because you usually get one good chance to explain.

• Read the notice and the policy page, and fix every cause, including anything in linked accounts.
• Finish advertiser verification first if Google asks for it. Google's verification timelines say the deadline cannot be extended, reviews can take up to 5 business days, and in rare cases up to 30 days.
• Appeal once, completely. Google's suspensions overview says every advertiser has at least 6 months from the date of suspension to appeal, and that a suspension stays permanent unless an appeal succeeds. Google's page on billing and payment suspensions warns that if you file too many appeals for the same suspension, Google may not process them.
• Be accurate and honest. For egregious policies, Google says it reinstates accounts only in compelling circumstances, such as a mistake.

Never open a new account to get round a suspension

Google's circumventing systems policy says you cannot create multiple Google Ads accounts after a suspension to get around its policies. It is an egregious policy: accounts are suspended on detection, without a warning, and you are not allowed to advertise with Google Ads again.

A new account rarely stays hidden either. Google's suspensions overview says accounts related to a suspended account may be suspended too, and its billing suspensions page names accounts that share an email address, a payment method or a manager account. Appeal the original account instead.

Mistakes to avoid

• Appealing before fixing anything. An appeal with no change behind it usually fails and uses up one of your three.
• Copying a disapproved ad with small changes. Making variations of disapproved ads to get round a decision is also treated as circumventing systems.
• Testing the page only from your office. Google's crawler and your customers may see something different.
• Ignoring warnings. For most policies Google warns at least 7 days before a suspension. Act on the warning.
• Leaving it to the agency without checking. Ask which policy was named and what was changed before any appeal goes in.

Your next step

Open Policy manager today and note the exact policy name for each problem. Paste each message into the Suspension and Policy Appeal Helper to get the fixes in order, and check new ad text with the Google Ads Policy Pre-check before you submit it. Once your ads are running again, our posts on setting a starting budget and finding wasted spend in search terms help you get more from them. More free tools are on our Google Ads tools page, and you can contact us if you would like help.