Dmitriy К. Google Ad Expert

How to pass moderation on Google Ads

Moderation in advertising systems is not always easy. We analyze how moderation works on Google Ads and what statuses the system can set for ads.

The review process for ads by Google Ads moderators takes up to three business days. During the review, several parameters are evaluated, including advertising campaign settings, keywords, and sites.

If there is any inconsistency with the rules, the moderators will email you.

In the email, moderators will flag the problematic ad or keyword. In addition, an alert will appear in your account informing you of the rejection. For example, if it turns out that the site that the ad leads to is down, the ad will change its status to Declined and you will receive an email with the reason for the rejection.

During the review phase, your ad is assigned one of the following statuses:

1. Under consideration. Ads have not yet been verified and are not showing in Ads.

2. Pre-approved. Ads are being reviewed but may already be showing on Google search pages.

3. Approved. Ads can appear across all ad networks.

4. Approved (not for family viewing). Ads are considered inappropriate for some audiences. This category, for example, includes advertisements for gambling and dating sites. Such ads will not be visible to users who have enabled SafeSearch. In addition, some properties in the Google Ad Network do not accept Adults Only or Not Family Friendly ads.

5. Approved (adults only). Ads are classified as adult (18+) only. This category, for example, includes advertisements for sites that contain images of nudity. Such ads are shown only for queries of a relevant nature and never for users who have enabled SafeSearch. In some countries, the display of such ads is prohibited.

6. Approved (with restrictions). Ads are only allowed to appear in certain countries, on certain devices, and for certain search queries.

7. Rejected. Ads with this status violate the Ads ad policy and won't run until you fix the issue. To do this, you need to find out exactly which rule was violated, and then change the declaration accordingly.

8. The site is blocked. This status means that the advertised site violated the Ads rules, so it is blocked. Ads won't show until you fix the issue. To reactivate, you need to find out exactly which rule was violated, and then change the site accordingly.

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