Misrepresentation
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Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.

We want users to trust the ads on our platform, so we strive to ensure ads are clear and honest, and provide the information that users need to make informed decisions. We don’t allow ads or destinations that deceive users by excluding relevant product information or providing misleading information about products, services, or businesses.

Below are some examples of what to avoid in your ads. Learn about what happens if you violate our policies.

Unacceptable business practices
The following is not allowed:

Scamming users by concealing or misstating information about the advertiser’s business, product, or service

Examples (non-exhaustive):

Impersonating brands or businesses by referencing or modifying the brand content in the ads, URL, destinations or misrepresenting yourself as the brand or business in user interactions
Enticing users to part with money or information through a fictitious business that lacks the qualifications or capacity to provide the advertised products or services
False advertising of services that could endanger a user’s health, life, or safety. Pretending to provide critical services that result in a delay to the user receiving treatment or medical help
Ad destinations that use “phishing” techniques to gather user information

Examples (non-exhaustive): Sites that trick users into revealing their personal information by mimicking a trusted entity such as a browser or bank

Note: We may take action on advertiser’s account based on, for example, adverse regulatory warnings, settlements, or rulings about an advertiser’s business practices, or direct complaints from businesses and other entities about impersonation.

We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. An egregious violation of the Google Ads policies is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether an advertiser or destination is violating this policy, we may review information from multiple sources including your ad, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. We only reinstate accounts in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Coordinated deceptive practices
The following is not allowed:
Not allowed Coordinating with other sites or accounts and concealing or misrepresenting your identity or other material details about yourself, where your content relates to politics, social issues, or matters of public concern

Not allowed Directing content about politics, social issues, or matters of public concern to users in a country other than your own, if you misrepresent or conceal your country of origin, or other material details about yourself

We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. An egregious violation of the Google Ads policies is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether an advertiser or destination is violating this policy, we may review information from multiple sources including your ad, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. We only reinstate accounts in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.
Misleading representation
The following is not allowed:

Not allowed Making misleading statements, obscuring, or omitting material information about your identity, affiliations, or qualifications

Examples (non-exhaustive): implying affiliation with or endorsement by, another individual, organization, product, or service without their knowledge or consent; an affiliate marketer advertising legal services without disclosing that they do not provide legal services; an unlicensed home contractor claiming to be a licensed provider; non fulfillment of product or service claimed in the ad due to a lack of qualifications

Not allowed Providing an inaccurate business name or business name that does not clearly represent the advertised business or disambiguates from similar businesses in the ad or user interactions

Example (non-exhaustive): misrepresenting your business name in calls with users

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Dishonest pricing practices
The following is not allowed:

Failure to clearly and conspicuously disclose the payment model or full expense that a user will bear

Examples (non-exhaustive): not exposing price, shipping costs, and other billing related information, interest rates, late payment fines or recurring subscription cost; using premium rate phone numbers in call extensions; inflating prices from the quoted amount to exploit users in vulnerable situations or who are under duress

Advertising products or services as free when they are chargeable

Examples (non-exhaustive): Promoting apps as free when a user must pay to install the app

Troubleshooter: Dishonest pricing practices
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Clickbait Ads
The following is not allowed:
Ads that use clickbait tactics or sensationalist text or imagery to drive traffic

Examples (non-exhaustive): Ads that claim to reveal secrets, scandals or other sensationalist information about the product or service being advertised; ads which use clickbait messaging such as ‘‘Click here to find out”, “You won’t believe what happened” or phrases synonymous or similar to encourage the user to click on the Ad in order to understand the full context of the ad; ads which use clearly altered zoomed in body parts, mugshots, or real life accident or disaster photos to promote a product or a service; or ads which use “before and after” images to promote significant alterations to the human body
Ads that use negative life events such as death, accidents, illness, arrests or bankruptcy to induce fear, guilt or other strong negative emotions to pressure the viewer to take immediate action.

Examples (non-exhaustive): Ads that pressure the user to purchase, subscribe to or stop consuming a product or service in order to avoid harm; ads which use depictions of severe distress, pain, fear or shock to promote a product or service
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.
Misleading ad design
The following is not allowed:

Not allowed Ads that make it difficult for the user to understand they are interacting with an ad

Examples (non-exhaustive): Ads that resemble system or site warnings/error messages; ads that simulate messages, dialog boxes, menus, or request notifications; hosted ads that are indistinguishable from other content; ads depicting features that do not work, such as close buttons, text input boxes, multiple choice options; download/install buttons or icons in image ads; ads with a transparent background; images that are segmented; an image that contains multiple copies of itself within the ad; images that appear to be more than one ad; moving and clicking arrows; ads that use surreptitious techniques to disguise their nature

Note: Animated ads and Ad gallery ads can have mock animated features or icons as long as the functionality works or the purpose of these features can be found on the landing page.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.

Manipulated media
The following is not allowed:

Not allowed Manipulating media to deceive, defraud, or mislead others

Examples (non-exhaustive): Deceptively doctoring media related to politics, social issues, or matters of public concern

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.

Unreliable claims
The following is not allowed:

Making inaccurate claims or claims that entice the user with an improbable result (even if this result is possible) as the likely outcome a user can expect

Claims related to health and weight loss
Claims related to financial products or money making schemes
Claims related to politics, social issues, or matters of public concern
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.


Unclear relevance
The following is not allowed:

Promotions that are not relevant to the destination

Examples (non-exhaustive): An ad that uses the keyword insertion feature without a relevant "default" keyword in place; ad title not relevant to ad content; ad doesn't clearly indicate that the resulting destination is a search results page; ad doesn’t accurately describe what the user will see on the destination; using overly general keywords or engaging in keyword spam

Note: When using keyword insertion, include default ad text that is clear and easy to understand.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Learn how to fix a disapproved ad or extension.