ReferenceGoogle Ads account suspension
Advanced Verification
Advanced Verification is a separate Google Ads program for garage door services in the United States and locksmith services in the United States and Canada. Google checks licenses and registrations, holds a recorded video interview, and sets pricing and identity rules for ads and pages. Fix the site and ads before the review, because a denied application gets one appeal only.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- Email from Google to the address on the application, for denials, revocations and requests for documents.
- What stops
- A denied or revoked verification can partly or fully limit the account's ability to advertise in these categories.
- How serious
- One appeal after a denial. Verification can be revoked temporarily or permanently after a violation.
- How long
- Re-verification may be requested every 12 months, or sooner after a move or a website change.
What it means
Advanced Verification is its own program, separate from advertiser verification, which checks who pays for ads. It applies to two categories: garage door services in the United States, and locksmith services in the United States and Canada. Google reviews the Google Ads account where there is one, public records such as state registrations and professional licenses, and holds a video interview that has to be recorded.
Passing is not the end. Verified advertisers must keep to pricing, offer and identity rules on ads and landing pages, may be audited, and can be asked to verify again about every 12 months or after significant changes.
What actually triggers it
Prices that leave out fees
Displayed prices must include all fees, delivery charges, surcharges and taxes. A service whose price varies must show a typical range from the minimum to the maximum total cost. A starting price or a service call fee in text ads is not allowed at all.
Response time promises
Claims of rapid response that cannot be guaranteed are prohibited in text ads and on landing pages. Ads that lead with speed, such as a promised arrival time, are what this rule catches.
Discounts on emergency or repair work
Coupons and discounts for emergency or repair services cannot appear in text ads. Offers elsewhere need a description of what they include and exclude, and must be currently available.
A business name or address that does not match the records
The business must use its legal name or a registered fictitious name, shown where customers expect to see it, and be ready to document its address. Google may request a DBA registration certificate or proof of address. A trade name used on the site but never registered leaves nothing to document.
Licenses that are missing or lapsed
Owners are checked for valid professional licenses, and companies for valid registration and evidence of misleading practices. Aggregators and lead generation networks may need current proof of licensure, insurance and bonding on request.
Warranty claims with no terms
Any warranty or guarantee must link, on the same page, to its terms, exclusions and how to claim. Edited reviews, of the business or a competitor, and unapproved Google logos are also prohibited.
Fix it in this order
- Confirm the category and country. Only garage door services in the United States and locksmith services in the United States and Canada are in the program.
- Before the review, rewrite prices on ads and landing pages as full totals or a typical range, and take service call fees, starting prices and emergency discounts out of text ads.
- Remove response time promises from ads and pages, add terms links next to any warranty, and show the legal or registered business name where customers expect it.
- Gather license, registration, DBA and proof of address documents so they match public records, then go through the recorded video interview.
- Use the Advanced Verification Request form to report changes such as a move or a new website, and expect re-verification after them.
When Google finds a violation it can fix, the email lists the changes required before ads can resume. Make every change on the list before replying, since verification can also be revoked permanently.
When to appeal
A denied application can be appealed once only. Read the denial email and the policies, fix every point on the site and ads, and only then appeal.
An appeal on a site that still shows starting prices or speed promises uses the one chance and returns the same answer.
Often confused with
Advertiser verification required
The general program that confirms who pays for ads, with identity and business documents. Advanced Verification is an additional, category-specific review with an interview and ongoing pricing and identity rules.
Other restricted businesses: local services
The policy that restricts these categories in ads. Advanced Verification is the route that lets a business in them advertise.