ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Punctuation and symbols in callouts
Google disapproves a callout that uses punctuation or symbols that serve no purpose other than to draw attention, or that repeats text found in another callout, ad text or sitelinks in the same ad group, campaign or account. Remove the marks and rewrite any repeated line. Then edit and save the callout. Check the account-level callouts for the repeat.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The callout does not serve while it stands.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Repeated violations of any policy can lead to a suspension.
What it means
A callout is a short line of extra text shown with an ad. The rule has two parts. The punctuation test is the one for sitelinks: a mark is not allowed when it only draws attention. The repeat test is wider than it looks, because a line in one callout is compared with the other callouts, the ad text and the sitelinks around it in the same ad group, campaign or account.
Google's example is a line that appears in both the ad text and an account-level callout. That is the case to check first.
What actually triggers it
A line repeated in the account-level callouts
The same callout line set at account level and reused in an ad group, a campaign or an ad breaks the repeat test.
An exclamation mark or leading punctuation
The punctuation test applies to callouts as it does to sitelinks. Exclamation marks and punctuation at the start of the text are listed as not allowed.
A callout disapproved under a category that does not fit
Not on Google's help page
In one real account, a callout offering a free look at a job was disapproved under a dating and companionship category within about a day of being created. A headline with near-identical words, carrying a currency symbol, was approved.
Fix it in this order
- Open Assets and find the callout marked Disapproved.
- Remove exclamation marks, leading punctuation and symbols from the callout text.
- Search the account's other callouts, ad text and sitelinks for the same line, and change every copy so the line does not repeat within the ad group, campaign or account.
- Hover over the callout, select Edit, make the change and select Save.
If the callout cannot be changed to meet the rule, remove it.
When to appeal
Appeal when the callout has no marks and repeats no other line, and it is still flagged. An appeal does not change the text, so edit it first.
Often confused with
The punctuation test for ad text. Callouts add the repeat test, so a clean punctuation check does not clear a repeat.
The repetition policy for ad text. Callouts are also compared with ad text and sitelinks, which is why a callout can fail on a line that sits in a headline.