ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Destination experience
Google Ads disapproves landing pages that are hard to use: pop-ups that block the content, a back button that does not work, direct downloads, a mailto link as the destination, or redirects with no user action. Fix the flagged behavior, check the Ad Experience Report, then submit the site for re-review. A warning comes before any suspension.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, and the Ad Experience Report and Abusive Experience Report for the site.
- What stops
- The ads stop serving until the review clears them.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google issues a warning at least 7 days before any suspension.
What it means
Google's destination requirements ask that a landing page works, is useful and is easy to leave. A page that traps the visitor fails that test even when the content is good. The policy covers the page's behavior and any ad-like features it contains.
There are two kinds of check. The ad-level policy looks at the destination when an ad is reviewed. The Better Ads Standards check looks at the site as a whole through the Ad Experience Report, and that is where a site-wide fix is confirmed.
What actually triggers it
A pop-up or interstitial that blocks the content
Timed, intermittent or ad-generated pop-ups that cover the page, or interstitials that make it hard to leave the site.
A download or an email link as the landing page
A direct download of a file, or a mailto link, as the destination. Google lists both. A PDF landing page is allowed only for pharmaceutical advertisers.
A back button that does not work
A site that disables or interferes with the browser back button.
A redirect with no user action
An automatic redirect after the click that the visitor did not start.
Fix it in this order
- Open the Ad Experience Report for the site and note each flagged experience.
- Remove or change the pop-up, download, mailto link or redirect. Keep the page usable without any extra app beyond common browser plug-ins.
- For an ad-level flag, open Campaigns, then Ads, hover over the ad, select Edit, change the destination and select Save.
- Submit the site through the Abusive Experience Report. In the Request review field, describe the fixes, select I fixed this, check I have fixed all the issues, and select Submit.
If the review finds no abusive experiences, the ads can resume serving.
When to appeal
The page describes no separate appeal. The re-review submission is the route, and it reads the site as it stands when the review runs, so submit only after the fixes are live.
Often confused with
Misleading ad design is about how the ad looks, such as a warning or a fake button. Destination experience is about what the landing page does after the click, such as pop-ups or downloads. A fake warning in the ad is the first; a pop-up on the page is the second.