ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Destination mismatch
Google followed the ad's link and ended up on a different domain than the ad shows, so the ad stops. Check the display URL, the final URL and every tracking template, at the ad, ad group, campaign and account levels. Fix the one that leads elsewhere, then appeal if the template sat above the ad, because that change is not reviewed again on its own.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads page or the asset report, as Disapproved, with Destination mismatch in the Policy details column.
- What stops
- That ad or asset stops serving. Sitelinks with a mismatched URL are disapproved the same way.
- How serious
- No suspension on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension.
What it means
Destination mismatch sits under Google's Destination requirements. An ad has to lead where it says it leads: the domain in the display URL, the final URL, and wherever a tracking template or redirect ends up all have to be the same site. When Google's check lands somewhere else, the ad is disapproved.
Google gives one of three messages with it: Crawled final URL doesn't match the expected final URL (Destination Mismatch), Display URL doesn't match the Final URL, or Tracking template doesn't redirect through a final URL. Each one points at a different URL to fix, so read it before changing anything.
What actually triggers it
The final URL redirects to another domain
example.com forwarding to example2.com is the case Google describes. A site that moved to a new domain while the ads kept the old address, a link shortener whose expanded URL misses the final URL, and a geo redirect that sends some visitors to a country site all do it. Google also names case-sensitive servers, where /Page and /page are treated as different addresses.
The tracking template alone
Not on Google's help page
In real accounts, ads were disapproved where the final URL passed and only the tracking template's destination failed. Checking the final URL does not clear it. Templates often sit at the account or campaign level, set long ago, and a template set lower down silently replaces the one above it, so one campaign can be tagged differently from the rest.
A tracking parameter inside the final URL
Google says a tracking parameter written into the final URL can cause Tracking template doesn't redirect through a final URL. Its fix is to put {ignore} in front of the parameter, for example https://example.com/?{ignore}tracking=123&id=DynamicId.
A display URL that names another domain
Usually a typo, or keyword insertion placed in the domain itself, such as www.{keyword}.com. Google requires the display URL's domain to match the final URL's domain exactly.
A subdomain on a shared domain
On a domain many sites share, the subdomain has to make clear the site is separate from the others. Google's example is a final URL of mycompany.blogspot.com behind a display URL of blogspot.com. A business that uses a domain exclusively does not need a subdomain.
A click tracker Google has not certified
Google says to use only Google-certified click trackers, because an uncertified one can cause the disapproval even when the final URL is right.
Fix it in this order
- Hover over the Disapproved status, or read the Policy details column, and note which of the three messages Google gives. It names the URL to look at.
- Open each final URL in a browser and watch where the address bar ends up. If it ends on a different domain, change the final URL to the address where it ends instead of relying on the redirect, a shortener or a geo redirect.
- Check the tracking template at every level: account, campaign, ad group, ad and sitelink. If it leads to different content than the final URL, or uses a click tracker Google has not certified, correct it or remove it.
- If a tracking parameter is written into a final URL, put {ignore} in front of it, as in https://example.com/?{ignore}tracking=123&id=DynamicId.
- Make the display URL's domain match the final URL's domain. To edit, open Campaigns, then Ads, hover over the ad or asset, click Edit, make the change and Save.
- If the template you fixed sat at the ad group, campaign or account level, appeal. Google reviews template changes at the ad, keyword and sitelink level automatically, and the others only after an appeal.
If an ad cannot be fixed, remove it rather than leave it disapproved. Google points to removal as the way to avoid repeated violations that can lead to a suspension.
When to appeal
Appeal after fixing a tracking template above the ad level, since that is how Google looks again. Appeals start in Policy manager, under Troubleshooting in the Tools menu, or from the ad's status.
Appeal with Dispute decision only when every URL really does end on the same domain. Google allows a cross-domain redirect only in a few pre-approved cases, such as a manufacturer sending buyers to approved retailers.
Often confused with
The page itself returns an error to Google's crawler, such as a 404 or a DNS failure. The fix is the page or the domain, not which URL points where.
Google's crawler is turned away before it can check the page at all, for example by robots.txt rules. Nothing about the URLs disagrees.