ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Destination not working
Google's crawler could not load the page the ad sends people to, so the ad stops. Hover over the disapproval to see which error it got, test the final URL as Google's crawler, fix the page or point the ad at one that works, then appeal so it is checked again. A page that opens fine in a browser can still fail for the crawler.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads page, as Disapproved. Hovering shows the error type, such as HTTP 4xx or DNS error.
- What stops
- Every ad pointing at that URL stops. Sitelinks and other assets that link to it can be disapproved the same way.
- How serious
- No suspension on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension.
- How long
- An edited ad is reviewed automatically, typically within 24 to 48 hours. A fixed page needs an appeal to be checked again.
What it means
Google sends a crawler called AdsBot to the ad's destination. If it gets an error back, such as a 404 page, a server error, a domain that does not resolve or a redirect loop, the ad is disapproved under Destination requirements until the page works for the crawler.
It is a check of the page as AdsBot sees it, on common devices and from the places Google checks from. What a person sees on their own phone is not the test.
What actually triggers it
The URL is wrong or the page was removed
A typo in the final URL, or a page that was deleted or renamed in a website rebuild, returns a 404. Rebuilds are the common one: the old address stops existing and nobody updates the ads.
A subdomain or old address in a sitelink
Not on Google's help page
Sitelinks are where this hides. In real accounts reviewed for this page, disapproved assets outnumbered disapproved ads almost two to one, most of them sitelinks, and where Google gave a reason it was a subdomain that no longer resolved. A sitelink can sit under a live ad for months pointing at a page that was retired.
The site blocks the crawler while people get through
Not on Google's help page
Firewalls, bot protection and security plugins can answer AdsBot with a 403 or a challenge page while real visitors load the page normally. That is why the page works when you check it and the ad is still disapproved. Testing with the browser set to AdsBot's user agent shows what the crawler gets.
A tracking template or redirect breaks the path
Google warns that the expanded URL shown in the account can differ from the real destination. A tracking template, a link shortener or a redirect added later can send the crawler to an error, an empty redirect or a loop even when the final URL is right.
The domain or hosting lapsed
An expired domain, a changed DNS record or an unpaid hosting plan makes every URL on the site fail at once, usually as a DNS error. It shows up across the whole account the same day.
The server was down or slow when Google checked
Timeouts and 5xx errors during maintenance or a traffic spike can disapprove ads even though the site is fine an hour later. Google's own fix steps end with an appeal or an edit, so do not wait for the ad to clear by itself once the site is back.
The page sits behind a login or password
Staging sites, member areas and password-protected pages answer the crawler with an authentication wall, which Google treats as not working.
Fix it in this order
- Hover over the disapproval in the Status column and note the error type. It tells you where to look: 4xx is the URL or the site's rules, 5xx and timeouts are the server, DNS is the domain. Often the hover shows no error type at all; then test every URL the ad uses yourself, sitelinks included.
- Check the display, final and expanded URLs for typos, and any tracking template or redirect on the account, campaign or ad.
- Open the final URL in Chrome with DevTools, set the user agent to Google AdsBot, and reload. If it fails there and works normally, the site's security settings are blocking the crawler; that is a change for whoever runs the site.
- Fix the page so it returns a working response on phones and computers, or edit the ad to point at a page that already does.
- If you fixed the page without editing the ad, file an appeal from the ad's status so Google checks the destination again.
Editing the ad to a working URL sends it for review on its own. When only the page changed, Google's steps say to appeal so the ad and page are reviewed, which is why ads can sit disapproved after the site is back.
When to appeal
Appeal after the destination works, or when you are sure it worked at the time of the check. An appeal on a page that still fails for AdsBot comes back the same.
If the error was a short outage and the ad itself is fine, appeal rather than edit, so nothing about the ad has to change.
Often confused with
Destination mismatch
The page works, but the ad's display URL or a redirect leads to a different domain than the final URL. The fix is the URLs, not the page.
Destination not crawlable
AdsBot is turned away before it can check the page at all, for example by robots.txt rules that block most of the site or a robots.txt the crawler cannot read. Google also lists large batches of new ads as a cause, since they need more crawling than the site allows.
Destination not accessible
The page cannot be reached from the locations the ads target, for example because the site blocks visitors from some countries.
Why are there disapprovals on assets nobody uses?
A disapproval can stay on an asset for years, even after the asset is no longer attached to any campaign. Old sitelinks in the asset library can carry a destination error from years ago. They cost nothing while unused, but attaching one to a live campaign brings the old disapproval with it, so check the status before reusing an asset.
Can a call-only ad or a paused campaign be disapproved for its URL?
Yes. Call-only ads still carry a URL that Google checks, and ads in paused campaigns are checked too. Fix them before turning a campaign back on, or it restarts with ads that cannot serve.