ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Warning
A Warning is the first violation of a strike-based policy. Google sends one warning email and issues no strike. Fix the violating ads, then appeal if you think the warning was a mistake. A second violation of the same policy becomes a first strike, which holds the account for 3 days.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- A warning email, sent once.
- What stops
- No hold. The account keeps running, but the next violation of the same policy can earn a strike.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Strikes build from the same policy, and a third strike suspends the account.
What it means
A warning is the lowest step in Google's enforcement for a policy with strikes. It is the only notice in the sequence that carries no hold, so the practical reading is that it is the cheapest point to fix a violation before a strike is possible.
The sequence counts per policy. An account can receive one warning and up to three strikes for each policy violation, so a warning under one policy does not affect the strikes under another.
What actually triggers it
A first violation of a policy that uses strikes
Only some policies use warnings and strikes. Google's list includes Enabling dishonest behavior, Unapproved substances, Tobacco, Clickbait, Misleading ad design, Bail bond services, Call directories, forwarding, and recording services, Credit repair services and Personal loans. A first violation of one of them earns the warning.
The same policy broken again after the warning
The first strike follows a violation of the same policy after the warning. The account goes on a 3-day temporary hold, during which it cannot run ads. It can still be accessed and its reports can still be read.
A second violation within 90 days of the first strike
Another violation within 90 days of the first strike issues a second strike. The page calls it the final notice to remove violating ads before suspension, and the account goes on a 7-day temporary hold.
A violation within 90 days of the second strike
A third strike suspends the account.
New violating ads created during a hold
New violating ads created during a hold earn an additional strike.
Fix it in this order
- Read the warning email for the policy it names, and check that policy against the list of policies that use strikes.
- Open Ads under the Campaigns menu and find each ad and asset flagged under that policy.
- Fix each violating ad or asset, or remove it if you cannot fix it. Do not create new ads under the same policy until every flagged one is clean.
- If you believe the warning was a mistake, appeal the disapproved ads from the account.
If a strike follows, the account resumes serving 3 days after a first strike or 7 days after a second strike, counted from the start of the hold. The hold continues until you fix the violations and submit the acknowledgment form.
When to appeal
Appeal the warning or the strike when the ads were not in violation. If the appeal succeeds, the strike is removed, compliant ads are approved and the hold ends immediately.
An appeal that fails does not lift the hold. You still fix the violations and submit the acknowledgment form.
Often confused with
The third strike is the step that suspends the account. The warning and the first two strikes are on this page, so use this page to see which step you are on.