ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Link text repetition
Google disapproves a sitelink whose link text matches another sitelink's, even when the two point to different pages. Rename each repeated sitelink so its text names its own destination, then save the edit. Check every sitelink in the account, not only the flagged ones, because a copied label is easy to miss in a long list.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved. Hover over the status to read the policy name.
- What stops
- That sitelink stops serving. The other sitelinks in the ad group keep running.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Only the one sitelink is withdrawn from serving.
What it means
Google requires the link text of a sitelink to describe the page it leads to. The policy also bars repeating that text: using the same link text for more than one sitelink is not allowed, and Google says this holds even when each sitelink points to a different destination.
The check looks at the text, not the address. Two different pages with the same label fail together, so a change to the URL alone does not clear the disapproval.
What actually triggers it
The same label on two pages
Sitelinks named Contact or Services, each pointing to a different page, both fail. The different address does not rescue a repeated label, because the policy checks the words a searcher reads.
A label copied when a sitelink was duplicated
Not on Google's help page
A sitelink made by copying an existing one keeps its text until someone changes it. The copy then repeats the original, and the sitelink that is flagged may be the newer one. Google's page does not mention copying, so check the newest sitelinks first.
Fix it in this order
- Find the sitelinks in the account's assets and hover over each Disapproved status to confirm the policy is Link text repetition.
- Put the link text of every sitelink in the account into one spreadsheet, and sort it. Any text that appears twice is a repeat, including a repeat across campaigns.
- Rename each repeated sitelink so its text names its own destination, such as the service or page it leads to.
- Hover over each sitelink to be renamed, select Edit, change its link text, and select Save.
- Check the status again after the review, then re-read the spreadsheet for any new repeat the edits created.
Check unused sitelinks in the asset library too. In real accounts, a sitelink disapproval stayed on a library asset that nothing used for years, until someone edited or removed the asset, so an old copy can stay flagged after the live sitelinks are fixed.
When to appeal
Appeal only when the two labels really differ and the disapproval is wrong. Start from the sitelink's status in the account.
When the labels match word for word, renaming is the only fix that clears the review.
Often confused with
A wider policy about repeated text with no purpose, such as a business name in every headline, or asset text that repeats words already used in another asset. This page is only about two sitelinks sharing their link text.
Punctuation and symbols in sitelinks
A sitelink whose text uses marks that only attract attention, such as an exclamation mark or a ► symbol. A label can be unique and still fail for its marks, so fix each reason in its own pass.
A sitelink that points to a different domain from the ad. The fix there is the domain in the link text, not a new label.