ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Third-party URLs
Google disapproves a sitelink whose URL points to a different domain from the ad's final URL. The exceptions are a few named sites, such as select online retailers, a Facebook page, a YouTube video, a LinkedIn profile or an Instagram account. Point the sitelink at your own domain, or keep the link and write its text with the full domain name. Then edit and save the sitelink.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The sitelink does not serve while it stands.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Repeated violations of any policy can lead to a suspension.
What it means
Google expects a sitelink to lead to the same site as the ad. A sitelink to another site is the exception, and only for the named kinds of destination. For those exceptions the link text has to say what the reader will find and include the full domain name, so the reader knows where the click goes.
What actually triggers it
A sitelink on a different domain from the ad
The sitelink URL is on another domain from the ad's final URL. Compare the domains first, since the mismatch is in the domain, not in the page path.
An allowed site without the domain in the link text
An exception is allowed only when the link text describes the destination and includes the full domain name. Google's example is a link to a video on YouTube whose text names the domain, Youtube.com.
Allowed site, but link text that does not describe the destination
The link text must say what someone would find at the destination. A bare label such as a brand name on a link to a retailer listing does not. If the domain itself is missing, Google may insert it into the headline.
Fix it in this order
- Open Campaigns, then Assets, and find the sitelink marked Disapproved.
- Compare the sitelink URL with the ad's final URL. If it is on another domain and is not one of the allowed sites, change it to a page on your own domain.
- If it is one of the allowed sites, rewrite the link text so it describes the destination and includes the full domain name.
- Hover over the sitelink, select Edit, make the change and select Save. Google reviews the edit again.
If the sitelink cannot be changed to meet the rule, remove it.
When to appeal
Appeal when the link already meets the rule and the sitelink is still flagged. An appeal does not change the URL or the text, so fix those first.
Often confused with
A mismatch is raised when the ad's link leads to a different domain than the ad shows, through the final URL, the mobile URL or a tracking template. Third-party URLs is about a sitelink deliberately pointed at another site. In one real account, a tracking template alone raised a mismatch, so check the template as well as the final URL.