ReferenceGoogle Ads account suspension
Third Strike
A third strike for the same listed policy, within 90 days of the second, suspends the whole account. Strikes are counted per policy, so a violation of a different listed policy starts its own count. A hold ends when the violations are fixed and the acknowledgement form is filed, or when an appeal succeeds. Check which policy carries the strike before changing any ad.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- An email warning first, then the account notice when a strike or hold is issued.
- What stops
- While a hold stands, ads cannot run. Access to the account and its reports remains.
- How serious
- A hold is temporary. A third strike suspends the account.
- How long
- A first-strike hold lasts 3 days, and a second-strike hold lasts 7 days.
What it means
Repeat violations follow a set sequence for each listed policy. The first violation after the warning becomes a first strike and a 3-day hold. A second strike within 90 days brings a 7-day hold, which Google calls the final notice before suspension. A third strike within 90 days of the second suspends the account.
The warning is a one-time email and earns no strike. Each policy has at most one warning and three strikes.
What actually triggers it
A different listed policy
The count is kept per policy. A violation of a different listed policy is counted separately from the first, so a fix to one policy does not clear the strike on another.
A policy that is not on the strike list
Strikes apply only to listed policies, such as Tobacco, Explosives, Clickbait and Personal loans. A violation of another policy is handled as a disapproval, not a strike.
Ignoring the warning email
The warning is not a shield. The next violation of the same policy after it becomes the first strike.
Fix it in this order
- Read the account notice for the policy named, the strike or hold issued, and its date.
- Fix every violation under that policy across the account, not only the ad the notice happened to name.
- Submit the acknowledgement form once the violations are fixed. Google's page says this, with a successful appeal, is how a hold ends.
- If the violations cannot be fixed in time, send an appeal instead.
- Check the account on the day it resumes: 3 days after a first-strike hold began, or 7 days after a second-strike hold began.
Without action, the hold continues. A second strike within 90 days of the first, and a third within 90 days of the second, is what suspends the account.
When to appeal
Google lists a successful appeal as the other way to end a hold. Use it when the violation was misread. When the ad really broke the policy, the fix and the acknowledgement form are the route.
Often confused with
A hold pauses ads for 3 or 7 days and ends on its date. A suspension ends the account's ability to run ads until an appeal succeeds.