ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Unacceptable phone number
Google Ads disapproves call ads and call assets whose phone number is inactive, a fax line, a premium-rate number, a vanity number, or a number not local to the targeted area. Confirm the number rings the business, then replace it with a local working one and save. Brazil requires a carrier code, and toll-free and shared-cost numbers are exempt.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, on the call ad or call asset.
- What stops
- The call ad or call asset stops serving until a working number is reviewed.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Repeated violations can lead to suspension.
What it means
A call ad or call asset needs a number that connects to the advertised company and is in service for the place the ad targets. Google may place occasional test calls to check that the number works, and those calls may be recorded.
This is a check on the number itself: whether it rings the business, is local and is a voice line. The check on a number typed into the words of an ad is a separate policy with its own fix.
What actually triggers it
A vanity number
A number that uses letters in place of digits, such as a toll-free prefix followed by a word. Google's example is written that way.
A number from another country
A local number for a different country used in an ad that targets this one. Google lists non-local numbers as unacceptable.
A premium or fax number
A premium-rate line that charges extra to complete the call, or a fax line set up as a call asset.
A disapproved call asset that is still linked
Not on Google's help page
In one real account, a disapproved call asset was removed at account level but stayed linked, enabled, to a paused campaign. Its link showed not eligible, and turning the campaign back on would bring the disapproved asset back with it.
Fix it in this order
- Open Campaigns, then Ads, and find call ads and call assets with a Disapproved status.
- Call the number from a phone outside the business. Confirm it rings the business and that it is local for the area you target.
- Hover over the ad or asset, select Edit, replace the number with a local working one, and select Save.
- For a disapproved call asset still linked to a paused campaign, remove that link before the campaign is turned back on.
When to appeal
Appeal when the number rings the business, is local and the disapproval still stands. Google's page points to its disapproved ads and policy questions form for this.
In Brazil, the number needs a carrier code, and toll-free or shared-cost numbers are exempt. Check that before an appeal, because a number without the code is an edit.
Often confused with
That rule is about a number typed into the words of an ad or asset. This rule is about the number itself: whether it is in service, local and a voice line. A valid number typed into a headline still fails the text rule.