It’s not something anybody wants, but it can happen to almost anyone with a business presence online. Your Google Ads account is suspended, and you’re not sure why. This is the situation most people find themselves in. Few people intentionally sell things that will generate automatic suspensions – so for the vast majority of sellers, a suspension is not something they expect or plan for. We’ll look at common reasons for a Google Ads suspended account and try to clear up some of the confusion.
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What Classifies as a Google Ads suspended account?
It’s important to understand exactly what is meant by a Google Ads suspension, and what it does to your online marketing efforts. When an account is suspended, it means that Google has decided the account violates their terms of service – or that it owes them money. Google can decide this at any time, and right or wrong, your ads will stop running and your Google-based marketing will come to a halt.
You can contact Google, change what they don’t like or pay your past due balance, and get your account back in good standing so you can get started once again, but it’s best to prevent this situation in the first place. Many people will skim over the terms of service for their account – but it is important to read it completely and understand what is expected and what’s prohibited. It’s self-evident that paying your Google bill on time is a good idea, but with all the things that need to be taken care of in running an online business, anyone could slip up and fall behind. It’s worth making your Google account a priority for payment.
Google Policy Violations
The number one reason for getting Google Ads suspended. These can include false claims about your product or services, prohibited and illegal content, promoting illegal activity, and what Google calls deceptive ad practices. The first three reasons are not much more than common sense, although if you’re selling something with legality that varies by location you would need to take a hard look at it.
Deceptive ad practices are more tricky and somewhat in the eye of the beholder – there is a shade of difference between false claims and deceptive claims. Intentionally deceiving a customer is always a bad idea, but you could also encounter a scenario where a difficult customer tries to cause trouble by claiming they were deceived, when it was in fact their misunderstanding that created the problem. This can happen in any sales setting – protect your business by making sure your promotion includes only information that is either obviously correct or easily verified.
Fake Business Information
Many online sellers use secondary addresses for identifying their business and for shipping and receiving. This offers better security than using your home address, and it’s an established and accepted practice. You can get into a grey area if the secondary address is in any way questionable or uncertain – for example, that of a non-business entity like a friend or relative.
You’ll need to be sure your business identity is clear and unambiguous. The registration and paperwork you may need will vary by location, but it’s all clearly spelled out for whatever level of business organisation you think will be right. Make sure it’s accurate and always up to date. Google won’t check it through for you – they’ll just suspend you if they think it’s off somehow.
Fake Reviews & Feedback
It can be a big job to earn good customer feedback, especially when first starting out, but it’s a surefire dead-end with Google to make some up. They’ll eventually figure it out. Disappearing completely due to having your Google Ads suspended while a fake feedback issue is resolved is more damaging to your business than a lack of lots of glowing reviews. Keep doing it right, and the reviews and feedback will come.
Fake Clicks
The internet is awash in bots, click farms, and every other access, traffic, and popularity scam you can think of. It can be tempting to get some of this to work for you – nobody gets hurt and it seems like no business ever gets caught. That is true up to a point, but is it worth setting your business up to be the one that does? Google will suspend an account when they detect any kind of click fraud. They won’t want to hear about all the others – they’re just going to be concentrating on shutting you down. Do it the hard way – earn your clicks.
Unauthorized Access To Your Account
If someone who shouldn’t is logging into your account, Google will eventually spot it, and they will suspend. Keep your login information strictly private. Use two-factor authentication – it is only a little inconvenience for a much greater level of basic security. Protect your account and its revenue stream like you would protect money in the bank.
Discriminatory Targeting
It is very easy to avoid making this mistake – just sell to everybody. Regardless of your personal biases and opinions, you need to be very sure you are not discriminatory in your marketing and choice of target audience. This is true not only on the Google platform. It is simply good business wherever you go. Sell to everyone – you make more money that way.
Being a Repeat Google Ads Suspended Account
Getting suspended once is bad enough, but if you persist in whatever activity Google doesn’t like, you will certainly get suspended again – and if it goes on, you may get suspended permanently. There is no reason to go down this road, even if you feel strongly that Google suspended you incorrectly or without any reason at all. They own the platform and it’s theirs to run as they see fit. There are so many ways to offer and promote your product – you can surely find the ones that will keep everyone happy.
Get Help Running Google Ads Effectively
As you can see, marketing on Google takes more than a good idea and a good product. This is just a very brief overview of some of the issues around account suspension that you may encounter. Professional assistance is advised.
Run your Google Ads right with the backup and support of the Google Ads agency Brisbane business owners depend on. Resurge Digital are here with years of real-world experience to show the way. We’ve developed and managed numerous successful digital marketing campaigns, for a great variety of industries. We want to speak with you about yours. Get started with the leading digital marketing services Brisbane has on offer. Call us on 1300 659 035 today, e-mail [email protected] or enquire online.