2021 Google Ads Policy Update Wrap-Up

 In 2021, Google's advertising policy was updated more than 60 times, and advertisers need to pay attention to changes in related content. Below is a list of some related advertising updates.





1. Advertiser Authentication Policy Update


This piece of information has been released and updated 12 times in total, mainly involving the need for identity verification in various countries and regions to promote corresponding products, as well as the details of advertiser information that Google needs to disclose in order to improve transparency.


On October 25, 2021, Google will update its advertiser authentication policy to state that once an advertiser completes advertiser authentication, information related to an advertiser's Google Ads account and campaigns will be made public, which may include:


Advertiser name change history


Creative


Ads removed or accounts suspended for legal or policy reasons


Merchant Contact Information


The date and location of the ad


Advertiser identity verification will be implemented in stages, and Google may require certain advertisers to complete this verification program first. As Google rolls out this requirement across the ad network, advertisers who meet any of the following characteristics may need to complete verification first:


1. Promotion of products, goods and services.


Examples: Retail, Media & Entertainment, Travel, B2B, Technology, etc.


2. Promotion of information, consulting or educational content.


Examples: Promotion of educational resources, research and statistics, free health or financial advice, charitable or social causes, etc.


3. Promote content related to regulated industries.


Examples: Gambling and games, financial products or services, healthcare products or services, etc.


Additionally, authentication may be required when it comes to business operations, restricted content and certain ad formats.


2. Gambling and Gaming Policy Update


In 2021, Google released relevant updates 16 times in response to the requirements of different countries and regions, mainly emphasizing the need to obtain Google Ads certification and the need to obtain local country/region licenses for gambling and games. countries and territories, advertising in the U.S. requires a license from at least one of those states. It can be seen that the policies on gambling and games are different in various countries and regions. It is necessary for advertisers to understand this policy in detail. Once the policy is violated, the ads will be disapproved, and the ads will be suspended or permanently disabled.


Google supports responsible gambling advertising and complies with local gambling laws and industry standards, therefore Google does not allow certain types of gambling advertising. However, some gambling ads may run as long as they comply with Google's policies and the advertiser is properly certified for Google Ads. Gambling ads must target approved countries, their landing pages must display information about responsible gambling, and they must not target minors.


3. "Financial Products and Services" Policy


The policy has been updated 6 times in 2021, mainly involving detailed policies in Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Israel and other countries. Due to restricted content, Google Ads approval is required to place relevant ads.


Google expects users to make informed financial decisions with sufficient information. Therefore, Google has policies in place to ensure that users have the necessary information to weigh the costs associated with these financial products and services, and to protect users from harm or fraud. In this policy, financial products and services refer to products and services related to the management or investment of funds and cryptocurrencies, including personalized financial advice.


When promoting financial products and services, advertisers must comply with national and local regulations in any country or region to which the ad is targeted, for example, by including specific disclosures as required by local law. For more information, see some of the country-specific requirements that Google lists, but please note that Google expects advertisers to do their own research on local regulations for any location their ads target.


4. Misrepresentation


False statements are mainly updated with 3 contents:

In December 2021, Google updated its Unreliable Claims policy to include a new policy that prohibits content involving climate change claims that contradict scientific consensus.


In June 2021, Google updated the Google Ads "misrepresentation" policy to add the two policies previously mentioned in the "Inappropriate Content" section. Both policies prohibit (1) content that promotes harmful health claims, and (2) content that relates to a major current health crisis and is contrary to authoritative scientific consensus. Google will move these two policies from the "Dangerous or Derogatory Content" section of the "Inappropriate Content" policy page to the "Unreliable Claims" section of the "Misrepresentation" policy page.


In May 2021, Google updated its Google Ads "misrepresentation" policy to limit claims related to financial products or money-making schemes.


5. YouTube Advertising Requirements


There are two main policies involving Youtube in 2021:


June 14, 2021 Updated YouTube advertising requirements with new YouTube Masthead content requirements to explicitly list specific categories of prohibited asset promotion. 


YouTube Mastheads are ads that YouTube users see at the top of the YouTube homepage. These ads are the most prominent Google ad placement for advertisers. Therefore, the review of this ad will be more stringent.


From March 16, 2021, update the rules for advertising in child-directed content on YouTube.


The following types of ads will be restricted from serving on child-directed content:


Incitement to Purchase: Promotional information or content that incites children to purchase products or services, or encourages parents or others to purchase goods.

Misleading and Deceptive Statements


6. Health Care Policy Updates


On June 15, 2021, Google will update its Health and Drugs policy for Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand to allow government entities to advertise drug and alcohol recovery services. Advertisers must also be certified by Google.


On June 2, 2021, Google's new policy will require advertisers to be certified to run ads promoting health insurance in the United States. Government advertisers are not required to complete this certification process.


In March 2021, Google updated its Health Care and Medicines policy for Israel, Kenya, the Philippines, and Portugal. Local regulations are required, with the promotion of licensed online pharmacies permitted in Israel and Kenya, and the promotion of over-the-counter medicines in the Philippines and Portugal.


7. Inappropriate content


Inappropriate content mainly involves pornography and adult content, and Google Ads has strengthened the supervision and crackdown on this content.


Summarize:

Other updates also involve advertising policies for alcoholic beverages in some countries and policies for the protection of minors, which are not listed here. This year's update shows that Google has strengthened its supervision of illegal advertisements, focusing on the protection of consumer rights and the protection of minors.


Advertisers will only be warned for the first policy violation if they violate Google Advertising's policies. But if Google detects that policy violations are continuing, advertisers receive their first strike. Advertisers will receive up to 3 strikes, with incremental penalties for each strike. For the first and second strikes, the account is temporarily suspended (3 days and 7 days, respectively), while the third strike results in account suspension.


Advertisers whose accounts have been temporarily suspended are required to correct the relevant violations and submit a confirmation form before they can resume serving ads. After submitting the confirmation form, these accounts will be released from the temporary freeze after 3 days (after the first strike) or 7 days (after the second strike). Advertisers can appeal the strike decision if they believe the strike was received in error. The account will resume serving ads as soon as the strike is successfully appealed. If the advertiser does not take any action to acknowledge the strike or file an appeal, the account will remain temporarily suspended. Strikes will remain in the Google Ads account for 90 days unless the appeal is successful.


Advertisers are requested to abide by Google Ads policies.


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