Google investigating Merchant Center ad disapprovals

By Nicole Farley

Published: April 17, 2023 at 3:40 pm

Google is looking into an issue in Merchant Center where some advertisers may see a “Circumventing systems” message in their ads.

What’s going on. The glitch was first noticed and posted to Twitter by @ruthiebos.

Hi @adsliaison , I wonder could you advise if there is a glitch at the moment with Google ads regarding “Circumventing systems”? We’ve had a number of ads disapproved for this reason randomly without making any changes to the account or campaigns in recent day? TIA 😊#googleads
— Ruth (@ruthiebos) April 17, 2023

Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin responded that the team was looking into it.

Thanks for your patience as I looked into this. Our teams are aware and are investigating.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 17, 2023

Update. As of 10 am this morning, the issue has been resolved.

Hi, This has been resolved. Thank you for your patience and apologies for the inconvenience.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 18, 2023

Why we care. Any glitches that result in ad disapprovals are a big deal for those who are impacted. It can result in lost revenue or other types of conversions. If you see an error message in your Google Ad or Merchant Center account, be advised that there may be a glitch. You may want to follow Marvin on Twitter to be notified when/if there is a fix.

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About the author

Nicole Farley

Nicole Farley is the founder of Web Sprout, an inbound marketing agency. She formerly was PPC Editor for Search Engine Land (from 2022-2023), covering paid search, paid social, Google Analytics and more. In addition to being a Marine Corps veteran, she has an extensive background in digital marketing, an MBA and a penchant for true crime, podcasts, travel, and snacks.