Google adds to its transparency rules for who is paying for ads
Google is expanding ad transparency by revealing who’s funding ads — making it crucial for advertisers to manage their public identity.
Google updated its Ads Transparency policy to show more detailed information about the entities funding ads – a move aimed at increasing accountability in digital advertising.
Driving the news. Starting today, Google is displaying the payer name – drawn from an advertiser’s payment profile – if it differs from their verified advertiser name.
- For agency accounts, the client’s payment profile will be used as the payer name when applicable. This information will appear in the My Ad Center panel and the Ads Transparency Center.
Why we care. This update increases public visibility into who is actually funding ads, which can impact brand perception, trust, and compliance. For agencies and businesses managing multiple clients or brands, accurate payer naming is essential to avoid misattribution, confusion, or reputational risk.
It also introduces new operational steps – like re-verification and profile name management – that advertisers need to handle to maintain transparency and control how they’re represented.
The next phase. Starting in June, advertisers can manually edit their payer name in their account’s verification settings.
- New Google Ads accounts will default to using the payment profile name unless it is updated during verification.
Between the lines. This change aims to prevent confusion and ensure the true source of ad funding is clear, particularly in cases where agencies buy ads on behalf of clients.
- Google advised agency advertisers who were misclassified as direct advertisers to re-verify their accounts by May 31 to avoid inaccurate payer name displays.
Zom out. Election Ads advertisers are already required to disclose payer names during verification. Those wishing to update their payer name must re-complete the election ad verification process under existing policies.
The announcement. Updates to Ads Transparency Policy (April 2025)
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