Google’s shocking ad ban [It’s clickbait]

Sorry, you’re going to have to stop using “You won’t believe what happened” or “Click here to find out” copy in your Google ads.

Google’s suddenly not down with clickbait. Starting in July, it is introducing a Clickbait Ads policy as part of the Misrepresentation policy for advertisers.

What’s changing. “This policy covers advertisement which uses sensationalist or clickbait text or imagery which intend to drive traffic to the Ad through pressurizing the viewer to take immediate action in order to understand the full context of the Ad,” the company says of the change.

We all know the ads “which use clearly altered zoomed in body parts, mugshots, or real life accident or disaster photos to promote a product or a service; or ads which use ‘before and after’ images to promote significant alterations to the human body.” They are be particularly prevalent in sponsored content recommendations.

Why we care. If you’re currently using these types of tactics in your display or search ads, you’ve got a couple of weeks to consider your next steps. You can keep them running and see what happens, but we highly recommend you also be create some new ads now.

Even if you don’t think you’re using these tactics in your ads, keep an eye on disapprovals as this goes into effect. On its face, the policy appears straightforward, but there will likely be scenarios in which advertisers’ ads are unexpectedly disapproved. And you won’t believe what happens next…

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Ginny Marvin

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.