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About Advertiser verification program
What is the Advertiser verification program?
To provide a safe and trustworthy ad ecosystem for users and to comply with emerging regulations, Google will require advertisers to complete one or more verification programs. Learn more About verification
Why is Google verifying advertisers?
Our goal is to improve trust in the ads ecosystem by providing users with more information about advertisers. Through Advertiser verification we will verify the business, name, and location of our advertisers. This is part of our larger effort to give users more transparency, choice, and control.
Who has to complete the advertiser verification program?
Advertisers who are required to complete advertiser verification will receive an email and an in-account notification. Advertisers may be selected to complete verification based on the criteria listed here.
How long does the advertiser verification program take?
Advertisers will be given 30 days to submit their answers to the ‘About your business’ section. If advertisers have not submitted their answers by the end of the 30th day, their account will be paused.
Responses from the completion of the 'About your business' questions determine the verification requirements and direct advertisers to the next steps of additional verification, which may include verifying your identity, your business operations or both. Advertisers will be given another 30 days to successfully complete these additional verifications. Failure to complete or meet the verification requirements in the specified time period will result in an account pause.
In summary, advertisers will have 30 days to complete the ‘About your business’ questions and an additional 30 days to successfully complete all requested verifications, which may include verifying their identity, their business operations or both.
How do I complete the advertiser verification program?
You are only required to complete the advertiser verification program if Google sends you an email and an in-account notification. In the first step of the advertiser verification program, Google asks advertisers a few basic questions related to their Google Ads account and business under the 'About your business' section. These questions help us to get a better understanding of the business. Here are examples of questions that advertisers may be required to answer:
- Whether their business is an advertising agency
- Who pays for their ads
- Whether they advertise their own products/services or someone else’s
- Their industry (or industries)
The person who is responsible for completing this section should be a Google Ads account admin familiar with the business operations and advertising practices for the Google Ads account.
Advertisers will be given 30 days to submit their answers or their account(s) will be paused after the 30th day. Learn more about account pausing.
Responses from the completion of the 'About your business' questions determine the verification requirements and direct advertisers to the next steps of additional verification, which may include verifying their identity (advertiser identity verification), their business operations (business operations verification), or both.
Follow the instructions in the email and in-account notification.
Can I choose not to complete advertiser verification?
If you have received an email requiring you to verify, you must complete the advertiser verification program. If you do not start the program within 30 days, your account will be paused.
If I have been verified through identity verification or business operations verification, do I need to complete the advertiser verification program?
You are only required to complete the advertiser verification program if you have received an email and an in-account notification from Google to do so. Google reserves the right to verify your identity or business operations again. For example, you may be asked to re-verify your identity or business operations if you have made significant changes in your Google Ads account.
I am currently undergoing identity verification or business operations verification. Do I need to restart verification?
There is no need to restart unless you are notified to do so. Please complete any unfinished verification steps as identified in your account. Your account will be paused if the verification is not completed successfully.How can I see my verification status?
You can check your verification status directly in your Google Ads account on the Advertiser verification page. Please allow 5-7 business days for the verification to update in your account after you submit documentation. You will also receive an email notification to inform you if the verification was successful or if more information is required.
I received a notification that the verification team needs more information. What should I do?
Please review in detail the information provided in that email. Make sure you provide all required documents or address the issue highlighted in the email and then, submit all the required documentation again following the instructions in your Google Ads account on the Advertiser verification page.
I have completed identity verification. Do I need to complete business operations verification to satisfy the requirements of the Advertiser Verification program?
If you have already completed identity verification, you do not need to complete business operations verification unless you receive a notification from Google requesting you to do so.
How can I run election ads?
If you intend to run election ads, in certain countries you must also complete election ads verification.
About identity verification
What is identity verification?
Identity verification is used to verify the name and location of our advertisers. It is now a part of the unified advertiser verification program.What do I have to submit for identity verification?
The steps required to complete identity verification for certain Google Ads accounts may differ, depending on your account structure, your billing setup and if you're advertising on behalf of an organisation or individual. For more information about the documents you must submit, please see here.
I’m an agency. How do I get verified?
If you are an agency, the verification steps will vary based on who you are advertising on behalf of (an organisation or individual) and whether you are verifying yourself or your client. Full details can be found here.
Can I verify all my Google Ads accounts at once?
A small subset of advertisers can complete identity verification in bulk. We will notify advertisers if and when they are available for this feature. Otherwise, please complete identity verification for each Google Ads account separately, as requested in the notification email.
About business operations verification
What is business operations verification?
As part of the advertiser verification program, we may ask advertisers to verify details about their business operations (if applicable) along with supporting documentation, such as their business model, business registration information, types of services they offer, business practices and relationships with advertised brands, products or third parties, if applicable.
Advertisers will be given 30 days to successfully complete business operations verification and all other requested verifications (if applicable) once they start this process. In certain circumstances, we may pause your Google Ads accounts immediately when the business operations verification program is initiated. This means that your ads will not be able to serve until you are able to complete the program successfully.Learn more about account pausing.
Is business operations verification required to be completed successfully to meet the requirements of the advertiser verification program?
Yes. You must successfully complete business operations verification when requested in order to meet the requirements of the advertiser verification program. Failure to successfully complete business operations verification will result in your account being paused at the end of the given time period.
What are the requirements to successfully complete business operations verification?
Upon review of the information provided during business operations verification, Google may consider your business model, operations or practices as unclear. This may be due to multiple reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Inconsistent or inaccurate information provided during the verification program
- Unsubstantiated relationships with third parties or advertised brands where applicable
- Lack of information or clarity about the end provider of the products or services advertised
- Irrelevant, insufficient or invalid documentation
- Mismatch in the name you provided with the name in your government-issued ID, or mismatch in the organisation’s name you provided with the organisation’s legal name in the business documents that you have submitted
Any of the above will result in failure to meet the requirements of this verification program.
About ad disclosures and advertiser pages
What are ad disclosures?
Ad disclosures provide more information for the user about the advertiser, including name and location.