Our policy
Google wants Shopping ads to be useful, varied, relevant, and safe for users, so we don’t allow any of the following:
|
All of our policies are made to protect a high-quality user experience. We have enforcement systems and processes to prevent content that falls below these standards from being shown to users. We take any attempts to trick or circumvent our review processes very seriously, so play fair.
Examples of what's not allowed
“Malware” is software that aims to harm or get unapproved access to a computer, device, or network.
These requirements apply to your ads and any software that your site or app either hosts or links to, regardless of whether the software is promoted through the Google advertising network. The following is not allowed:
Intentional distribution of malicious software or "malware" that may harm or gain unauthorized access to a computer, device, or network
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, rogue security software, and other malicious programs or apps
- Forced redirects, e.g. redirecting users to an unknown site infected with malicious software without the user actually clicking on the ad
- HTML5 ad stealing user credentials from a publisher’s page
We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. An egregious violation of the Shopping ads policies is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses risks of significant harm to our users. In determining whether an advertiser or destination is violating this policy, we may review information from multiple sources including your ad, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Merchant Center account upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. We only reinstate accounts in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest. Learn more about suspended accounts.
A compromised site refers to a site or destination whose code has been manipulated to act in ways that benefit a third party without the knowledge of the site or destination’s owner or operator, and often in a way that harms the site’s users. The following scenarios would lead to disapproval for Compromised Site:
Destinations which are hijacked and hacked
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Sites injecting scripts or code that transmits customer data without consent, e.g. a credit card skimmer, installing malware on end user devices, launching pop-up ads, redirecting customers to other websites, and doing things with customer data without the end user’s consent; Operating a website using a content management system with known security vulnerabilities, where it has been exploited.
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Any software that your site or app hosts (or links to) should provide a positive experience for customers. Google’s Unwanted Software policy provides a few basic characteristics of software that are potentially harmful to the customer experience.
The following scenarios would lead to disapproval for Unwanted Software:
There is no clear description of the product in your ad or a landing page
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- No information about the product type (app, extension, software) in the ad or landing page; Failure to be transparent about the functionality that the software provides; Description of the functionality of the software differs from the actual functionality
Failing to disclose the full implications of installing the software to the user
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Making system changes or changes to the browser settings without the user’s consent and knowledge; making it difficult for users to disable or uninstall the software; failing to include Terms of Service or an End User License Agreement; Bundling software or applications without the user’s knowledge; Transmitting private information without the user’s knowledge
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Products that are designed for the primary purpose of showing ads or promotional content
- Examples: Driving traffic (through “arbitrage” or otherwise) to destinations with more ads than original content, little or no original content, or excessive advertising
Sites that don't give all users a way to complete the purchase of a product
- Examples: Sites that allow purchase only by businesses, or sites that allow purchase only by a certain subset of users.
Content that's replicated from another source without adding value such as original content or more functionality
- Examples: Mirroring, framing, or scraping content from another source
Landing pages that are solely designed to send users elsewhere
- Examples: Bridge, gateway, or doorway pages
Gaining an unfair advantage
|
---|
Using the Google network to gain an unfair traffic advantage in Shopping campaigns
- Examples: Clicks or impressions generated by a retailer clicking their own listings, automated clicking tools or traffic sources, robots, or other deceptive software, duplicate listings
Gaming the Google network
|
---|
Engaging in practices that attempt to circumvent or interfere with Google’s systems and processes
- Examples: Cloaking; use of dynamic DNS to switch page or product; manipulating product data or site content in order to bypass our automated system checks; restricting crawler access to your landing pages. Learn more about Google web developer guidelines
Having a suspended account linked to your Merchant Center account
- Examples: A Google Ads account linked to your Merchant Center account is suspended
- Learn more about fixing linked account suspension
To ensure a safe and positive experience for customers, Google requires that retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations in addition to our policies. It's important that you familiarize yourself with and keep up to date on these requirements for the place where your business operates, as well as any other places your ads are shown. When we find content that violates these requirements, we may block it from appearing. In cases of repeated or egregious violations, we may ban you from advertising content with us.