Managing warnings, strikes, and suspension

Every year, Google suspends tens of millions of Google Ads accounts for advertising policy violations. One specific policy area that confuses many legitimate advertisers is Google’s “three-strikes” system.

Essentially, if Google decides your account has repeatedly violated any of 15 specific Google advertising policies, you’re at risk for temporary (and potentially permanent) suspension of your Google Ads account.

To help you prevent a single policy issue from snowballing into a full account suspension, here’s how Google’s three-strike system works and what you should do at every stage to keep your ads running.

Case study: Appealing a Google Ads strike

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve helped thousands of advertisers identify and resolve Google’s policy concerns so that their businesses can resume running ads. One such situation involved helping a business that sells ceremonial swords for military dress uniforms.

Google’s Other Weapons policy prohibits advertising swords intended for combat. However, that same policy permits the advertising of non-sharpened, ceremonial swords, which is what this business sells. Even though this business was properly advertising its products within Google’s ad policy parameters, Google issued them a warning for violating the Other Weapons policy.

After the warning, we documented for Google that the business wasn’t violating Google’s policy. We also added specific disclaimers to the business’s sword product pages, noting that the swords were only ceremonial. Frustratingly, Google decided to issue a first strike to the business anyway. 

We appealed the strike because the business wasn’t violating Google’s policy. But Google quickly denied that appeal. We tried appealing again, and Google denied the second appeal. The ad account remained on hold with no ads serving, and the business was losing revenue.

Ultimately, we had to “acknowledge” the strike to Google (I’ll explain what that means later) so that the ads would resume serving. We then worked with Google to craft more precise disclaimer language, stating that the swords for sale were ceremonial blades and not sharpened for use as weapons. This disclaimer was added to the business’s website footer so that both Google’s robots and human reviewers could see it on every single page (regardless of whether swords were for sale on a particular page).

Because of all these changes, Google’s concerns were satisfied and the business has never received any subsequent warnings or strikes. The end result was a success, even though technically there should never have been a warning or strike issued because an actual policy violation never occurred.

Key takeaway: Google will sometimes incorrectly issue warnings and strikes, and even reject appeals, and will often require excessive website disclaimers to convince them that all is well.

Navigating Google’s three-strikes system

Understanding Google’s strikes system can save your ads account from suspension. The search giant adheres to a system that begins with an initial warning and is followed by a “three strikes and you’re out” protocol.

The warning: Your ‘mulligan’ opportunity

Before issuing your ad account an initial strike, Google will first send you a warning notification.

This warning informs you that there’s a problem and allows you to address and resolve Google’s concern before your account is penalized with an official strike.

• The penalty: None (yet). Your ads can continue to run.
• What to do: Appeal any ad/asset disapprovals if you’re confident Google made a mistake, or identify the issue and replace the disapproved ads/assets with fully compliant versions

Treat warnings seriously — ignoring them likely ensures your account will begin receiving strikes.

Strike 1: At least three days without ads

If Google decides that the same policy violation still exists after a warning was issued, your ad account will receive its first official strike.

• The penalty: All ads will stop serving for three full days.
• What to do: Acknowledge or appeal the strike.

Acknowledge the strike

This is your fastest path back to serving ads. But Google counts strikes as cumulative over a 90-day period.

If you acknowledge the strike rather than successfully appeal it, you’ve started the clock on the possibility of three strikes and a permanent suspension. Deciding which approach is best is a case-by-case determination.

To acknowledge the strike, you must:

• Remove all ads/assets that violate Google’s cited policy
• Submit Google’s acknowledgment form confirming that:
  • You understand the policy Google says you violated.
  • You have removed all violations.
  • You will comply with Google’s policies from now on.

After you acknowledge the strike and the three-day hold ends, your ads will resume serving.

Appeal the strike

Submit this appeal form and explain why your ads aren’t violating Google’s policy. Keep in mind:

• Your account remains on hold during Google’s review.
• Reviews typically take 5+ business days, so be patient.
• If Google accepts your appeal, they will remove the hold and your ads will resume serving.
• If Google rejects your appeal, your account will stay on hold and no ads will serve.
• After a rejected appeal, you can attempt appealing again or acknowledge the strike.

Appealing is often justified, but it costs time and success isn’t guaranteed (even if you’re in the right, as the earlier case study shows).

Strike 2: At least seven days without ads

If Google decides there’s been another policy violation within 90 days of resolving your first strike, or if your original violation was unresolved during those 90 days, your account will receive a second strike.

• The penalty: All ads will stop serving for seven full days.
• What to do: Your options are the same as for Strike 1: acknowledge or appeal the strike.

Strike 3: Your account is suspended

If Google decides there’s been another policy violation within 90 days of resolving your second strike, or if your previous violation was unresolved during those 90 days, your account will receive a third strike.

• The penalty: Your account is suspended, and you may not run any ads or create a new ad account.
• What to do: Your only recourse now is to appeal the suspension.

Successfully appealing a suspension is definitely possible. But the process is often a nightmare, and the results are never guaranteed.

Important: Once suspended, you’re unable to make any changes to your ad account.

Dig deeper: Dealing with Google Ads frustrations: Poor support, suspensions, rising costs

Exceptions to the rules

Google is sometimes inconsistent at following their own rules. Here are two examples I’ve seen first-hand.

Successfully appealing a strike doesn’t always reset the 90-day clock

I have a client who acknowledged a first strike on June 25. They received a second strike on July 26, which they successfully appealed. You would think that should reset the 90-day counter back to June 25.

However, Google gave them another second strike on October 16, far beyond 90 days from the date of the first strike, but within 90 days from the date of the “first” second strike, which they successfully appealed.

Google sometimes automatically returns your account to ‘warning’ status after a first strike expires

I have a client who received a warning on August 7, followed by a first strike on September 7. They acknowledged the first strike, and that strike expired on December 6, 90 days after it was issued.

However, the account immediately reentered “warning” status, with a new 90-day clock starting from when the first strike expired. There was no new email notification about this warning, and the warning didn’t appear on the Strike history tab.

Common questions about Google Ads strikes

How do I know if I received a strike?

• Look for an email notification from Google.

• Look for a notification at the top of your Google Ads account.

• Check the Policy manager page in your Google Ads account.

How do I see my history of strikes?

• Go to the Strike history tab on the Policy manager page in your Google Ads account.

Can you get a strike without having ad disapprovals?

• Yes. Google can issue strikes even if no ads are formally disapproved.

How are Google’s three- and seven-day ad holds calculated?

• Google counts full days. For example, if you receive and acknowledge a first strike (a three-day hold) on January 1, your ads won’t be eligible to resume serving until January 4th.

Are account strikes worse than ad disapprovals?

• Yes, account strikes are significantly worse than individual ad disapprovals. A strike prevents all your account’s ads from serving and can easily escalate to a full account suspension.

Which Google policies have the three-strikes rule?

• Enabling dishonest behavior.
• Unapproved substances.
• Guns, gun parts, and related products.
• Explosives.
• Other weapons.
• Tobacco.
• Compensated sexual acts.
• Mail-order brides.
• Clickbait.
• Misleading ad design.
• Bail bond services.
• Call directories, forwarding services, and recording services.
• Credit repair services.
• Binary options.
• Personal loans.

Important: If you violate one of Google’s many other policies not listed above, you could find your ad account suspended immediately, with no warning or three-strikes system.

Dig deeper: Google Ads boosts accuracy in advertiser account suspensions

What you can do to prevent and navigate Google Ads strikes

Follow these best practices and tips to minimize the chances of receiving a Google Ads strike:

• Read the Google Ads policies that apply to your industry so that you know what to do and what not to do.
• Delete old ads and assets you no longer need, so they can’t trigger strikes unexpectedly.
• Add clear and comprehensive disclaimers to your website that will help Google understand you’re complying with any ad policies you think they might otherwise decide you aren’t.
• Save copies of any appeals you submit because Google won’t show them to you after they’re submitted.
• If you receive an account strike, closely monitor the 90-day clock so you know when you’re safely out of the previous “strike” window.

Google understandably cares deeply about its reputation and the safety of its users. That’s why Google’s policy team often strictly enforces its advertising policies, and why they’re sometimes over-aggressive when interpreting and applying their own policy language.

To keep our Google Ads accounts in good health and our ads running, the best thing we can do as advertisers is to deeply understand Google’s advertising policies and requirements.

Always be ready to jump through hoops to explain your unique situations, and over-comply with Google’s edicts whenever feasible. 

Here’s hoping you never see a third strike!