How Can I Check if My Ad Complies with Platform Policies
Online advertising is a powerful and effective way to reach potential customers and grow your business. However, online advertising also comes with certain rules and guidelines that you need to follow to avoid violating the policies of the platforms where you advertise. These policies are designed to protect the users, advertisers, and publishers from harmful or misleading content, as well as to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
In this article, we will provide you with some tips and best practices on how to check if your company’s ad complies with platform policies. We will focus on some of the most popular and widely used online advertising platforms, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Twitter Ads, and explain their main policies and how to avoid common pitfalls.
And lastly, we’ll arm you with what you need to appeal any ads that you think should be approved but get rejections.
How Can I Check if My Ad Complies with Platform Policies
There are different ways to check if your ad complies with the platform’s policies, depending on the platform you are using.
Some of the possible ways are:
For Facebook and Instagram:
Lean on the Facebook Ads Library to search for and view ads that are running across Facebook products
Use Facebook Ads Manager to create and manage your ads
Check to see if they meet the Facebook Advertising Policies
Also don’t forget to check your Account Quality dashboard regularly to monitor the status and performance of your ads and see if any of them have been rejected or restricted for policy violations
For Google and YouTube:
Look into the Google Ads Policy Center to learn about the Google Ads policies and how they apply to your ads
Use the Google Ads interface to create and edit your ads, and see if they are approved or disapproved by Google
For LinkedIn:
Leverage LinkedIn Campaign Manager to create and manage your ads, and see if they comply with the LinkedIn Advertising Policies
You can also use the LinkedIn Ad Review Tool to preview how your ads will look on different devices and placements
For X (formerly Twitter):
Use the Twitter Ads Dashboard to create and manage your ads, and see if they follow the X Ads Policies
You can also use the Twitter Ads Transparency Center to view all ads that are currently running on X, including information about who is behind each ad
Facebook Ad Policies
Facebook’s main ad policies are designed to protect the users, advertisers, and publishers from harmful or misleading content, as well as to comply with applicable laws and regulations. These policies apply to all types of ads that run on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and the Meta Audience Network.
Some of the main ad policies are:
Prohibited content: This includes content that is illegal, discriminatory, deceptive, violent, sexual, hateful, infringing, or otherwise inappropriate. For example, ads that promote adult products, drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, malware, or false news are not allowed.
Restricted content: This includes content that is subject to additional requirements or limitations based on the product or service being advertised, the audience being targeted, or the country where the ad is shown. For example, ads that promote alcohol, gambling, dating, health products, or political issues may require prior authorization, age restrictions, or disclaimers.
Video ads: This includes content that is specific to video ads, such as duration, quality, sound, text overlay, and thumbnail. For example, video ads must not exceed 240 minutes in length, must not contain excessive text on the video or thumbnail image, and must not have sound that is startling or annoying.
Targeting: This includes content that is specific to how advertisers choose their audience for their ads. For example, advertisers must not use targeting options that discriminate against or harass people based on their personal attributes, such as age, gender, race, religion, or disability.
Positioning: This includes content that is specific to where and how ads are shown on Facebook and its partner platforms. For example, advertisers must not use images or text that imply a connection or endorsement from Facebook or Instagram, must not place ads in apps or websites that contain prohibited or restricted content, and must not use deceptive or intrusive ad formats.
LinkedIn Ad Policies
LinkedIn’s main ad policies are designed to protect the users, advertisers, and publishers from harmful or misleading content, as well as to comply with applicable laws and regulations. These policies apply to all types of ads that run on LinkedIn and the LinkedIn audience network.
Some of the main ad policies are:
Prohibited content: This includes content that is illegal, discriminatory, deceptive, violent, sexual, hateful, infringing, or otherwise inappropriate. For example, ads that promote adult products, drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, malware, or false news are not allowed.
Restricted content: This includes content that is subject to additional requirements or limitations based on the product or service being advertised, the audience being targeted, or the country where the ad is shown. For example, ads that promote alcohol, gambling, dating, health products, or political issues may require prior authorization, age restrictions, or disclaimers.
Video ads: This includes content that is specific to video ads, such as duration, quality, sound, text overlay, and thumbnail. For example, video ads must not exceed 240 minutes in length, must not contain excessive text on the video or thumbnail image, and must not have sound that is startling or annoying.
Targeting: This includes content that is specific to how advertisers choose their audience for their ads. For example, advertisers must not use targeting options that discriminate against or harass people based on their personal attributes, such as age, gender, race, religion, or disability.
Positioning: This includes content that is specific to where and how ads are shown on LinkedIn and its partner platforms. For example, advertisers must not use images or text that imply a connection or endorsement from LinkedIn or Instagram, must not place ads in apps or websites that contain prohibited or restricted content, and must not use deceptive or intrusive ad formats.
Google Ad Policies
Google’s main ad policies are designed to protect the users, advertisers, and publishers from harmful or misleading content, as well as to comply with applicable laws and regulations. These policies apply to all types of ads that run on Google’s platforms, such as Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Display Network.
Some of the main ad policies are:
Prohibited content: This includes content that is illegal, discriminatory, deceptive, violent, sexual, hateful, infringing, or otherwise inappropriate. For example, ads that promote adult products, drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, malware, or false news are not allowed.
Prohibited practices: This includes practices that are dishonest, abusive, harmful, or unlawful. For example, ads that collect personal information without consent, misrepresent the advertiser’s identity or product, or violate the intellectual property rights of others are not allowed.
Restricted content and features: This includes content and features that are subject to additional requirements or limitations based on the product or service being advertised, the audience being targeted, or the country where the ad is shown. For example, ads that promote alcohol, gambling, healthcare products, financial services, or political issues may require prior authorization, age restrictions, or disclaimers.
Editorial and technical requirements: This includes requirements and standards for the quality and format of the ads and the websites or apps where they appear. For example, ads must be clear and accurate, must not contain excessive text or images, must not interfere with the user’s navigation or experience, and must comply with Google’s webmaster guidelines.
How can I appeal?
Here at Florence Rose Group, we can get priority access to appeal disapproved ads that other companies may be unable to secure.
But if you’re going solo, the process of appealing a disapproved ad may vary depending on the platform you are using.
However, some general steps you can follow are:
Review the platform’s advertising policies and guidelines to understand why your ad was disapproved and what changes you need to make to comply with them.
Edit your ad to fix the policy violation or create a new ad that meets the platform’s standards.
Make sure your ad is clear, accurate, and relevant to your product or service.
Avoid using any prohibited or restricted content, such as misleading claims, adult or sexual content, or illegal products or services.Resubmit your ad for review by the platform.
Depending on the platform, you may be able to request a review directly from your ad account dashboard, or you may need to contact the platform’s support team or fill out a form.Wait for the platform to review your ad and notify you of the outcome.
The review process may take from a few hours to a few days, depending on the platform and the volume of requests.
If your ad is approved, it will start running again.
If your ad is still disapproved, you may need to make further changes or appeal again.
We are total wonks when it comes to this type of work. We can handle all ad compliance for you.
Spend more time on priority projects and less time keeping up with the latest ad policies with The Florence Rose Group. Let’s Connect.