Starting December, Google will expand its “Abusing the ad network” policy to explicitly disapprove ads pointing to destinations penalized for violating Google Search spam policies.
The details:
- Ads directing users to websites subjected to manual actions under Google Search’s Spam Policies will face automatic disapproval.
- Site owners impacted by manual actions are notified through Google Search Console, giving them a chance to rectify issues.
- The move aims to curb deceptive practices where advertisers attempt to drive traffic to spammy or manipulated web pages that have already been flagged by search enforcement teams.
Why we care. This update directly ties PPC performance to a site’s overall search health. If a site receives a manual action for violating Google’s spam policies, not only will organic traffic suffer, but paid campaigns driving to that destination will also be disapproved.
Neglecting site quality could now cut off both organic and paid traffic, amplifying revenue losses and disrupting marketing strategies.
Between the lines:
- This enforcement raises the stakes for PPC managers (as well as SEO managers) . Sites hit with manual actions could see a direct impact on ad campaigns, not just organic search performance.
- You will need to monitor Google Search Console closely and resolve any manual actions to prevent ad disapprovals.
The bottom line. By linking ad disapprovals to search penalties, Google is doubling down on ensuring a high-integrity digital ecosystem, nudging advertisers towards long-term best practices rather than short-term gains.
New on Search Engine Land
About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with
delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.