Google is enforcing its “misleading ad design policy,” violating landing pages using misleading ads face demotion or account suspension.
Google updates its misleading ad design policy
Google announced it would update its ad policy in November 2024, saying the new policy would begin on January 23, 2025, with full enforcement taking around 8 weeks; here’s that announcement on Google’s Advertising Policies Help page:
- “On January 23, 2025, the Google Ads Misrepresentation – Misleading Ad Design policy will be updated to clarify that ads that make it difficult for the user to understand they are interacting with an ad by using standalone buttons in image ads that lack clear context explaining their function, or whose prominence relative to the surrounding ad content is disproportionate, are restricted.”
Google told advertisers:
- “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. Please review this policy clarification to determine whether or not any of your ads fall in scope of the policy, and if so, remove those ads before January 23, 2025.”
Advertisers should be aware that the policy is now taking effect and Google is demoting misleading landing pages.
Google demoting misleading landing pages
Google said landing pages violating its “Misleading Ad Design policy” would get 7 days’ notice before suspension. The company also advised advertisers to review their landing pages and remove any that violate the updated policy.
Landing pages that fall within Google’s policy and face possible demotion in search results include those promising one thing in their ads and failing to deliver, instead promoting other products or services and intentionally confusing the visitor.
Google explains how it addresses the problem of misleading ads and landing pages that do not match what the user is looking for:
- “We recently developed a new prediction model that helps our ads quality systems more precisely capture the quality of your navigation experience when visiting a Search ad’s landing page. We’ve improved our ability to understand and predict if a Search ad leads to an unexpected destination and doesn’t offer other helpful navigation options.”
Landing pages must meet user expectations
Google gave fair warning that it would penalize landing pages using advertisements that mislead the user while rewarding those that fulfill their promises.
Google’s updated ad policy uses an AI-powered “prediction model” that checks whether a landing page provides what the advertisement promised, is user-friendly, and fulfills expectations.
Google said on its Ads & Commerce Blog on February 5:
- “It can be frustrating to click on a Search ad and land on a page that doesn’t match what you were looking for and is hard to use. This means landing pages must be both relevant and easy to navigate.”
Adding how it determines what ads to show you:
- “Our goal is to show you the most helpful and relevant ads, which is why we look at a variety of signals when determining what ads you see.”
Why the update?
Since December 2024, Google has been updating its Search Quality Rater guidelines and Site Reputation Abuse policies to ensure its search engine provides a trustworthy experience.
Enforcing its “Misleading Ad Design policy” and demoting or removing landing pages irrelevant to the user’s intent is another way of reducing negative user experiences.
Google emphasized this point in its announcement, saying:
- “We’re now able to show you fewer ads like this, reducing these types of negative experiences for people searching on Google.”
The tech giant also clarified what advertisers must do to continue using its platform:
- “To ensure Google continues serving your ads, it’s paramount that landing pages meet user expectations.”
The takeaway
Google’s new “prediction model” means that advertisers using ads to fool users into visiting a landing page that provides zero relevance to their search term will no longer get away with it.
Google’s update clarifies that your landing page must meet your ad copy, be easily navigable, and provide a positive experience.
