On July 28th, 2021 Google announced a new rule for Google Ads called  the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule.  The rule is aimed at bad actors who use deceptive practices to get ads through Googles automated systems.

The new rule however could have broader implications to regular advertisers as well. This is because of Googles automated systems often affect legitimate ads and cause them to have policy disapprovals and be shut down.

In unison with the new 3 strikes rule, Google has made it easier for anyone to flag or report an advertisement for any policy issues. On July 20th, 2021 Google added additional boxes and a box called “Report an ad”. In addition to the new box on the policies page, people can also report bad ads directly from the search results page by clicking the ” why this ad” section of ad.