Google just recently announced a new policy for Google Ads called the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule.  The new rule is for policy restrictions and disapprovals that happen frequently in Google ads and can potentially effect how digital marketers work around these endless pesky issues.

Google Ads, especially in the last 3 years has continued to push through countless policy updates for their Google Ads platform. This is due in part to the ever-increasing tide-change in digital marketing towards more transparent privacy and ad tracking information for users, not to mention the avalanche of law suits from states and the federal government. I suspect that the legal ramifications and public perception have forced Google to push through thousands of “Policy Restrictions” in preparation for these pending suits. 

The main problem with policy violations and this new rule is that these violations are run through an automated system and often do not apply to what they should be blocking.  Instead these violations have unintended consequences that end up harming thousands if not millions of small and medium sized businesses advertising campaigns. Now marketers and advertisers who up until now would devise clever ways to work around policy restrictions will be forced to work slower as to not violate the 3 strikes law and get banned from Google for life! 

 My take on this new policy is that it will not last -fingers crossed. Google has had many false starts and half pushed through efforts regarding policy restrictions in the last few years. Most have slowly gone to the way side.  However there was an email sent out by Google to all current advertisers and so this is for now at least a concern and something that advertisers should take seriously. Advertisers will need to take time to stop and think about how to fix ad and other policy disprovals with this rule in mind. I would rather be safe than sorry on this and I certainly don’t want to spend days on the phone with “Google representatives” in India trying to get a banned reversed. So go slow and be careful at least for now.