Help: Google Ads Hitting Me With "Enabling Dishonest Behavior"

[asano]

Hi friendos,

I could really use some advice about Google ads.

So I operate a grey hat marketing service and have a new ads account that is 100% clean. Never have I been banned
or anything from Google so it's all legit.

My competitor is running ads like crazy and their landing page is reasonably direct about the service without issue.

I did notice the competitor is using very generic wordage in their ads so I did the same
but did target the right keywords just like them. Manually checked what keywords they are bidding on.

Still, Google won't approve the ads for "enabling dishonest behavior".

So I edited the ad set where they weren't happy with my logo (It was an honest logo) and the image they require. Denied still.
I appealed it and Google decided to run the ads but limit what countries I could reach.

What a fucking joke.

Essentially they are saying your service is enabling dishonest behavior but it doesn't matter if we limit your regions.

So.

Friend tells me to edit my landing page copy and I did. Maybe as a SaaS I should just make a new landing page entirely
on a new domain then route the login/sign up buttons to my app?

Is it because the account is new? Idk.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Mukis]

Hi friendos,

I could really use some advice about Google ads.

So I operate a grey hat marketing service and have a new ads account that is 100% clean. Never have I been banned
or anything from Google so it's all legit.

My competitor is running ads like crazy and their landing page is reasonably direct about the service without issue.

I did notice the competitor is using very generic wordage in their ads so I did the same
but did target the right keywords just like them. Manually checked what keywords they are bidding on.

Still, Google won't approve the ads for "enabling dishonest behavior".

So I edited the ad set where they weren't happy with my logo (It was an honest logo) and the image they require. Denied still.
I appealed it and Google decided to run the ads but limit what countries I could reach.

What a fucking joke.

Essentially they are saying your service is enabling dishonest behavior but it doesn't matter if we limit your regions.

So.

Friend tells me to edit my landing page copy and I did. Maybe as a SaaS I should just make a new landing page entirely
on a new domain then route the login/sign up buttons to my app?

Is it because the account is new? Idk.

Thanks for your time.

Without analyzing the actual example, the niche, your competitor, and so on, all of this looks like guesswork.

Why do people who come to this section for help always describe the situation in such general terms? How can anyone help without knowing the keywords, the ads, or what this is even about?

Are you afraid someone will copy your business? That is unlikely. In most cases, knowing how to advertise is not enough — there are many other nuances involved.

Or maybe it is just plain laziness? Taking screenshots of the ads and keywords, explaining what was launched, what was done, and how it was done?

I do not know. But people will help you exactly the same way you described the problem — in general terms.

 

[qdza]

Hi friendos,

I could really use some advice about Google ads.

So I operate a grey hat marketing service and have a new ads account that is 100% clean. Never have I been banned
or anything from Google so it's all legit.

My competitor is running ads like crazy and their landing page is reasonably direct about the service without issue.

I did notice the competitor is using very generic wordage in their ads so I did the same
but did target the right keywords just like them. Manually checked what keywords they are bidding on.

Still, Google won't approve the ads for "enabling dishonest behavior".

So I edited the ad set where they weren't happy with my logo (It was an honest logo) and the image they require. Denied still.
I appealed it and Google decided to run the ads but limit what countries I could reach.

What a fucking joke.

Essentially they are saying your service is enabling dishonest behavior but it doesn't matter if we limit your regions.

So.

Friend tells me to edit my landing page copy and I did. Maybe as a SaaS I should just make a new landing page entirely
on a new domain then route the login/sign up buttons to my app?

Is it because the account is new? Idk.

Thanks for your time.

The solution for this is cloaking.

 

[Goblin Shark]

Hi friendos,

I could really use some advice about Google ads.

So I operate a grey hat marketing service and have a new ads account that is 100% clean. Never have I been banned
or anything from Google so it's all legit.

My competitor is running ads like crazy and their landing page is reasonably direct about the service without issue.

I did notice the competitor is using very generic wordage in their ads so I did the same
but did target the right keywords just like them. Manually checked what keywords they are bidding on.

Still, Google won't approve the ads for "enabling dishonest behavior".

So I edited the ad set where they weren't happy with my logo (It was an honest logo) and the image they require. Denied still.
I appealed it and Google decided to run the ads but limit what countries I could reach.

What a fucking joke.

Essentially they are saying your service is enabling dishonest behavior but it doesn't matter if we limit your regions.

So.

Friend tells me to edit my landing page copy and I did. Maybe as a SaaS I should just make a new landing page entirely
on a new domain then route the login/sign up buttons to my app?

Is it because the account is new? Idk.

Thanks for your time.

I don't think changing the copy would help you, you need a clean safe page on a fresh domain and a good cloaker like JCI, TrafficShield, or TrustCloaker to hide your grey-hat service from Google bots.

 

[asano]

The solution for this is cloaking.

Thank you.

I don't think changing the copy would help you, you need a clean safe page on a fresh domain and a good cloaker like JCI, TrafficShield, or TrustCloaker to hide your grey-hat service from Google bots.

I appreciate you leading me on to those. Thanks!

 

[OpalDigital]

Honestly a lot of these flags come more from the landing page + overall trust signals than the ad copy itself.

 

[Mark_Veteran]

Jumping straight into cloaking on a brand-new account is a one-way ticket to a permanent "Circumventing Systems" ban. Your competitor is surviving purely because their account has historical spend history and trust signals that yours lacks. Instead of burning your clean setup with a cloaker right away, build a completely clean white-hat landing page on a fresh domain, run some low-risk generic campaigns to warm up the account first, and then slowly test the boundaries.

 

[YeezyPay]

Google defines “enabling dishonest behavior” as promoting products or services that deceive users or enable unauthorized access, like fake documents, credit hacks, or spyware. Even clickbait or misleading sweepstake ads can trigger this violation. Once flagged, the ban is usually permanent and affects all linked accounts. The only safe approach is running fully compliant, transparent campaigns through verified accounts.

To avoid bans, focus on three key areas: cloaking, campaign setup, and trusted accounts.

1. Cloaking and Anti-Detect Tools
   Cloaking tools like Zeustrack or Adspect can hide restricted content from Google, but they’re risky and costly ($150–$350/month). Use them only with trusted, warmed-up accounts and anti-detect browsers to avoid linking banned profiles.
2. Smart Campaign Optimization
   On new accounts, avoid trigger keywords like “cheap” or “win,” add keywords slowly, and don’t edit campaigns in the first two days. Warm-ups take time and often fail without trust or good account history.
3. Use Trusted Accounts
   You need to use trusted accounts or rent agency accounts. These accounts have high trust, priority support, and allow multiple campaigns under one MCC, reducing ban risks and saving time.

 

[asano]

Honestly a lot of these flags come more from the landing page + overall trust signals than the ad copy itself.

Yeah, I am getting that feeling as well. Thanks!

Jumping straight into cloaking on a brand-new account is a one-way ticket to a permanent "Circumventing Systems" ban. Your competitor is surviving purely because their account has historical spend history and trust signals that yours lacks. Instead of burning your clean setup with a cloaker right away, build a completely clean white-hat landing page on a fresh domain, run some low-risk generic campaigns to warm up the account first, and then slowly test the boundaries.

I agree Mark, what my plan is right now is buying a new domain that's generic and running a campaign
then trying to expand outward from there. My app/SaaS I will just have perched in the sign up buttons
so I dont have to rebuild/locate the entire codebase.

Thanks!

Google defines “enabling dishonest behavior” as promoting products or services that deceive users or enable unauthorized access, like fake documents, credit hacks, or spyware. Even clickbait or misleading sweepstake ads can trigger this violation. Once flagged, the ban is usually permanent and affects all linked accounts. The only safe approach is running fully compliant, transparent campaigns through verified accounts.

To avoid bans, focus on three key areas: cloaking, campaign setup, and trusted accounts.

1. Cloaking and Anti-Detect Tools
   Cloaking tools like Zeustrack or Adspect can hide restricted content from Google, but they’re risky and costly ($150–$350/month). Use them only with trusted, warmed-up accounts and anti-detect browsers to avoid linking banned profiles.
2. Smart Campaign Optimization
   On new accounts, avoid trigger keywords like “cheap” or “win,” add keywords slowly, and don’t edit campaigns in the first two days. Warm-ups take time and often fail without trust or good account history.
3. Use Trusted Accounts
   You need to use trusted accounts or rent agency accounts. These accounts have high trust, priority support, and allow multiple campaigns under one MCC, reducing ban risks and saving time.

If all else fails I am considering agency accounts for sure.