I’m trying to understand Google Ads better before scaling anything.
A few things I want clarity on:
- How strict is approval process now in 2026?
- What usually causes accounts or ads to get limited or suspended?
- Is it better to start with a fresh account or warm-up first?
- Any common mistakes beginners make that trigger issues quickly?
Just looking for real experience here, not generic guides. Anyone who has run Google Ads long term, what should I be careful about from day one?
I’m trying to understand Google Ads better before scaling anything.
A few things I want clarity on:
- How strict is approval process now in 2026?
- What usually causes accounts or ads to get limited or suspended?
- Is it better to start with a fresh account or warm-up first?
- Any common mistakes beginners make that trigger issues quickly?
Just looking for real experience here, not generic guides. Anyone who has run Google Ads long term, what should I be careful about from day one?
I’d also like to share a few of my own experiences. My reply ended up being a little longer than I expected, so I hope you’ll take the time to read it all.
How strict is the Google Ads approval process in 2026?
There are multiple approval processes, and they are all independent of each other.
First of all, I recommend reviewing the categories that are not allowed to advertise under Google’s policies. Otherwise, your ads may be directly disapproved and your Ads account may be restricted. If you are an advertiser who complies with the policies, your ads can be approved and start running on the same day, provided that you have already passed the advertiser verification stage.
If you have just completed your advertiser verification, it is usually approved within 1–3 days. If you already have an established advertiser verification associated with the email address you used for a previous advertiser verification, the verification may be completed immediately.
Advertiser verification allows you to add your business name and business logo to your ads. This gives users more confidence when they see the ad and can increase the click-through rate. It also shows which business the ad is associated with when a user clicks on the
“About this business” section in the top-right corner of the ad. This also helps build trust.
What causes accounts or ads to be restricted / suspended?
This falls under the policy issue I mentioned above. In addition, using phrases such as
“Click” in ad copy, excessive capitalization in headlines, or punctuation marks in headlines can cause your ads to be disapproved. These are just some of the simplest examples.
If your website contains redirects, inappropriate content, or you are trying to bypass the system using gateway pages, your account may be restricted.
You should definitely read Google’s policies.
When you want to advertise again, Google may identify you through many different signals, including your website, credit card, name, billing settings, and other information. Because of a previous restriction, a new Ads account may be reviewed and restricted again without warning. In some cases, you may not be able to advertise properly again.
Is a new account better, or is an aged/established account better?
You can never know what was done on an old account or how it was previously created. For safety, start from scratch and give Google a good impression from the beginning.
Create a new account yourself and proceed in compliance with Google’s policies. At the beginning, you may run into a daily budget limit if you are spending a significant amount, but Google may automatically increase the limit over time.
Consistent payments and a reliable bank are very important.
What are the most common mistakes beginners make?
Starting to advertise without reading the advertising policies first.
Assuming that everything can be advertised on Google.
The days of Google Ads without policies were 17 years ago.
I hope this helps.
Note: I don’t speak English, so I’m using AI to translate my content into English before posting it.
