Google Ads · No. 25
Google Ads error check
In short
Google Ads errors are problems that keep your ads from showing even though the campaign is on and there’s money in the account: ads disapproved for policy violations, a broken landing page, and incomplete advertiser verification. A disapproved ad gets no impressions, and if you miss the verification deadline, Google pauses your entire account.
Contents
What are Google Ads errors?
Google Ads errors are decisions by Google’s review system that block or limit your ads. Every ad, its landing page (the address people land on after a click) and the advertiser itself must comply with Google Ads policies. When something doesn’t, the ad gets a status you can see in your account — but nobody calls you or sends you a separate message about it.
| Error | What it means | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| “Disapproved” ad | The ad’s content or its landing page violates Google Ads policies | The ad doesn’t run until it’s fixed and reviewed again |
| “Destination not working” | The page the ad links to doesn’t load, returns an error, or is set up incorrectly | The ad is disapproved under this policy |
| Advertiser verification | Google asks you to verify your identity or your business by a set deadline | If you miss it, your account is paused |
Besides “Disapproved,” Google Ads Help lists milder statuses too. For example, “Eligible (limited)” means the ad runs only in some situations because of policy restrictions, such as trademark use or gambling-related content (Google Ads Help).
Why monitor Google Ads errors?
Because each of these errors quietly switches your ads off: the campaign looks active, the budget is there, but impressions drop. Here’s how Google explains the “Disapproved” status:
“The ad cannot run because its content or its destination violates Google Ads policy.”
It won’t fix itself, either. In Google’s words, “A disapproved ad won’t be able to run until the policy violation is fixed and the ad is reviewed again” (Google Ads Policy Help).
The most common technical reason for a disapproval is a broken landing page. It isn’t checked by a person but by Google’s AdsBot crawler, and the requirement is spelled out clearly:
“Make sure your ad leads to an app or a website that returns an HTTP 200 response code globally.”
In other words, your website may load fine at your office, but if it returns an error to Google’s crawler, the ad will still be disapproved.
The error with the most serious consequences is failing advertiser verification. This is the process Google uses to check who’s behind the ads: you answer questions about your organization and, if needed, submit documents. Google says verification helps “increase transparency” (Google Ads Policy Help). If your account has a deadline, the rule is strict:
“Your account will be paused if you don’t get verified by the deadline.”
The deadline can’t be extended, and according to Google, “It can take up to 5 business days to review your task. In rare cases, review time can take up to 30 days” (Google Ads Policy Help). So a verification request that sat in someone’s inbox for a week or two can end up stopping all your ads.
What causes Google Ads errors?
Most errors aren’t caused by the ads themselves but by changes to your website or your business:
- The website is down. The server returns a 500 error, responds too slowly, or goes down after an update. Google specifically mentions the case where Google Ads waited too long for the content and returned an error (Google Ads Policy Help).
- Page URLs changed. After a redesign or a move to a new CMS, the old URLs return 404 — and those are exactly the ones still in your ads.
- A domain problem. The domain registration expired, or the DNS records point to the wrong server, so the website won’t load for people or for AdsBot.
- Website security blocks crawlers. A firewall or bot protection blocks AdsBot or shows it a challenge page instead of your content.
- The content violates policy. The ad or page text includes prohibited claims, someone else’s trademark, or a restricted topic.
- Nobody noticed the verification request. The email went to an inbox nobody checks, or only your agency has access to the account.
How do you spot a Google Ads error?
You’ll see errors in your ad statuses and account notifications — and in your business, as a sudden drop in leads from ads:
| What you see | Possible cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The ad status is “Disapproved,” with zero impressions | The ad or page content violates a policy | See which policy is listed, fix the ad and save it — it goes back for review |
| Disapproved under the “Destination not working” policy | The website returns an HTTP error, won’t load, or responds too slowly | Check the URL in the ad, fix the website or the URL, and resubmit for review |
| Many ads with the same URL disapproved at once | The domain expired, DNS is misconfigured, or the website blocks crawlers | Check the domain, whether the website loads from outside your network, and your security settings |
| An advertiser verification notice with a date | Google selected your account for verification | Start the process right away — don’t wait for the last few days |
| The whole account is paused | Verification wasn’t completed on time | Complete verification: that’s the only way to get the account back |
How to check Google Ads errors yourself
All you need is your Google Ads account and a browser. Check at least every few days and after every website update:
- Open your ads list and filter or sort it by the “Status” column. Hover over “Disapproved,” and Google will show you which policy was violated (Google’s instructions).
- For each disapproved ad, open the final URL in an incognito window and over a mobile connection: the page should load quickly, without errors, and show what the ad promises.
- Check the server response code: press
F12in your browser, open the Network tab and reload the page — the first request should return 200, not 404 or 500. - Click the Admin icon, expand Policy and select Account (formerly the Advertiser verification page): you’ll see whether verification is required and what the deadline is (Google Ads Policy Help).
- Once you’ve fixed the problem, edit the ad and click Save to send it back for review — or file an appeal if you think the decision was wrong.
- Or use the FullCheckApp “Google Ads error check” (available on paid plans) and get the results in a clear visual format.
The problem with manual checks is how often you do them. Your website can go down on Friday evening, and your ads can get disapproved before anyone looks at the account on Monday.
If you chose the last option, you’ve already made the right call: the check runs automatically, and you’ll be the first to know about any warning or critical issue.
What FullCheckApp checks
FullCheckApp shows account errors on the Google Ads tab. This group has three checks:
- “Final URL not working” — critical. Ads with a broken landing page don’t run, so this is the most urgent problem.
- “Advertiser verification” — critical. Failing verification puts your entire account at risk of being paused.
- “Disapproved ads” — warning. It’s worth finding out why, but the other ads in the campaign may keep running.
FullCheckApp sends Telegram alerts about new critical issues and when they’re fixed.
https://shop.example.com/sale/ — ad disapproved under the “Destination not working” policy.
A broken landing page often means the website itself is down. That’s caught separately by the website availability check, and an expired domain by domain expiration monitoring. If your ads stopped without any errors, check your Google Ads balance.
Google Ads monitoring is available on FullCheckApp paid plans.
FAQ
What does “Disapproved” mean in Google Ads?
“Disapproved” means the ad’s content or its landing page violates Google Ads policies, so the ad doesn’t run. It can run again only after you fix it and it passes another review. To see which policy was violated, hover over the status in the “Status” column.
Why does Google say “Destination not working” when my website loads fine?
Google checks the page with its AdsBot crawler from different countries and devices, not from your browser. If your website returns an HTTP error to the crawler, responds too slowly, blocks it with bot protection, or is set up incorrectly, your ads get disapproved. Test the page from outside your network: over a mobile connection and while signed out.
What happens if I don’t complete Google Ads advertiser verification?
If your account has a deadline and you don’t get verified in time, Google pauses the account and your ads stop running. The deadline can’t be extended, and reviewing your documents can take up to 5 business days, sometimes longer. A paused account can be restored only after you complete verification.
How long does Google take to review a fixed ad?
Once you edit and save the ad, it’s automatically sent back for review. According to Google Ads Help, “Most reviews are completed within one business day, but more complex reviews can take longer.” If you think the decision was wrong and didn’t change anything, you can file an appeal right in your Google Ads account.
Does one disapproved ad affect the whole campaign?
A disapproved ad doesn’t run, but other approved ads in the same ad group can keep running. It’s worse when many ads share the same cause, such as a website that’s down: then every ad with that URL gets disapproved, and the campaign effectively stops, even though it still shows as active.
Sources
- Google Ads Help — Find your ad statussupport.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722129?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decisionsupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9338593?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Destination not workingsupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428019?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Destination requirementssupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6368661?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Advertiser verificationsupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9703665?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Timelines for Advertiser verificationsupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15588490?hl=en
- Google Ads Policy Help — Tasks required for Advertiser verificationsupport.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15577076?hl=en
Keep Google Ads under control
Google Ads monitoring is available on paid plans — from $5 a month.
See pricing