Google’s Robotic Answer Machine
When it comes to Google Ads account suspension, Google Ads support has to be the worst.
Recently, we’ve encountered many vendors who’ve tried advertising on Google, only for them to end up getting their Google Ads account suspended. And sometimes with ecommerce sites, they are getting their Merchant Centre account suspended as well.
What’s the problem with Google Ads?
What’s the problem you’ll be asking? Especially when it’s only few small things to fix and then submitting it for another review request.
Turns out, it’s not simple at all.
Two things are impacting a smoother UX with Google Ads:
- Who is taking care of Google review cases?
- What level of autonomy do Google’s bots and representatives have?
With the Merchant Centre, client support tries to help identify why Google’s algorithm is flagging a certain account, and what can be done to solve it. The hints Google provide can lead to a successful outcome and the Google team is there to help, the catch is that they don’t always know what is the problem is to begin with.
Merchant Centre Difficulties
Merchant Centre suspensions can vary, if insufficient or erroneous information has been provided.
Information such as:
- Contact details (phone number, email, location)
- Missing core pages (privacy, shipping, return policy, contact).
Another major issue when it comes to Merchant Centre problems is writing product descriptions with capitalized letters and exclamation marks. Writing out product descriptions like this are common to any advertiser, but it’s quite time-consuming to get right.
And then there’s a whole new section dedicated to various industries: health and wellness supplements; adult toys; updated Covid-related products, such as hand sanitizer, test kits, masks, etc. This helps to identify a possible solution for any problems you may have with the account. Sometimes solving the problem can take a bit longer, especially if you need to edit hundreds of products on your Shopify store.
What’s going on with the Google Ads suspensions?
The level of autonomy Google’s bots have is enormous. The cause of the suspension given is usually vague; it can sound as if it’s anything and/or everything. An area called, ‘Circumventing System Policy,’ operates like Google’s black hole, where it looks as if no one knows how to get it fixed.
The problem could be anything. Even if the bots have made a mistake, there’s no way to find out if what they viewed infringes any rules. Google will simply suspend anything related to your account without question.
How to avoid Google account suspension
The main reason for a suspended account is if you create another account. Whether it’s by mistake or not, if the bots pick up on another account linked to your IP address or contact details, the account is suspended. This is something that Google does not tolerate and must be avoided at all costs.
In one case, a client attempted to get his account suspension lifted after he created another Google Ads account by accident, after creating a Google My Business account. Despite his best efforts, Google blocked his account permanently.
Another reason for a suspended account is when the details the client is using don’t match. Yet another reason for Google suspending an account is if they suspect the account holder is doing something against Google policy on their site.
The truth is that it’s very hard to get your Google account active again after being accused of ‘Circumventing System Policy’.
The biggest problem with a suspended account is getting information from Google as to why this has happened. Google’s representatives stick to Google account policies rigidly. Not only will they know nothing about the circumstances related to the suspension – whether it was a genuine mistake or not – they review your account exclusive of what you’ll tell them. And then they provide you with the exact same answer the bot gave you.
It goes a little something like this:
Status: After reviewing your case and taking your feedback into consideration, we’ve confirmed that your account was and still is in violation of our Google Ads policies.
As such, we will not be reactivating your account. Please don’t create new Google Ads accounts, as these will be suspended too. When we suspend a Google Ads account, the suspension applies to the account owner and any current or future linked Google Ads accounts.
Learn more about why we suspend accounts and the reasons we take these actions.
If you have a prepaid balance remaining in your account and you qualify for a refund, you can always cancel your account and request your refund.
We appreciate your understanding.
Regards,
An Ape from Google
At this point you’ll probably want to smash your unit, because you’re going to receive this email again and again, no matter what steps you take to try and get a different outcome, it will never change.
Looking beyond the bot
The reason for a permanently suspended Google account with no recourse to discussion is because of the Google workers’ inability to see beyond the bot.
Those zombies working at Google customer service didn’t develop the code (the representative dealing with your problem has probably only been working at Google for 2 years, or fewer). They will have no idea what’s really going on with your account other than supporting what the bots report says.
But since the Google rep must produce some form of an answer, they just use the most generic reply available to them. Besides, the influence of one single advertiser is so marginal that the customer service side of Google doesn’t care about guiding potential clients who want to reactivate their accounts, thus solving the issue.
Let’s bring up the point of the revenue again
Google’s annual income is $256 Billion USD. Let’s say your annual spend is $50k – that’s equal to 0.0000000019% of Google revenue. It won’t surprise you to learn that the average advertiser’s contribution is even less; if it wasn’t you advertising, there would definitely be another advertiser running Ads on those exact same spots.
So, Google might be losing a tiny fraction from the potential war bid that would have taken place for the spots. Larry Page and Sergey Brin can sleep peacefully at night now.
Mentioning Google revenue might seem a bit off the topic with Ads and account suspensions, but the big picture is clear – Google won’t bother moving the needle to encourage you to advertise again after a suspension. As far as they’re concerned, it’s more cost-effective to completely ignore you.
This is the level of service you’ll be getting – no explanation, no communication. If you don’t know what you have done wrong, how can you fix it?
How to fix a suspended Google Ads account
So, is there anything you can do other than following the policy and checking everything multiple times?
The answer is yes. It might not seem like the cleverest thing to do out there, but the best practical solution when you have a suspended Google account – and with no way to fix it – will be to hire a Google Premier Partners – a Digital agency.
The agency will have to build a new account for you and use their own credit card (which, of course, you’ll be paying in their marketing spend budget). This way, the agency is benefiting from nurturing a great reputation with Google, while garners them better and a higher level of support and customer service.
It’s not going to help you 100%, but at least it will give you the chance to pick up where you left off. This method of account recovery does, however, require a bigger budget, because Google Premier Partners agencies don’t come cheap.