Google Unacceptable Products & Services Summary

Recently advertisers have gotten their Google AdWords accounts shut down because they didn’t follow Google’s acceptable advertising policies. These advertisers were selling products and/or services that Google frowns upon.

To protect your account and your income, be sure to stay away from the products and services — even the topics — listed below. This applies not only to your ads, but to the content of your landing page and your entire website. Remember that Google’s decision is final, and they will shut down your account if you violate their guidelines.

I’ve summarized the acceptable products, services, and niches below. When in doubt, be sure to check Google’s complete listing here:

http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=guidelines.cs&topic=9271&subtopic=9279

Unacceptable Products and Services

• Academic aids that include “test-taking” services (where someone takes an exam for someone else), term paper writing services, thesis and dissertation writing, etc.
• Drug Testing aids, including drug cleansing shakes and urine test additives.
• Alcohol. Restrictions vary depending on on local regulations and the type of alcoholic product. You should always double-check local laws and regulations about beer, champagne, and wine. Google recently relaxed  advertising policies for some types of hard alcohol and liqueurs; go here to read about the change.
• Anabolic steroids, including muscle-enhancing stacks/cycles, bodybuilding steroid supplements, and related content, even if the merchant claims it’s “legal.”
• Hate, violence, and “anti” anything against a protected group.
• Bulk marketing, such as non opt-in email lists, bulk email software, and bulk messaging.
• Copyrighted material (where you don’t hold the copyright).
• Replica/counterfeit designer products.
• Data entry affiliate programs, including ads for sites that promote the creation/data entry of more ads that direct users to the same site.
• Dialers (these cut your Internet connection and establish a new connection to a premium rate number).
• Drugs and drug paraphernalia, including herbal drugs such as salvia and magic mushrooms.
• e-Gold, including e-gold exchange, e-gold investments, and e-gold accounts.
• Endangered species products, obtained from threatened species such as elephants, sharks, tigers, whales, rhinoceroses, or dolphins.
• Fake documents, including fake IDs, passports, social security cards, immigration papers, diplomas, and noble titles.
• Fireworks and pyrotechnic devices.
• Gambling, including online casinos and gambling activities such as sports books/sports betting, lotteries, bingo, poker, oddsmaking and handicapping, online casino software, gambling tutoring, gambling related eBooks.
• Hacking and cracking software, servers, or websites; cell phones and other devices; mod chips; cable/satellite descramblers; copied or backed-up software, CDs, or DVDs; products or services that circumvent digital rights management technologies for copyrighted works.
• Ad clicks or impressions, including pay-to-click, pay-to-view, auto-surfing, automated ad clicking, and other guaranteed traffic programs.
• Miracle cures. Example: “Cure cancer overnight”
• Mobile content services ads are not allowed UNLESS your ads, landing page and website meet the conditions on this page.
• Political advertising is allowed ONLY IF your ads, landing page and website meet the conditions on this page. When in doubt, email elections@google.com.
• Prescription drugs and related content are not allowed UNLESS your ads, landing page, website, AND the pharmacy meet the conditions on this page.
• Prostitution
• Scams/phishing for personal information
• Sexual & adult content is allowed ONLY IF your ads, landing page and website meet the conditions on this page.
• Solicitation of donations/funds is allowed ONLY IF your ads, landing page and website meet the conditions on this page.
• Template sites for ad networks such as AdSense, including products and services that create templates or pre-generated websites solely intended to profit from ads.
• Tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, tobacco pipes, and rolling papers.
• Traffic devices, including radar jammers, jamming license plate covers, traffic signal changers, and related products.
• Weapons, including firearms, firearm components, ammunition, balisongs (switchblades), butterfly knives, and brass knuckles.
• Webmaster guidelines violations, such as cloaking, keyword stuffing, search engine spamming, and doorway pages. Unacceptable techniques and services are described on this page.

Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing