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Guide · Health and wellness

Health sites: reliable information and ads without blocks

Health is the topic where a mistake costs the most, for the reader and for monetization. This guide separates what is prohibited from what is merely restricted, shows how to handle sexuality, medicines and supplements and explains why health data calls for extra care under the LGPD and the GDPR.

Audit my health siteRead the guide
  • ✓Based on Google's official policies
  • ✓Prohibited and restricted explained side by side
  • ✓Read-only scan, no changes to the site
3topics of unreliable claims banned by Google: health, elections and climate
9GDPR article that places health data among the special categories
11LGPD article that covers the use of sensitive personal data
2024year the certified CMP became required for personalized ads in the EEA and the United Kingdom

Why it is different

A wrong health text can do real harm

Google treats health as a Your Money or Your Life topic, or YMYL: subjects that can affect people's lives and well-being. On these topics, who wrote the text, where the information comes from and whether the text is accurate weigh even more.

In the publisher policies, the rule on unreliable and harmful claims bans ads on health content that dangerously contradicts scientific consensus. The examples Google cites include campaigns against vaccines, denying the existence of diseases such as AIDS or COVID-19 and conversion therapy for sexual orientation.

Beyond what is prohibited, there is a lot of health content that is only restricted. It can show ads, but gets fewer offers and, in some cases, none. Knowing which group each page falls into avoids surprises in revenue.

Where the risk lives

The four sensitive points of a health site

Each one comes from Google's publisher policies, from content restrictions or from data protection laws.

Harmful claims

Promising a cure with no scientific basis, discouraging vaccines or medical treatment and denying known diseases takes the ads off the page.

Sexual health

Sex tips, sex toys and erectile dysfunction medicines fall under the sexual content restriction. Sexually explicit content is prohibited.

Medicines and supplements

Promoting the online sale of prescription drugs and unapproved supplements, such as products with ephedra, is also restricted content.

Health data

Under the LGPD and the GDPR, health data is sensitive. Symptom quizzes, calculators and forms call for extra care.

Prohibited or restricted

Two different situations, two effects on revenue

Prohibited means no Google ads on the page. Restricted means fewer advertisers competing for the space.

Restricted content

The page can monetize, but fewer ad sources can bid. Google Ads ads do not appear on it, and sometimes nobody bids.

  • An article on erectile dysfunction written with a medical basis
  • A supplement guide that does not sell an unapproved product
  • Sex education content without nudity
  • Lower revenue than on pages without restrictions
  • May have no ads at some moments

Prohibited content

The page cannot show Google ads. If the problem repeats, the account may be limited or disabled.

  • Clear fix: remove or rewrite the page
  • A promise of a cure with no scientific basis
  • Campaign against vaccines
  • Sexually explicit content
  • Denying the existence of diseases such as AIDS or COVID-19

Practical examples

What is and is not allowed on a health site

The difference is usually in the promise and the source.

Allowed

  • Explain symptoms and advise people to see a doctor
  • Compare studies on a supplement, citing the sources
  • Talk about sexual health in an educational way, without explicit images
  • Show the author, the reviewer and the date of the last update
  • A notice that the text does not replace a medical consultation

Not allowed

  • A tea that cures diabetes in seven days
  • A vaccine causes more harm than the disease
  • A store selling prescription drugs without a prescription
  • A quiz that asks for name, email and diagnosis without explaining the use
  • A gallery with nudity in an article about intimate health

Health data

A health form is not an ordinary form

The LGPD defines as sensitive personal data any data about health or sex life when linked to a person. Article 11 only allows this type of data to be used in specific cases, such as consent given in a specific and prominent way for specific purposes.

Under the GDPR, Article 9 places health data among the special categories, whose processing is prohibited except in certain cases, such as explicit consent. For visitors from Europe, this adds to Google's consent policy, which requires valid consent for cookies and personalized ads.

Google's policies also prohibit building audiences or personalizing ads based on sensitive information, such as health. In practice: do not send symptom quiz answers to ad pixels and do not use those answers to target visitors.

Checklist

How to get a health article ready to monetize

  1. Review the promise in the titleSwap cures, eliminates and guarantees for verbs the text can back up, such as helps, may reduce and is recommended for.
  2. Show who wrote itThe author's name, background and, when there is one, the health professional who reviewed the text.
  3. Cite the sourcesHealth agencies, medical societies and published studies. Add the date of the last review.
  4. Separate content from salesIf the site sells supplements, keep the store separate from the articles and do not use the text to promise an effect.
  5. Take care with formsAsk only for what is needed, explain the use, ask for prominent consent and do not send answers to ad tools.

In ConsentMode

What the audit checks on health sites

  • Looks for titles and passages that promise a cure or speak against medical treatment
  • Flags pages that may fall under sexual content or the sale of medicines and supplements
  • Checks that the author, the review date and the contact page are visible
  • Checks whether ad cookies and pixels are set before the choice in the banner
  • Checks whether the privacy policy mentions the forms and the data collected
Run an auditSee everything that is checked

Frequently asked questions about health

Do I need a doctor to write on my site?

Google does not require a specific degree, but it values people with experience in the subject. On medical topics, review by a health professional and clear sources build trust.

Is the notice that the text does not replace a consultation mandatory?

It is not a rule in Google's policies. It is good practice for the reader, but it does not save a page with a harmful claim.

Can I talk about sexuality and still have ads?

You can. Educational content about sexual health tends to be restricted, with fewer advertisers. Explicit content is prohibited.

Does selling supplements take the ads off the site?

Ordinary supplements are not the problem. The restriction applies to unapproved supplements and products with dangerous ingredients, as well as promises of effects that cannot be backed up.

Does ConsentMode replace a lawyer or a CMP?

No. The audit reads the site and points out policy and consent risks. The CMP shows the banner, and the lawyer advises on the law.

Library

Official sources

This guide was written from these official pages. Read them directly at the source:

Find out what may be limiting your health site

The audit reads each page like a visitor, without changing anything, and shows what to rewrite and what to set up.

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