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Use case · Policy violation
I received a policy violation. Now what?
The warning usually shows one or two pages, but the problem almost always repeats on others. This guide shows how to read the Policy center, find the cause across the whole site, fix it and request the review the right way.
- ✓Based on Google's Help Centers
- ✓Marked screenshots of each affected page
- ✓Without changing anything on the site
7 a 10days of ad requests that the Policy center considers when listing sites
1review request for each site with a problem, not one request for the whole account
3categories in the Policy center: policy, regulatory and advertiser preference
30days is the window of the limit on review requests for page-level issues
What the warning means
Not every warning in the Policy center is a violation
The Policy center separates three types of warning. Policy issues happen when the site does not follow the program policies, and must be fixed for ads to return. Regulatory issues come from the laws of a country or region, such as the GDPR, and do not require a fix from you. Advertiser preferences appear when advertisers avoid certain content or placement, and reduce demand.
This guide deals with the first type, the policy violation. It can apply to a few pages or to the whole site. The wider the reach, the bigger the impact on revenue.
The most important point: the problem detail shows what was found, but does not replace a check of the whole site. If a page was flagged for low-value content, it is likely that others using the same template have the same problem.
Severity
The statuses a violation can trigger
The AdSense Policy center shows the effect of the problem on ad serving.
Restricted ad serving
Only some advertisers can bid. Ads continue, but demand and revenue drop.
Serving disabled
All ads are blocked on the site. It is the most serious measure and should be handled first.
Page-level issue
The measure applies to specific URLs. You can filter by the location of the problem and request a batch review.
Step by step
How to find the cause and fix it
- Open the problem detailIn the Policy center, click fix in the action column. The details page describes what was found and sometimes includes example screenshots.
- Find the patternAsk what the flagged page has in common with others: the same post template, the same Ad Inserter block, the same category or the same traffic source.
- Look for the pattern across the whole siteCheck all the pages that use that template, including old ones and those on subdomains. Fixing only the cited URL usually leads to another rejection.
- Fix it at the sourceIf the error is in an Ad Inserter block or in the theme, fix it there, not page by page. That way the fix applies to all of them at once.
- Request a review for each siteGoogle asks for a review for each site with a problem. In Ad Manager the path is Admin, Policy center, fix and start review process.
Frequent causes
Six causes that show up a lot on content sites
All of them are described in Google's publisher and ad placement policies.
Screen with more ad than content
Google does not allow ads on screens with more ad or paid material than publisher content.
Dead-end pages
Thank-you, exit or error pages, without real content, cannot receive Google ads.
Generated content without review
The policy says not to place ads on automatically generated content without manual review or curation.
Ad stuck to a button
Navigation buttons, download buttons and players near the ad generate accidental clicks, and that can trigger a notice even without intent.
Misleading heading above the ad
Labels such as resources or useful links are prohibited. Only labels such as advertisements or sponsored links are accepted.
Refresh without a user request
Reloading the page or an ad block without the visitor asking is prohibited by the placement rules.
Two exits
Fix and request a review, or remove the code
Google accepts both paths. The choice depends on how much the site depends on that page.
Fix and request a review
You adjust the content or layout and ask Google to check again.
- The page earns revenue again
- Fixing at the source protects the rest of the site
- You get an email with the result
- Repeated rejections disable the review button for a while
- Requests for page issues have a limit within 30 days
Remove the ad code
You take the ads off the page or the site and do not need a review.
- Solves it quickly when the page is not worth it
- The problem leaves the Policy center in 7 to 10 days
- The page stops earning revenue
- The record stays in Google's system
In the review request
How to improve the chances of the review succeeding
The review is your chance to show the problem is really gone.
Allowed
- Request it only after fixing all the pages with the same pattern
- Choose the right reason in the form: I fixed it, I removed the code or there is no violation
- Keep before-and-after screenshots for your own records
- Handle sites with serving disabled first
Not allowed
- Request a review right after the warning, without changing anything
- Fix only the example URL and leave the similar ones
- Hide the page from the menu and leave it open through the sitemap
- Request several reviews in a row hoping for a different reviewer
In practice
One violation on one URL, the problem on 40
Before
The warning cited a single job post. The owner fixed that post, requested a review and was rejected twice.
After
The audit showed that the same Ad Inserter block placed a banner stuck to the next-page button on every post in the series. The block was adjusted once.
Google showed one example, but the problem was in the template. When the fix was made at the source, all the pages changed together, and the new review request was made with the whole task list marked.
In ConsentMode
How the audit helps find the cause
- Reads all the site's URLs, not just the one Google cited, and groups similar problems
- Checks deceptive screens before ads, banners stuck to menus and buttons, density and ad label
- Flags low-value content, signs of scaled content, hidden text and pages that imitate government agencies
- Shows where to fix it: the path in WordPress, Ad Inserter, Ad Manager or Cloudflare
- Turns each URL into a task that can be marked as done
Frequently asked questions
Does the Policy center show all the site's problems?
No. It shows what the review processes detected, on sites that made ad requests in the last 7 to 10 days. Not appearing there does not mean the site is in good standing.
I fixed it, but the warning is still there. Why?
The warning only goes away after you request the review and it is approved. Fixing without requesting is not enough.
Why is the review button disabled?
When the site has been rejected several times recently, the button stays inactive until a date shown on the page itself.
Do I need to fix regulatory issues?
They are not mandatory, but they change the type of ads or restrict serving in some regions. It is worth understanding the cause.
Does the audit talk to Google for me?
No. The audit reads the site and explains what to fix. The review request is made by you, in your account.
Library
Official sources
This guide was written from these official pages. Read them directly at the source:
- AdSense Policy center: fix and request a reviewsupport.google.com/adsense/answer/7003627
- Fix policy issues in Ad Managersupport.google.com/admanager/answer/11123303
- Policy issues and serving statusessupport.google.com/adsense/answer/15689616
- Ad placement policiessupport.google.com/adsense/answer/1346295
- Ads on screens without publisher contentsupport.google.com/publisherpolicies/answer/11112688
Find the pattern before the next review request
The audit reads the whole site and shows all the pages with the same problem, with a screenshot and a path to fix.