Google is expanding its Restricted Search Ads policy, giving itself more authority to restrict ads from advertisers it deems inappropriate or has the potential to confuse users.
The update can affect how often ads appear in certain searches, especially for new advertisers, products with negative user feedback or advertisers whose identities are not clearly disclosed in their ads.
What is changing. As of this month, Google has expanded the policy to cover more Search conditions, with a gradual rollout until 2028.
Under the revised rules, Google may limit ad impressions on searches it believes have a high risk of creating a negative user experience.
How Google decides. User feedback will play a major role in determining whether an advertiser is a good fit. Advertisers who receive persistent and disproportionate reports about misleading content, products or business practices may see their ads restricted for certain searches.
Google also says it can limit ads that make it difficult for users to identify the advertiser.
Why do we care. Google uses more discretion in limiting ad visibility, basing it on signals of advertiser trustworthiness and product transparency, not just policy compliance. That means advertisers with generic ad copy, unclear word identification or a history of negative user feedback may see reduced reach for certain searches.
This change also reinforces the growing importance of brand transparency in Search ads. Advertisers may need to revisit ad copy, landing pages and brand features to ensure users can quickly identify who is behind the ad and why they are seeing it.
What advertisers should do. Google encourages advertisers to strengthen brand visibility in both ads and landing pages, avoid overly generic messages and clearly communicate any association with other brands.
The company also recommends pinning the domain title to the first position of responsive search ads to make the advertiser’s identity more visible to users.
An important point. Google’s revised policy places greater weight on advertisers’ credibility and clear branding, which can potentially limit advertisers’ visibility of their identities or business practices that cause confusion for users.
First seen. The update was spotted by Adsquire Founder, Anthony Higman, who shared his displeasure with the update on LinkedIn.
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