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There are multiple factors that determine access to advanced ad formats and features on Google Ads. Some advertising features and formats aren’t available until you meet specific requirements or get certified to use them.
Certification may include providing documentation, like supporting licences and identification documentation to confirm that you're authorised to have access to the product features or that you have demonstrated a sustained history of policy compliance for some time. All ad formats and features are also subject to the standard Google Ads policies.
The following ad formats are restricted unless your account meets the relevant requirements.
HTML5 ads requirements
Your Google Ads account must fulfil the minimum requirements below to be eligible to use HTML5 creatives:
- Account has been open for more than 90 days
- Account has more than $9,000 USD total lifetime spend
- Account has a good history of policy compliance
If you meet the minimum requirements, you can apply for HTML5 access. You’ll receive an email notification with a status update within seven working days of your application submission.
If your account meets the additional eligibility criteria below, your application may be approved for HTML5 access:
- Account has a good history of policy compliance
- Account has a good payment history
- Account has more than $1,000 USD total lifetime spend
Meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee access to HTML5 ads. You’ll need to avoid violating our policies, maintain a good history of policy compliance and follow the correct display ads specifications to continue using HTML5 ads.
If you don’t meet the requirements for using HTML5 ads, you can use other options like uploaded AMPHTML ads or responsive display ads.
Click trackers
Click tracker requirements
You're only allowed to use click trackers that are certified by Google. Ads that use non-certified click trackers in the tracking template feature may be disapproved. Learn more about the list of certified Google click trackers.
If you don’t want to use click trackers, you can use other tracking options like setting up an impression pixel on your landing page.
Click tracker certification
If you’re a click tracker service provider who meets the requirements highlighted in the guidelines for the certification programme, you can apply for certification. When your application is approved by Google, advertisers can run ads using your clicktracking service without violating this policy.
Set up your click tracker in the tracking template
You'll need to add the next hop URL to the redirect parameter (highlighted in bold) in the tracking template field as shown in the example below:
https://your.tracker.com/?creative={creative}&device={device}&gclid={gclid}&redirect={your.landing.page.url}
The specific format of the parameters may be different for different click tracker providers. Work with your click tracker provider to make sure that you’re using the right format and to troubleshoot any setup issues.
You can nest one or more click trackers within your primary click tracker. Each click tracker nested and the primary click tracker has to be certified and the next hop parameter must be clearly defined. Learn more about setting up your tracking template.
General troubleshooting steps for click trackers
- Check the status of ads for more information about why they're disapproved, even if the click tracker is configured somewhere else, like on the campaign level.
- Make sure that the click tracker is added in the tracking template field in the URL options.
- Verify that your click tracker is on the list of certified click trackers at the account, campaign, ad group, ad or keyword level.
- When you make changes to your tracking template, your ads will be re-reviewed when those changes are saved. If your account has more than 100,000 affected ads, you should resubmit the most critical ones for review to expedite the process.
Troubleshoot specific click tracker errors
Click tracker – Unsupported
Ads using a non-certified click tracking service may be disapproved. To fix this issue, select one of the following:
- Remove the click tracker from Google Ads and consider using a landing page tracking pixel instead.
- Change to a certified click tracker. Refer to the list of certified Google click trackers to check that the click tracker that you’re using is on the approved list.
- Ask your click tracker service provider to submit themselves for certification.
When changes to Google Ads are made and saved, the ads will be re-reviewed. If your click tracker service provider has become certified since your ads were most recently submitted, resubmit them.
Click tracker – Specific parameter needed
Your click tracker requires further configuration to comply with Google’s click tracker requirements. There are two ways to fix this issue:
- Consult your click tracker’s documentation for more information on how to use it with Google Ads.
- Edit your URL to comply, using feedback from the disapproval:
- Missing parameter: For example, if your tracking URL is https://tracker.example.com/track?sid=12345 and the disapproval states that the missing parameter is '&redirection_url={lpurl}', edit your tracking template to contain 'https://tracker.example.com/track?sid=12345&redirection_url={lpurl}'
- Remove parameter: If your tracking URL is 'https://tracker.example.com/track?sid=12345&redirection_url={lpurl}&transparent=false' and the disapproval states that the parameter to be removed is 'transparent', edit your tracking template to contain 'https://tracker.example.com/track?sid=12345&redirection_url={lpurl}'.
This can look like 'redirection_url=' or 'redirection_url=...&transparent=true', depending on the third-party service and what parameters they chose to certify with Google.
Tracking URL: https://tracker.com/?redirection_url=https://example.org/
Reminder: Ads not using the correct parameters will be disapproved.
Click tracker – Incorrect path
Your click tracker may support tracking different events, like impressions or clicks, or support multiple types of clicks. This disapproval means that the click tracker is being used to track the wrong event type. Consult your click tracker’s documentation for further information.
Contact your click tracker provider to confirm which paths have been certified as transparent by Google. If URL conventions have changed, have them open a request to certify more paths and deprecate old ones.
Click tracker – Destination mismatch
Common causes for this error message include:
- The destination declared in the click tracker and final URL field don't match.
- For example, if the final URL is 'https://example.org/' and the click tracker URL is 'https://click.tracker.com/?redir=https://web.dev/', and the disapproval reason is 'https://web.dev/', the ad would be disapproved because users are sent somewhere other than the final URL. Edit your final URL or tracking template to make them match your intended destination.
- Your redirection target includes an uncertified click tracker.
- For example, if the final URL is 'https://example.org/' and the click tracker URL is 'https://click.tracker1.com/?redir=https://different-clicktracker.com/?url=https://example.org/' and the disapproval reason is 'https://different-clicktracker.com/?url=https://example.org/', the ad would be disapproved because different-clicktracker.com is not certified.
- All click trackers used must be certified, and this requirement applies to every click tracker between the tracking template and the final URL.
- After changes are made, you can appeal to submit ads for review:
- In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon
.
- Click the Troubleshooting drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Policy manager.
- On the 'Policy issues' tab, find the ad that you want to appeal, then click Appeal.
- Under 'Reason for appealing', select Dispute decision or Made changes to comply with policy.
- Click Submit.
.Always ensure that your tracking template is set up to accurately reflect the declared destination on your tracker. You can nest another click tracker within your tracking template if both click trackers are certified through the application form.
Click tracker – Unparseable tracking template
To fix this issue, remove any special characters that may be blocking the URL declared on your tracker. Additionally, check to make sure that a web page is declared instead of an IP address or a deep link.
Reminder: IP Addresses (12.34.45.56) and Deeplinks (tel://) are not supported.