The YouTube videos used in ads go through a creative review process to check that they comply with our content requirements, including:
- Ads are subject to Google Ads policies, including the Personalized advertising policy.
- YouTube age-restricted videos cannot be promoted in ads.
Your ad won’t serve if it’s disapproved during creative review.
There are a few ways that you can fix a disapproved YouTube ad depending on the changes needed to correct the disapproval:
- For issues with the content of the ad or if you need to change the ad settings in Display & Video 360, you can edit the ad. This will automatically trigger a new review of the ad. Learn more below
- For issues with other components of the ad, like the landing page, certification status or video settings in YouTube, you can resubmit it for approval. Learn more below
- For disapproval based on policy decisions, you can dispute the decision if you believe we’ve made an error. Learn more below
Fix ad content disapprovals
If the ad content itself isn’t compliant with specific policies, such as our Editorial policy, or you’ve changed the settings of the ad in Display & Video 360, follow the steps below to edit the ad and trigger a new review:
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Go to an existing YouTube & partners line item.
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Click the YouTube ad groups tab. You’ll see a table with all of your ad groups and the ads in each of them.
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In the Status column, hover over the ad’s Disapproved status. You can learn more about the policy that the ad doesn’t comply with by clicking the link next to Feedback.
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To fix issues with the ad, start by clicking its name.
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On the page that loads, click the pencil icon
in the Ads section to update your ad.
Editing an ad will remove the existing ad and create a new one. Statistics for the old ad will not be visible anymore. The new ad will be submitted for review. -
Click Edit ad in the prompt.
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Update the ad so that it complies with the policy and click Done.
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Save the ad group. This will trigger the review timeline described below.
Re-review timeline
- When you edit a disapproved ad, the existing ad is removed and a new one is created.
- The new ad will automatically be submitted for review. The 'Status' column will change from 'Disapproved' to 'Under review'.
- Most ads are reviewed in one working day, but complex reviews may take longer. Please wait a full 24 hours before contacting support about your ad review status.
The duration for policy restrictions is permanent and the territorial restriction is global unless otherwise specified.
Fix other disapprovals
Your ad may be disapproved for reasons unrelated to the ad content or settings within Display & Video 360. Some common disapprovals are related to:
- Landing pages: If the ad’s landing page isn’t compliant with specific policies or wasn’t working at the time of initial review, you’ll need to update the landing page.
- Missing certifications: Your advertiser hasn’t been certified for serving ads for certain restricted products and services.
- Changes to the video in YouTube: You may have changed the settings in your YouTube account for the video that you’re using as an ad, like updating the thumbnail image or moving the video from private to public.
Once you’ve made any changes needed to comply with the policy that caused this disapproval, follow the steps below to re-submit the ad for review per policy:
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Go to an existing YouTube & partners line item.
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Click the YouTube ad groups tab. You’ll see a table with all of your ad groups and the ads in each of them.
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In the Status column, hover over the ad’s Disapproved status. You can learn more about the policy that the ad doesn’t comply with by clicking the link next to Feedback.
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Click the Appeal button.
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On the page that loads, select 'Made changes to comply with policy' as the reason for the appeal.
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Select which ads you want to include in the appeal.
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Click Submit.
The ad's status won't change once you’ve submitted it for a re-review. You can check the Status column on the YouTube ad groups tab to see whether or not the ad has been approved.
Dispute policy decisions
If you believe we’ve made an error with a policy decision, you can appeal the decision directly from Display & Video 360:
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Go to an existing YouTube & partners line item.
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Click the YouTube ad groups tab. You’ll see a table with all of your ad groups and the ads in each of them.
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In the Status column, hover over the ad’s Disapproved status. You can learn more about the policy that the ad doesn’t comply with by clicking the link next to Feedback.
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Click the Appeal button.
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On the page that loads, find the policy labels you disagree with.
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Under each policy label, below 'Appeal the following' select which ads you want to include in the appeal.
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Click Submit.
The ad's status won't change during the appeals process. You can check the Status column on the YouTube ad groups tab, or review the appeals history in the Appeal History page to see whether or not the ad has been approved.
Check the status of your appeal
After you submit an appeal, it usually takes about one working day for the review. You can check the appeal status in Appeal History to see the result.