What is Google AdMob?
Google AdMob is one of the largest mobile advertising platforms you can use as a publisher to generate ad revenue from your app. Being an app publisher, you can sign up for AdMob using a new or existing Google Account and quickly set up your AdMob account – it is that simple!
However, what makes AdMob difficult is complying with Google Publisher Policies! When trying to learn how to set up your app for monetization, selecting suitable ad formats, analyzing ad revenue, and optimizing them with ad mediation, it can be challenging to comply with Google AdMob policies.
Moreover, failing to abide by Google’s AdMob policies may also lead to Google placing ad limits, suspending, or even terminating your AdMob account.
So, how do you ensure that your Google AdMob Account does not get suspended? And if it does, how do you retrieve it?
Before we tackle how to retrieve a suspended AdMob account, let us understand the policy categories due to which AdMob accounts face suspension or termination.
1. Content Policies
When you monetize your content with Google AdMob, you must adhere to the content policies levied by Google. Failure to comply with these policies may result in Google blocking ads from appearing against your content or suspending or terminating your AdMob account.
Here are some types of disallowed or restricted content policies as per AdMob Program policies:
- Content that promotes illegal activities.
- Dangerous or derogatory content.
- Content that displays animal cruelty.
- Content that misrepresents or impersonates.
- Content that makes unreliable and harmful claims.
- Content that attempts to steal personal information.
- Deceptive content to cheat someone.
- Manipulated ads related to politics or social causes.
- Sexually explicit content or ads that compensated sexual acts.
- Mail order brides.
- Adult ad content within child-rated or family apps.
- Child sexual abuse and exploitation.
- Replicated content or no content.
- Content generated by app users’ of a similar nature as mentioned in the above list.
2. Behavioural Policies
Google publisher policies are defined to maintain the AdTech ecosystem. Through these policies, publishers can ethically monetize content, and advertisers can truthfully reach their prospective customers. Apart from this, any other behavior type is termed a policy violation.
Simply put, content that misleads others or promotes and instructs dishonest behavior is against AdMob Program Policies.
Here are some examples of disallowed or restricted behavioural content policies as per AdMob Program policies:
- Content that advertises the creation of false documents.
- Content that promotes fraudulent activities.
- Content that instructs users how to pass a drug test.
- Hacking services, phone hacking & wiretapping services.
3. Invalid Activity
According to Google, content creating accidental clicks is a policy violation. The aim is to receive clicks for genuine and valuable content so that the users, advertisers, and publishers make the most of this ecosystem.
However, when a publisher is more anxious about making money rather than providing valuable content – the users are forced to click! These invalid clicks reduce trust, jeopardize the ad network, and lead to a bad user experience.
Users should be able to differentiate between content and ads so that users are not tricked; advertisers do not waste money on unintended clicks, and publishers can carry out a clean and transparent app business.
Here are a few types of ad implementation that lead to invalid clicks as per AdMob Program policies:
- Any deceptive content that makes the users click.
- Any compensation to the user for clicks.
- Use phrases such as click this ad, support us, visit the link, etc.
- Graphical elements that highlight the ad more than the app’s content.
- Placing misleading images or graphics around the ad that leads to clicks.
- Creating ads that cannot be distinguished from the app’s content and vice versa.
- Ads not using labels such as sponsored links or advertisements. Do not use misleading labels above Google ads units or disguise ads as content.
4. Incorrect Implementation
Google AdMob Program gives utmost importance to users. Hence, the AdMob implementation guide is structured to create commercial opportunities for publishers and advertisers without sacrificing user experience.
The implementation guide also specifies considering the flow of user engagement within your app. It is advised to implement ads on transition points of a reading app or in between levels of a gaming app.
Google AdMob has prepared detailed implementation guidance for banner ads, interstitial ads, and native ads. Publishers must adhere to the policy compliance checklist to ensure that their AdMob account is not suspended or terminated.
Here are some of the factors you must take into consideration while implementing ads as per AdMob Program policies:
- Prioritize user journey & user experience.
- Do not encourage clicks or incentive clicks.
- Use loading screen time to reserve a fixed ad space.
- Do not refresh ads in less than 30 seconds.
- Do not send ad requests when the app screen is not active.
- Ensure integration of the latest SDK for both Android & iOS.
- Monitor & optimize ad formats & placements.
How To Retrieve a Suspended AdMob Account?
Did you follow all the above guidelines, but your AdMob account was still suspended?
Unfortunately, AdMob account suspensions are not appealable. However, if you identify the source for which your AdMob account was suspended, you may rectify it and wait for Google to reinstate it. Also, try filling out a suspended publisher feedback form on Google AdMob Help Center.
The best way to tackle a suspended Google AdMob Account is to contact a third-party Google Partner like AppBroda. AdOps experts at AppBroda have years of experience and can help you retrieve a suspended AdMob account.
Book a free consultation with AppBroda, to lift your AdMob account suspension and implement ways to optimize your ad revenue by the Google AdMob’s Program & Publisher policies.
