Google Ads Disapproved? Here's How to Fix It

Hi everyone, this is Neo.

Recently, a friend running an independent site came to me for help because all of his Google ads had been disapproved.

You could feel his anxiety through the screen. For anyone running an overseas independent site — operators and owners alike — Google Ads is the lifeline of traffic. The moment ads stop, traffic nosedives and orders go to zero. Nobody can survive that.

Today, using this real “emergency room” case as a springboard, I’m going to dig deep into why Google ads get disapproved and how to rescue them.

1. Real Case: Disapproval Due to “Malware”

1. The Diagnosis Process

The official email my friend received said:

Email notice: Google automatically and continuously scans all web domains in the ad network for suspicious links that may be harmful to Google users. Whenever any compromised link is found, the website is flagged until those links are removed and subsequent scans show the site has recovered.

The email also listed a bunch of strange domains like protrafficinspector.com, locusflourishgarlic.com, and so on.

Step 1: Sweep for “suspects”

Since Google listed specific “malicious domains,” my first reaction was: verify whether these domains actually exist on the site.

I did a thorough check using two hardcore methods:

  1. Browser network inspection: Open Chrome DevTools (F12), switch to the Network panel, refresh the page, and monitor all resource requests to see if any point to those domains.
  2. Full-text search of the source code: Right-click to view the page source (or use Ctrl+U), then Ctrl+F for the strange domains mentioned in the email.

Checking with DevTools and source code search (Image: after checking network requests and source code, no malicious domains found)

Result: Nothing! Neither in the network requests nor in the source code could we find any trace of those domains.

Step 2: Find the real “root cause”

With specific malicious code ruled out, I started suspecting the site’s own security configuration.

That’s when I noticed a detail in the browser’s address bar: even though the site had an SSL certificate installed (URL starts with https), the browser wasn’t showing the little padlock that means “fully secure” — instead it warned “Not Secure” or showed an exclamation mark.

Neo’s call:

I looked at the source code again — this time searching for http://.

The truth was out! The code was full of http links (mostly images and internal links).

This is the classic Mixed Content problem. You have the HTTPS shell, but the inside is packed with insecure HTTP links. In Google’s eyes, this kind of site is like a safe with the door left open — easy to tamper with or inject malware. Since it couldn’t find specific malicious domains, Google simply judged the whole site to be a security risk and disapproved the ads.

2. The Treatment Plan

Since my friend’s site was built on WordPress, the fix was relatively easy. The core issue was that links in the database hadn’t been fully replaced with HTTPS.

The solution (hardcore hands-on): Use SQL to batch-replace the bad links directly at the database level. (Note: back up your database before doing anything! Back it up!)

-- Update links in post content
UPDATE wp_posts
SET post_content = REPLACE(post_content, 'http://ledscreenfactory.com', 'https://ledscreenfactory.com')
WHERE post_content LIKE '%http://ledscreenfactory.com%';

-- Update links in metadata
UPDATE wp_postmeta
SET meta_value = REPLACE(meta_value, 'http://ledscreenfactory.com', 'https://ledscreenfactory.com')
WHERE meta_value LIKE '%http://ledscreenfactory.com%';

(Note: replace the domain above with your own)

After running these two commands, all the http links on the site became https.

3. Discharged and Recovered

Once the changes were done, we went back to the Google Ads dashboard, clicked “Appeal” or “Resubmit” on the disapproved ads.

About two days later, my friend sent the good news: “Neo, it worked like magic! The problem’s fixed and my ads are showing again!”

2. The Complete Guide to Common Google Ads Disapproval Reasons

The case above is just the tip of the iceberg. In independent site operations, you can run into all kinds of disapproval reasons. To help you steer clear, Neo has compiled the most common reasons and their fixes.

1. Malicious or unwanted software

This is the case from above.

  • Cause: The site got hacked, malicious code was injected, or — like the case above — there’s mixed content.
  • Neo’s tips:
    • Update WordPress plugins and themes regularly (lots of vulnerabilities come from outdated plugins).
    • Check the site with Google Search Console’s “Security Issues” report.
    • Make sure the whole site is HTTPS with no HTTP resources.

2. Destination not working

  • Cause: Your landing page can’t be opened — a 404 error or a server 500 error.
  • Neo’s tips:
    • Check that the URL you’re advertising is spelled correctly.
    • Check that your server is stable, especially loading speed for overseas users.
    • Don’t link ads to pages that require login to view.

3. Circumventing systems — the most serious one!

  • Cause: Google believes you’re trying to fool its review system. For example:
    • Cloaking: showing one version of a page to Google’s crawler and another (usually violating) version to real users.
    • Account association: getting one account banned, then opening a new account to promote the same site.
  • Neo’s tips: Never, ever try cloaking. If it’s a false positive, provide detailed evidence in your appeal to prove your innocence. Once this is confirmed, it’s basically a permanent ban.

4. Misrepresentation

  • Cause: Deceiving users or hiding important information.
    • Missing required business info (address, phone, email).
    • Fake promotions (like a sitewide permanent “10-minute countdown”).
    • Exaggerated claims (like health products that “cure everything”).
  • Neo’s tips:
    • Clearly display your physical address and contact info in the footer.
    • Flesh out your About Us, Contact Us, Shipping Policy, Return Policy, and Privacy Policy pages.
    • B2B sites should look professional; B2C sites should look trustworthy.

5. Counterfeit goods

  • Cause: Selling fakes, or using big-brand trademarks and logos.
  • Neo’s tips:
    • Choose your products carefully.
    • If you’re a legit distributor, submit authorization documents to Google.
    • Check whether your images accidentally contain well-known brand logos.

6. Editorial & technical requirements

  • Cause: Ad copy that’s a little too “excited.”
    • All caps: FREE SHIPPING!!!
    • Punctuation abuse: Buy Now!!!!
    • Emojis stuffed into the copy.
  • Neo’s tips:
    • Keep it professional. Capitalize the first letter of English words — no all caps (unless it’s a brand name).
    • Use punctuation normally.

3. Neo’s Exclusive Pitfall-Avoidance Guide

  1. Don’t blindly appeal: If you haven’t found the root cause and just keep clicking “Resubmit,” you risk getting your account suspended. Fix the site first, then appeal.
  2. Use your tools: Google Search Console is a lifesaver for diagnosing site security issues — make sure it’s connected.
  3. Watch the “Status” column: Hover over the “Status” column in your ads dashboard — Google usually tells you the specific policy violation, sometimes even which page is at fault.
  4. Keep your cool: Running an independent site, policy issues are part of the job. Most problems (except circumventing systems and counterfeits) are fixable.

Summary

Getting your Google ads disapproved isn’t the scary part — not knowing why they were disapproved is.

Through today’s case, I hope you understand: compliance is the foundation of a long-lived independent site. Whether it’s HTTPS on the technical side or honesty on the content side, it’s the first step to building trust in overseas markets.

If your ads are disapproved too, run through the checklist above.

Here’s to your ads all being Approved and your ROAS through the roof!

References:

  • Google Ads Help Center - Ads disapproved
  • Google Ads Policy Center

(Originally written by Neo — feel free to share it with friends running independent sites)