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Google Ads suspended our healthcare account

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A suspension stops every ad in the account, in every location. The route back is an appeal filed from inside the suspended account, through the Contact Us link in the notification at the top of the screen. Before you appeal, read the suspension email, which Google says identifies every policy you were suspended for, and fix all of it across every related account. Google reinstates accounts only "in compelling circumstances, such as in the case of a mistake", so a thorough, accurate appeal matters more than a fast one. Do not open a new account in the meantime.

While you work through the appeal, Curve Compliance helps you keep measuring what your other channels book. Curve rebuilds your conversion tracking so it is HIPAA-compliant and keeps your campaigns optimizing, sending conversions server-side to Meta Conversions API, Google Ads, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, and keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane. Curve's team does the setup, and a BAA is signed on every plan. Book a call with Curve.

Which kind of suspension is this?

Google suspends accounts for three broad reasons, and each one has a different fix:

  • Egregious policy violations. Google suspends "immediately without prior warning." Its list includes Promotion of unauthorized pharmacies, Unacceptable business practices, Circumventing systems and Prescription opioid painkillers, the ones most relevant to healthcare advertisers.
  • Repeat violations. Google warns at least 7 days before suspending. For policies in its strike system, which includes Unapproved substances, the first and second strikes put the account on hold for 3 and 7 days, and "the third strike will result in an account suspension."
  • Non-policy reasons, such as a chargeback, suspicious payment activity, an unpaid balance or unauthorized account activity. Google describes these as temporary suspensions, and the fix is administrative, not a policy appeal.

Fix the cause before you appeal

Google's appeal tips are to follow the best practices on each egregious policy page, explain your situation for each violating policy, and complete advertiser verification if asked. For a healthcare advertiser, check the landing page and your certification, not only the ad text. Google does not allow "Offering prescription drugs without a prescription" or "Targeting locations where you aren't licensed", and in the US it allows telemedicine providers only with LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification plus certification with Google.

Google also asks you to make sure "all linked (or previously linked) and all related accounts comply" before you appeal. If individual ads were disapproved on the way here, fix those under Healthcare and medicines first.

How the appeal works

You have at least 6 months from the date of suspension to appeal. Filing many appeals doesn't speed anything up: Google says it may not process them, and if it sees misuse of the appeals function it will "suspend processing of certain appeals for 7 days."

  1. Sign in to the suspended account and select Contact Us in the notification at the top of the screen. The appeal form opens on the right, with policy information about your suspension.
  2. If Google asks for advertiser verification, complete it with documents that match the account exactly. Google says that if it is "unable to verify their identity after 3 attempts, they will not be allowed to appeal their account suspension."
  3. File one appeal for each suspended account, explaining why the suspension is wrong or what you changed. If an account was suspended only because other accounts verified with the same identity documents were suspended, Google reinstates it automatically once those accounts are successfully appealed.
  4. Wait. The account shows Appeal pending, and Google emails you the outcome. If the appeal is rejected, you can appeal again through the same process.

While the account is suspended

A suspended account is read-only. You can still sign in, view and download reports, make payments, update security settings, cancel the account and claim a refund if you qualify. Google warns you may lose access "after an extended period", so export the reports you need now.

Do not create a replacement account. Google says "any new accounts that the advertiser tries to create may also be suspended", and its Circumventing systems policy lists "creating new accounts to re-enter the system" after a suspension decision. The full reasoning, platform by platform, is in should we open a new ad account after a restriction?

Channels your business already runs, and that are not restricted, stay open while Google decides. To keep those campaigns optimizing, a HIPAA-compliant tool such as Curve Compliance sends their conversions server-side to Meta Conversions API, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn, and keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane. To set that up, book a call with Curve.

Talk to Curve

A suspension is the moment to make sure every channel you still run is measured properly. Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant conversion tracking for you, typically live in about a week (it varies case by case), with a BAA signed on every plan. To see which of your channels are booking patients, book a call with Curve.

How Curve helps

  • Curve rebuilds your conversion tracking so it is HIPAA-compliant and keeps your campaigns optimizing, sending conversions server-side to Meta Conversions API, Google Ads, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn.
  • Curve keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane, so booked patients are credited to the channel that sent them.
  • Curve signs a BAA on every plan.
  • Curve does the setup for you with its own team, typically live in about a week (it varies case by case).
  • Google does not sign a BAA for Google Ads (Google Ads in the BAA Directory), so nothing sent to Google Ads should carry health information.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Google Ads suspension last?

Google considers it permanent unless an appeal succeeds and the account is reinstated. You have at least 6 months from the date of suspension to submit an appeal.

Can we run ads from a new account while we appeal?

No. Google says new accounts the advertiser tries to create may also be suspended, and it recommends reinstating suspended accounts before creating new ones. Channels that aren't restricted can keep running in the meantime, and Curve Compliance sends their conversions server-side so those campaigns still have conversion data to optimize on.

Is a strike the same as a suspension?

No. The first and second strikes put the account on hold for 3 and 7 days, and you clear a hold by fixing the violations and submitting the acknowledgement form, or by appealing the strike. A third strike on the same policy within 90 days of the second suspends the account.

What happens if advertiser verification fails?

Google says that if it can't verify your identity after 3 attempts, you won't be allowed to appeal the suspension. Get matching documents together before you start.

How can Curve help while our Google Ads account is suspended?

Curve rebuilds your conversion tracking so it is HIPAA-compliant and keeps the campaigns you still run optimizing, sending conversions server-side to the platforms you advertise on. Attribution holds through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane, so you can see which channels book patients. Book a call with Curve.

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