On this page
The short answer
A disapproved ad is not serving, whatever its volume. Oppy reads the policy status of every enabled ad in live campaigns and reports two cases apart: ad groups where every ad is refused and nothing serves, and disapproved ads in groups that still have others running.
Why it matters
This is the one finding that needs no statistics. Google has already decided. That is why the check runs on accounts too small for anything else, which are also the accounts most likely to have an ad nobody noticed had stopped.
The severe case is not the disapproval itself. It is the ad group where every ad is refused: the keywords are enabled, the budget is there, and nothing can show.
How Oppy decides
The check reads every enabled ad in enabled ad groups and campaigns, with its approval status and the policy topics Google gave.
Checks that weigh money or clicks judge what they find on your own account's numbers, not on one figure applied to every account, so what counts as a problem on a small account is not the same on a large one. Checks on settings read how the account is set up.
When there is too little to go on, the check says so instead of guessing. A finding always comes with the rows behind it, so you can read the evidence before you decide.
| This check | |
|---|---|
| Step of the audit | Ads |
| What it reads | Ads and their ratings |
| Needs trustworthy conversions | No. It does not wait for the tracking step. |
| What happens next | Reported in the audit with the rows behind it. The decision stays with you. |
Check it yourself in Google Ads
- In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Ads, and filter on Status: Disapproved.
- Hover over the status to see the policy topic, or open the Policy manager.
- For each disapproved ad, check whether its ad group has any other approved, enabled ad.
- List the groups with none first.
What to do about it
Read the policy topic and fix what it names: a claim, a word, a destination that does not work, a trademark. Then edit the ad, which sends it for review again.
If you think the decision is wrong, appeal from the Policy manager. Meanwhile, add an approved ad to any group left with none, so it can serve.
Other checks in this area
The checks next to this one in Ads and creative, each with its own page.