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The short answer
Google restricts ads that look like an official service or another company's customer service. Oppy measures how much of the Search spend recently went to such searches, campaign by campaign, and names the ads that claim to be a service line.
Why it matters
Searches like a company's customer service number or a public benefit are common on comparison and lead generation accounts. Whether they may be advertised on at all is a policy question a specialist settles. How much of the business rests on them is a number, and it changes what to do next.
A few stray searches are a note. Half the spend is the first thing to look at before adding a single euro, because a policy change or a suspension would take that half away at once.
How Oppy decides
The check reads the paid search terms of live ad groups over recent weeks.
It reads the search terms of Search and Shopping campaigns. Performance Max searches are not part of this read yet, so check them in the search terms report.
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 | Spend |
| What it reads | Search terms report |
| 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 Insights and reports, then Search terms, for the last 30 days.
- Filter search terms containing words like customer service, phone number, helpline, or the names of public services.
- Add up their cost and conversions, and compare with the account's total.
- Read the ads in those campaigns and note any that present the advertiser as an official line.
What to do about it
Read Google's policies on government documents and official services, and on misrepresentation, against what the campaigns do. Rewrite any ad that suggests it is the other company's own service.
If a large share of the business depends on these searches, plan for it: spread the account across other demand before scaling, so one policy decision cannot remove most of the results.
Other checks in this area
The checks next to this one in Wasted spend, each with its own page.