Are you trying to use a tracking link in a Google ad? If so, that’s probably the reason.

Google Ads is quite finicky and unpredictable when it comes to tracking links, so we only recommend using ClickMagick Campaigns to track your Google Ads.

If you are using Campaigns, then your Google Ad is getting disapproved because you’re violating their ad policies somehow.

If you’re using ClickMagick’s Campaigns feature and your ad points directly to your website (without using a tracking link), then there’s almost certainly something wrong in your ad.

If, on the other hand, you’re using a tracking link in your ad, then you might be using a tracking link feature such as geotargeting or split-testing that violates Google’s ad policies.

This article will cover these different points.
 
 

Even if you’re not an affiliate marketer who is “direct linking” to a shared website, your Google ad can still be disapproved if you violate Google’s ad policies in some other way. The first step to getting your ad approved is to review Google Ads’ current ad policies:
   

Also, make sure that you set up your ads precisely the way we show here in this article:

How do I track my PPC ads?


If you review the ad policies and you discover that your product or service does not meet their guidelines, there’s not much you can do except to promote a different offer or use a different Ad Network that will allow you to promote your offer.

Other than that, let’s look at potential reasons why your ad might have been disapproved…
 

Possible Reason #1 – Final URL Mismatch

Google Ads will disapprove any ad where the Final URL does not exactly match the final URL that the link in the ad takes you to. They must match EXACTLY, even in capitalization.

To check this, take the link in your ad and enter it into a browser. The URL that shows up in the address bar is the URL that must be in the Final URL of the ad.

For example, if the Final URL in your ad looks like this:

https://www.LittleFreeLibrary.org

...but after using that link, the URL in the Address Bar shows this:

https://littlefreelibrary.org

...then you’ll have a problem with Google Ads.

You might think those two URLs are the same, but to Google Ads, those are NOT the same because they don’t match EXACTLY. Even the difference in capitalization is important to Google Ads.

In this example, the Final URL in your ad must be https://littlefreelibrary.org or the ad will be disapproved.

We see this confusion with Google Ads constantly.
 

Possible Reason #2 – Your Site Has Malware

Another possibility is that Google Ads has detected malware on the website that your Final URL points to. This happens all the time with unprotected WordPress sites.

Run a malware scan on your website to rule this out.

If you discover malware, remove it and resubmit your ad.

If you’re using a Page Builder such as WordPress, search online for plugins and other tools that add extra security to your site. There are dozens of such plugins for WordPress, and more are always being added. Just do an online search for “WordPress Security,” and you’ll find great information.
 

Campaigns vs. Tracking Links

If you’re using ClickMagick’s Campaigns feature and aren’t using any tracking links, then only the suggestions above apply to you.

The following suggestions are for cases where you use a tracking link in your Google Ad.

You can skip the rest of this article if you’re NOT using a tracking link in your Google Ad. 
 

Suggestion #1 – Don’t Use Split-Testing and Rotators

Because the Final URL of the ad must match the final URL that the visitor lands on, you can’t use any ClickMagick feature that causes the Final URL to change dynamically.

In particular, this rules out using a split-test in your Google Ads tracking link or a rotator since they both produce final URLs that can change each time the tracking link is used.

Google Ads might not detect a problem when you first save your ad and get it approved. Still, Google’s bots will regularly re-verify the link in your ad, eventually detecting that the Final URL has changed and halt traffic to your ad without warning.

Changing your ad's final URL once approved can also put you on Google Ads’ potential scammer list, which is something you want to avoid.

The approved way to split-test with a Google ad is to create multiple identical ads in your Google Ads campaign—each with a different Final URL pointing to different pages in your split-test—and then use Google’s ad rotation feature to show your different test pages.

Another approach is to make your split-test with another, more flexible, ad network and settle on Google Ads only once you’ve found your best-converting page.
 
   


Suggestion #2 – Don’t Use Custom Tracking Domains

If you’re using the Campaigns feature, you’re probably not using a custom domain with ClickMagick, so you can skip this section. But if you’re using a tracking link with a custom domain, read on…

Google Ads is extraordinarily picky about every little detail in your ad setup, so you shouldn't do anything unnecessary to minimize the problems you can have with Google Ads. With Google’s parallel tracking, users will never see the tracking link, so stick with your www.clkmg.com account domain:

https://www.clkmg.com/[USERNAME]/4ktelevisions


Suggestion #3 – Don’t Block Bots and Servers

When you submit an ad to Google Ads, an Google Ads bot immediately tries to verify that the final URL of the tracking link you entered exactly matches the Final URL in your ad.

However, if you have Bots, Servers, and Spiders blocked in the Advanced Settings of your tracking link, then the Google Ads bot will never reach the final URL for the tracking link, and the ad will likely be disapproved. Google Ads constantly changes how they do ad verification, so if you’re currently blocking Bots, Servers, and Spiders, set those to “Flag” instead. Using the “Flag” setting will keep your UC statistics clean but will allow the Google Ads bots to reach the final URL of the tracking link.


Suggestion #4 – Don’t Use the Pixel Functionality In Your Ad’s Tracking Link

The Pixel functionality of a tracking link does some behind-the-scenes work that Google Ads sometimes does not like—it all depends on what you’ve added to the Pixel field. If possible, leave this setting empty for tracking links you use with Google Ads ads.


Suggestion #5 – Remove All Tracking and Get Your Ad Approved First

If you’ve reviewed all the steps above and your ad is still getting disapproved, the next step is to completely remove tracking from your ad and then get the ad approved. This will confirm whether the problem is with the ad or the tracking link.

Once your ad is approved, you can take the next step and set up tracking using the Campaigns feature specifically designed for major ad networks like Google Ads. You can review that setup process here:

How do I track my PPC ads?
 

What Next?

Have you gotten your ad approved without any tracking code in it? If not, that’s your first step.

If you’ve gotten your ad approved and it was disapproved only after adding your tracking link, have you followed all the advice in this article? If not, do exactly what is suggested. We mean it when we say that Google Ads is picky. Super picky.

If, after checking everything, you still can’t figure out what’s wrong, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at our Helpdesk, and we’ll take a look.

Also, have you considered using Microsoft Ads instead? Microsoft is so much easier to work with…
 
 

Microsoft Ads and ClickMagick work great together, and thousands of users are running ads with Microsoft Ads right now.

That means that if your ad has been disapproved, it isn’t because of ClickMagick. It means there’s something wrong with your ad, so let’s figure out exactly where.

If you’re using ClickMagick’s Campaigns feature and your ad points directly to your website (without using a tracking link), then there’s almost certainly something wrong with your ad.

If, on the other hand, you’re using a tracking link in your ad, then you might be using a tracking link feature such as geotargeting or split-testing that violates Microsoft’s ad policies.
 
Even if you’re not an affiliate marketer who is “direct linking” to a shared website, your Microsoft ad can still be disapproved if you violate Microsoft’s ad policies in some other way. The first step to getting your ad approved is to review Microsoft Ads’ current ad policies:

Microsoft Ads Policies for Acceptable Ads
 

Also, make sure that you set up your ads exactly the way we show here in this article:

How do I track my PPC ads?


If you review the ad policies and you discover that your product or service does not meet their guidelines, there’s not much you can do except to promote a different offer or use a different Ad Network that will allow you to promote your offer.

Other than that, let’s look at potential reasons why your ad might have been disapproved…

 
Possible Reason #1 – Final URL Mismatch

Microsoft Ads will disapprove any ad where the Final URL does not exactly match the final URL that the link in the ad takes you to. They must match EXACTLY, even in capitalization.

To check this, take the link in your ad and enter it into a browser. The URL that shows up in the address bar is the URL that must be in the Final URL of the ad.

For example, if the Final URL in your ad looks like this:

https://www.LittleFreeLibrary.org

...but after using that link, the URL in the Address Bar shows this:

https://littlefreelibrary.org

...then you’ll have a problem with Microsoft Ads.

You might think those two URLs are the same, but to Microsoft Ads, those are NOT the same because they don’t match EXACTLY. Even the difference in capitalization is important to Microsoft Ads.

In this example, the Final URL in your ad must be https://littlefreelibrary.org or the ad might be disapproved.
 

Possible Reason #2 – Your Site Has Malware

Another possibility is that Microsoft Ads has detected malware on the website that your Final URL points to. This happens all the time with unprotected WordPress sites.

Run a malware scan on your website to rule this out.

If you discover malware, remove it and resubmit your ad.

If you’re using a Page Builder such as WordPress, search online for plugins and other tools that add extra security to your site. There are dozens of such plugins for WordPress, and more are always being added. Just do an online search for “WordPress Security” and you’ll find great information.
 

Campaigns vs. Tracking Links

If you’re using ClickMagick’s Campaigns feature and aren’t using any tracking links, then only the suggestions above apply to you.

The following suggestions are for cases where you use a tracking link in your Microsoft Ad.

If you’re NOT using a tracking link in your Microsoft Ad, you can skip the rest of this article. 
 

Suggestion #1 – Don’t Use Split-Testing and Rotators

Because the Final URL of the ad must match the final URL that the visitor lands on, you can’t use any ClickMagick feature that causes the Final URL to change dynamically.

In particular, this rules out using a split-test in your Microsoft Ads tracking link or a rotator since they both produce final URLs that can change each time the tracking link is used.

Microsoft Ads might not detect a problem when you first save your ad and get it approved. Still, Microsoft’s bots will regularly re-verify the link in your ad, eventually detecting that the Final URL has changed and halting traffic to your ad without warning.

Changing your ad's final URL once approved can also put you on Microsoft Ads’ potential scammer list, which is something you want to avoid.

The approved way to split-test with a Microsoft ad is to create multiple identical ads in your Microsoft Ads campaign—each with a different Final URL pointing to different pages in your split-test—and then use Microsoft’s ad rotation feature to show your different test pages.

Another approach is to make your split-test with another, more flexible ad network and settle on Microsoft Ads only once you’ve found your best-converting page.
 
   


Suggestion #2 – Don’t Use Custom Tracking Domains

If you’re using the Campaigns feature, you’re probably not using a custom domain with ClickMagick, so you can skip this section, but if you’re using a tracking link with a custom domain, read on…

Microsoft Ads is very picky about every little detail in your ad setup, so you shouldn't do anything unnecessary to minimize the problems you can have with Microsoft Ads. With Microsoft’s parallel tracking, users will never see the tracking link, so stick with your www.clkmg.com account domain:

https://www.clkmg.com/[USERNAME]/4ktelevisions


Suggestion #4 – Don’t Block Bots and Servers

When you submit an ad to Microsoft Ads, a Microsoft Ads bot immediately tries to verify that the final URL of the tracking link you entered exactly matches the Final URL in your ad.

However, if you have Bots, Servers, and Spiders blocked in the Advanced Settings of your tracking link, then the Microsoft Ads bot will never reach the final URL for the tracking link, and the ad will likely be disapproved. Microsoft Ads constantly changes how they do ad verification, so if you’re currently blocking Bots, Servers, and Spiders, set those to “Flag” instead. Using the “Flag” setting will keep your UC statistics clean but will allow the Microsoft Ads bots to reach the final URL of the tracking link.


Suggestion #5 – Don’t Use the Pixel Functionality In Your Ad’s Tracking Link

The Pixel functionality of a tracking link does some behind-the-scenes work that Microsoft Ads sometimes does not like—it all depends on what you’ve added to the Pixel field. If possible, leave this setting empty for tracking links you use with Microsoft Ads ads.


Suggestion #6 – Remove All Tracking and Get Your Ad Approved First

If you’ve reviewed all the steps above and your ad is still getting disapproved, the next step is to completely remove tracking from your ad and then get the ad approved. This will confirm whether the problem is with the ad or the tracking link.

Once your ad is approved, you can take the next step and set up tracking using the Campaigns feature specifically designed for major ad networks like Microsoft Ads. You can review that setup process in this article by selecting the “Campaigns” tab under Microsoft Ads:

How do I track my PPC ads?
 

What Next?

Have you gotten your ad approved without any tracking code in it? If not, that’s your first step.

If you’ve gotten your ad approved and it was disapproved only after adding your tracking link, have you followed all the advice in this article? If not, do exactly what is suggested. We mean it when we say that Microsoft Ads is picky. Super picky.

If, after checking everything, you still can’t figure out what’s wrong, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at our Helpdesk, and we’ll take a look.
 
 

If your Facebook ad was disapproved, the best place to look for why is on the Facebook Advertising Policies page, where they list dozens of things they look for when reviewing ads. You can find that page here:

Facebook’s Advertising Policies
 

It’s also crucial that you set up your ads exactly the way we show in this article:

How do I track my PPC ads?


But even if you think you’re following all of Facebook’s guidelines and you followed our instructions for setting up your ad, you might still get disapproved. Here’s why...

Facebook is very aggressive about keeping scammers off its platform—which is good for everybody. Still, they are so aggressive that they will inadvertently flag legitimate ads if you’re doing something that looks like you might be a scammer.

Remember, your ad is being reviewed by computers that use algorithms to deduce whether your ad is a scam or not. Your ad is not being reviewed by someone who can make a common-sense decision.

These computer programs try to enforce the Advertising Policies by looking at your ad in every way possible. That includes the language in your ad, the image in your ad, and even the name of the image in your ad.

For example, one user found that while his ad was in total compliance, the image in his ad was named “makemoney.gif” and got his ad disapproved. When he changed the name of the image, the ad was approved.

“Make Money” is one of the thousands of phrases that Facebook’s computers look for to keep scammers out, even when used in the names of your images...

If you have an ad for high-end coffee that says something like “Get rich-tasting coffee every time”, the phrase “get rich” will probably get your ad disapproved because that phrase is associated with get-rich-quick schemes. A person wouldn’t flag that ad as a problem, but a computer certainly could…

Facebook’s computers learn from every ad they reject. If the same stock photo or image gets used in too many disapproved ads, the image itself can get flagged. That means if you create a compliant ad but use that same stock photo, your ad will probably be disapproved by association…

Facebook doesn’t tell anybody what its computers look for, so all you can do is try to be as squeaky clean as possible: Avoid questionable phrases, give all your images simple names, use original images, etc.

With Facebook, if you’re even thinking that you might be getting into a gray area, you’ve already crossed the line—you can expect your ad to be disapproved. If not today, soon… Facebook is constantly tightening up its algorithms.

 

If, after checking everything, you still can’t figure out what’s wrong, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at our Helpdesk, and we’ll take a look.