Google Ad Grants Suspension

• Ad Grants
• Tips
• 17. 03. 2025

Has your Google Ad Grants account been suspended, and you’re unsure why, or what to do next? Getting free advertising credit worth $10,000 per month is an incredible opportunity for nonprofits, but it comes with a catch – you’ve got to play by Google’s rules.

There was a time when staying compliant seemed easier. Google provided an official Compliance Report, which clearly outlined any policy violations and whether your account met the necessary requirements. Unfortunately, Google has since discontinued this tool, leaving nonprofits to manually track their compliance. That means regular account checkups are now essential if you want to avoid suspension and keep your ads running.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step process to help you reactivate your account, ensure compliance, and prevent future suspensions. Let’s get started!

What Does Google Ad Grants Suspension Mean?

Picture this: you log into your Google Ad Grants account, ready to check your campaigns, only to be met with a bold red warning bar saying your account has been suspended. Suspensions often come without warning, leaving many nonprofits caught off guard, especially those managing their accounts independently.

So, what does this really mean? In simple terms, it indicates a violation of Google Ad Grants policies. These could involve issues with your keywords, account structure, or even your website. To stay compliant and avoid future suspensions, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with Google Ad Grants policies.

Why Has My Google Ad Grants Been Suspended?

Unsure which policy you may be violating? Here’s the list of possible reasons for account suspension and our experience:

1. Website policy

• Your organization must own the domain used for ads.
• Your website must clearly describe your mission, offer unique and updated content, ensure easy navigation, load quickly, and be secured with HTTPS for new domains.
• Your website must primarily serve a nonprofit mission, not commercial purposes.(Any limited commercial activity must clearly support your mission and disclose fund usage.)
• Ads on your website must be mission-related, unobtrusive, and cannot include Google AdSense or affiliate links.
• All additional domains promoted on your organization’s website must be submitted to Google for prior approval.

2. CTR Below 5%

 Google requires that Ad Grant accounts maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR). Falling below this for an extended period can result in suspension.

When onboarding an account, our agency’s first step is conducting a thorough audit to assess compliance with policies. You’d be surprised that nonprofits more often than not struggle to maintain a CTR above 5%. Here’s what you can do: pause low-performing keywords with consistently low CTRs over an extended period, optimize your ad copies – make your headlines attractive, use call to action and what really proved to be working for us was using dynamic headlines (dynamic keyword insertion) – they can do wonders.

3. Improper Account Structure

•  Google expects accounts to be well-organized, with at least two active ad groups per campaign and two ads per ad group.

We encounter improperly structured accounts on a daily basis. Additionally, each ad group must contain at least one active responsive search ad. If any ad group only contains one ad in the outdated expanded search ad format, that is insufficient. Under the previous guidelines, when expanded search ads were the primary format, at least two ads were required. Learn more about Responsive Search Ads.

4. Lack Of Conversions Or Goals

Your account must have valid conversion tracking set up to measure meaningful actions (e.g., donations, sign-ups).

Have you recorded zero conversions in the past few months? This could be the reason for your account’s suspension. Furthermore, if you haven’t set up conversions yet, you’re significantly limiting your account’s performance. Without tracking conversions, it’s impossible to accurately assess and optimize campaigns to achieve the most valuable actions. Conversion goals are crucial data for the success of your campaigns. If you’re unsure which actions on your website to track as conversions, you can refer to Google’s list of key actions recommended for NGOs to track: Volunteer sign-ups, File downloads, Donations made, Time spent/pages visited, Videos played and last but not least, Newsletter sign-ups.

We’ve explored this topic in more detail in our Google Analytics 4 webinar.

5. Keyword & Ad Policy Violations

• Using single-word keywords, overly generic terms, or bidding on branded keywords that don’t align with your mission can lead to suspension. Furthermore, no keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2 are permitted.

When conducting keyword research before setting up a campaign using Keyword Planner, be sure to exclude brand keywords to ensure they are not included in your selection.

Once you’ve uploaded your keyword list into a campaign, it’s easy to spot and exclude single-word keywords. Simply open your account in Google Ads Editor, select all the keywords in your campaign, and in the top bar, enter the condition: keywordwordcount=1. This will display all the single-word keywords. Just select them all, remove them, and post the changes.

If you see this, you’re good to go!

The Quality Score should no longer be a concern, as Google automatically pauses these keywords.

Our agency has managed dozens to hundreds of accounts, and we’ve found that the most common causes of account suspension are low CTR, zero recorded conversions per month, and single-word keywords.

Google Ad Grants Suspended: What Exactly Happens

When your Google Ad Grants account is suspended, several key actions take place that can significantly impact your nonprofit’s advertising efforts. Here’s a detailed look at what happens and what you can expect:

• Notification

Upon suspension, Google typically sends an email notification detailing the reason behind the suspension. This email may outline specific policy violations, compliance issues, or other factors contributing to the suspension. It will also provide potential next steps for resolving the issue. It’s essential to carefully review this notification to understand the underlying cause and address it promptly.

• Paused Ads

Once your account is suspended, all campaigns will be paused. This means your ads will no longer appear in Google Search results.

• Restrictions

“Suspended accounts are in read-only mode, with a few exceptions”, says Google.

• Your ability to create new ads or modify existing campaigns may be restricted until the issue is resolved.
• You may lose access to certain account settings, depending on the type of suspension.
• You won’t be able to use the grant’s ad credits until the issue is resolved.
• And more. Read Google’s official resources for more information.

• Deactivation

Repeated suspensions may lead to permanent account deactivation, making reactivation even more difficult.

How To Reactivate Your Google Ad Grants Account

If your account has been suspended, follow these steps to get it reinstated:

Step 1: Identify the reason for suspension<

Determine the reason for your account suspension. If you believe none of the Ad Grants compliance requirements have been violated and suspect an error on Google’s side, consider reaching out to the Google Support team directly. The red notification bar at the top of the Google Ads interface should provide an option to contact them.

Step 2: Fix the policy violations

If you are in violation of the program’s policies, you must resolve the issue before attempting to reactivate your account. Make the necessary changes to your keywords, ads, website, or other.

Step 3: Submit a reactivation request

Once you’ve resolved the issue:

1. Go to the Reactivation Request Form.
2. Provide Contact name, Customer ID, and details on the corrections made.
3. Submit the request and wait for Google’s review, which may take a few days (up to 10).

Step 4: Check your email/Google Ads account for any updates

Monitor your email and Google Ads account for any reactivation updates or requests for more information. The process may take some time, however if you don’t get a timely response, try to reach out to Google Support directly. 

How Can I Prevent Google Ad Grants Account From Being Suspended Again?

Once your account is reinstated, ensure ongoing compliance by regularly checking CTR, keywords, conversion tracking, etc. You can also get inspired by implementing some of the tips we shared above.

Who Can Help Me Reactivate My Suspended Google Ad Grants Account?

If the instructions from Google Support seem unclear and you’re still struggling to resolve your account suspension, consider reaching out to Google Ad Grants Certified Professionals, of which our agency is a proud member.

A Google Ad Grants suspension can be a frustrating matter, but by understanding the cause and taking the right steps, you can reactivate your account and continue benefiting from free Google Ads. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our experts at AboveX Digital for guidance.

Need help reactivating your Google Ads Grant? Let us know!

FAQ

Can I Create a New Google Ads Account Instead of Fixing My Suspended One?

No. Google enforces strict policies regarding suspended accounts. If an account is suspended, any related accounts, such as those using the same email, payment method, manager account, or identity verification, are also subject to suspension. To avoid further issues, Google strongly advises advertisers to resolve the suspension of their original account before attempting to set up new ones.

What Can I Do If My Appeal Is Rejected?

If an appeal is rejected, advertisers can submit another appeal by following the same process.

How Many Times Can I Appeal My Account Suspension Status?

Submitting one appeal at a time ensures a timely review. Misuse of the appeals function may result in a 7-day suspension of appeal processing.