Why it happens
An exclamation mark in a headline
An exclamation mark in a headline
Headlines take no exclamation marks at all, and the whole ad gets at most one. A single "Free trial!" headline is enough to stop a responsive search ad.
Repeated or gimmicky punctuation
Marks like "!!!", "???" or "..." used to grab the eye instead of to punctuate.
Symbols used in place of letters or words
Writing "4 sale", "$@le" or using ~, * and | as decoration. A symbol that is part of your registered brand name, or a standard industry use like "5* hotel", can pass when the landing page uses it too.
Invalid or unsupported characters
Emoji, bullet characters and odd Unicode pasted in from a spreadsheet or a design tool.
How to fix it, step by step
Find the exact policy topic
Go to Campaigns, then Ads, and hover the Disapproved or Eligible (limited) label in the Status column. It names the policy and the part of the ad it applies to. Tools, then Troubleshooting, then Policy manager lists every affected ad in one place.
Rewrite the flagged asset
Click the ad, choose Edit and replace the headline or description Google named. Drop exclamation marks from headlines, keep one in the descriptions at most, and spell out anything a symbol was standing in for.
Check the rest of the ad group
Search your other ads and assets for the same string. A headline reused across ad groups is usually disapproved everywhere it appears.
Resubmit or appeal
Saving an edited ad resubmits it for review. If you think the call was wrong, or the change was made outside the ad, open Policy manager, choose Appeal and pick Dispute decision or Made changes to comply with policy. Each ad gets 3 appeals, and only decisions from the last 6 months can be appealed from the account.
Steps checked against Google Ads policy help: Editorial; Google Ads Help: Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decision; Google Ads Help: About the ad review process.
Sprites fixes this
Or let Sprites fix it
Sprites finds every ad flagged for punctuation and symbols and rewrites the offending text in one pass.
What Sprites does
- Reads the policy status of your ads and names the policy topic on each disapproved one.
- Rewrites the flagged headlines and descriptions in place, across every affected ad, in one approval card.
- Reads each ad back after the edit so you see exactly which text landed.
- You approve every change before it goes live.
What it doesn't do
- It does not file appeals. If you think the call was wrong, the appeal is a click in Policy manager.
Questions
Can I use an exclamation mark in a Google Ads headline?
No. Google allows one exclamation mark per ad, and it has to be in a description, not a headline.
Why was my ad disapproved for symbols when my brand name uses one?
A symbol in a trademark or product name can pass, but only when it is used the same way on the landing page. If it still fails, appeal with Dispute decision and say the symbol is part of the brand.
Are emoji allowed in Google search ads?
No. Emoji count as unsupported characters in search ad text and get the ad disapproved.
How long does review take after I edit the ad?
Most reviews finish within one business day. If an ad sits under review for more than two business days, check its status.
Does one disapproved headline stop the whole responsive search ad?
Yes. A disapproved asset disapproves the ad it belongs to until you edit or remove that asset.
Let Sprites fix it
Connect the account. Sprites finds the cause, stages the change and waits for your approval.