Google will verify advertiser identity and business activity in one program

Google has revealed that it will begin a new way to verify the identities of advertisers. The verification will soon be combined with business verification in a single programme. The innovation will take effect on 31.03.22 and will take about two months to implement. The company announced this in a Google Ads newsletter.

In addition to a single advertiser validation programme, the changes will affect the timing and measures taken in the event of non-compliance.

What will change in verification

As is currently the case, advertisers will be notified that they have been selected for verification by email and in their Google Ads account.

The first stage of the process will require the advertiser to provide answers to the questions in the “Company Details” subsection within thirty days of receiving the message. The company must provide information such as:

• what business it is engaged in, what area of economic activity it operates in;
• In which state is it domiciled
• who supplies it with the goods and services advertised in Ads.

If the advertiser fails to comply with the requirements of the first stage of verification within the specified period, its account is temporarily restricted in its functions.

The second stage of validation takes place according to the answers given in the Organisation Information. The advertiser, for example, will be required to undergo identity verification, proof of activity, or both may be required. There is also a thirty-day deadline for this.

If the company fails to do so within the allotted time, or if the commercial activity violates the requirements, Google will limit the verified account when the thirtieth day expires. In practice, this means that advertisers’ accounts will be available, but they will not be able to place advertisements until the verification process has been successfully completed.

It turns out that if a company fails to pass the activity check, or does not meet Google’s requirements, the account will not be blocked, meaning nothing will change in that sense in 2022.

In order to resume advertising, a company must send documents to search engine staff and answer the questions in the organisation’s details section.

How verification criteria will change

The new verification program will link the conditions for the certification of advertisers and their business activities. It will introduce several additional criteria designed to protect consumers, and several conditions for immediate suspension of an account.

Companies displaying adverts will face additional scrutiny:

• on branded enquiries;
• on enquiries from sectors of the economy where abuse and fraudulent practices are particularly prevalent. These are tourism, customer support, tech support and financial services.

If an advertiser receives a request for additional validation, the return on their advertising may be reduced as ad impressions will be limited for a number of requests. But it is enough to successfully pass the validation, and all restrictions will be removed.

In addition, the search engine may suspend a company’s account at the beginning of the verification process if

• it is suspected that the advertisements do not comply with the rules of Google Ads;
• It appears that the content of the advertisement or a commercial scheme is likely to cause physical or material damage to the consumer;
• there is a suspicion that the advertiser is trying to cheat during verification;
• there is insufficient information about the advertiser;
• the advertising activities seem questionable.

Advertisers have the possibility to initiate the verification process themselves, as well as to monitor its progress and to familiarise themselves with the reasons for refusal. This information will be available in the Bills and Payments section of the new Google Ads system. The user is able to access this section by following the programme’s prompts and alerts.

Remember that when the advertiser passes the search engine verification procedure, their company name and address will become publicly available.