Running Finance Ads on Google: Policy & Steps

Advertising financial products and services on Google offers immense potential for reaching targeted audiences and driving significant business growth. 

However, finance-related advertising is tightly regulated due to the sensitive nature of financial information and the potential for consumer harm. Google's stringent policies ensure transparency, accuracy, and consumer protection. 

Several products can be advertised on Google with proper verification including:

• Banking
• Loans
• Investments
• Insurance
• Cryptocurrency services

However, certain products like binary options and payday loans are completely prohibited.

The verification process involves multiple steps: 

1. initiating verification
2. completing G2 verification
3. obtaining verification codes
4. applying for Google's financial services verification
5. awaiting approval

This process can be lengthy and demanding, often facing rejection due to inconsistent information or insufficient documentation.

If Google's stringent requirements prove challenging, alternatives like Blockchain-Ads are often used by financial advertisers due to their flexibility. 

However, for those proceeding with Google, creating compliant ads requires adherence to financial services policies, targeting restrictions, and specific disclosure requirements.

Despite the hurdles, many financial services firms find the effort worthwhile for access to Google's extensive audience reach and targeting capabilities.

What Are Google's Financial Products and Services Advertising Policies?

Google's financial products and services policies are designed to protect users from financial scams and misleading advertisements. These policies require advertisers to verify their legitimacy before promoting financial services.

In September 2021, Google first launched its financial services verification program in the UK, requiring advertisers to demonstrate authorization by the UK Financial Conduct Authority or qualify for specific exemptions.

After seeing a "pronounced decline in reports of ads promoting financial scams" in the UK, Google expanded this verification program to other countries.

The core of Google's financial services policy involves two distinct verification processes that advertisers must complete:

1. Advertiser Verification: This broad verification program applies to all advertisers in sensitive categories, including financial services. It confirms that your business, services, and products are legitimate and meet Google's standards.
2. Financial Services Verification: This specialized verification process is specifically for financial services advertisers. It verifies that you hold the necessary licenses and registrations to legally offer financial products and services in your target markets.

These policies aim to create "a new layer of security against fraudsters" and "safeguard [Google's] network from financial scams."

What types of financial products and services require verification?

As a financial services advertiser, you must complete verification for a wide range of products and services before you can advertise on Google, including but not limited to:

• Banking services and products
• Loans and credit services
• Mortgage lending and services
• Investment services and products
• Wealth management
• Insurance products
• Cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets
• Pension services
• Financial planning services

The verification requirements vary by country. For example:

• In the UK, financial services advertisers must be approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to advertise financial services.
• Companies advertising financial services in markets like the EU, Australia, and Singapore must also provide evidence of regulatory approval.
• In other countries like India, Singapore, and Indonesia, advertisers must be verified by a third party called G2.
• For cryptocurrency advertisers in the UK (starting January 15, 2025), they must register with the Financial Conduct Authority and meet local legal requirements.

The verification program continues to expand globally, with countries like Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan being among the first after the UK to implement these requirements.

What types of financial products and services are disapproved?

Google strictly prohibits advertising of:

• Binary Options: Completely banned due to associated risks.
• Short-Term and High-APR Loans: Loans shorter than 60 days or with APRs exceeding 36%.
• Credit Repair Services: Companies claiming to improve credit scores for payment.
• Fraudulent Financial Schemes: Including misleading claims, guaranteed returns, or unrealistic investment promises.
• Unlicensed Financial Services: Products requiring regulatory approval without proper licensing.

Running iGaming or gambling ads on Google also has its own restrictions.

Google also disapproves financial ads that violate their policies, including:

1. Misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent ads: Any advertisement that contains false claims or misleads users about financial products or services.
2. Unclear or incomplete disclosures: Ads that fail to properly disclose fees, costs, risks, or other important information associated with financial products.
3. Non-compliant targeting: Following a recent policy update, Google restricts targeting of certain sensitive interest categories in financial ads. In the US and Canada, consumer finance ads cannot target audiences based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.
4. Unauthorized financial services: Ads promoting financial services without proper regulatory authorization or certification in the advertiser's operating countries.
5. Misrepresented affiliations: Ads claiming false affiliations with third-party organizations or government bodies to boost credibility.

Even keywords tangentially related to financial services might trigger policy violations. 

For example, one marketer reported that merely including the term "apartments" in a keyword group triggered rejection under the financial services policy.

Should you consider a Google Ads alternative for finance advertising?

Given the strict nature of advertising financial products and services on Google, you may want to consider alternative platforms. While Google offers unparalleled reach, other platforms may provide benefits for financial advertisers:

Potential alternatives to consider:

1. Blockchain-Ads: A programmatic advertising platform built for restricted industries like finance, crypto, and iGaming, allowing advertisers to reach their users anywhere on the internet and the blockchain.
2. Outbrain: A content discovery and native advertising platform known for high-quality advertisers and a user-friendly interface. It works well for financial services looking to distribute content in a native format.
3. Media.net: Powered by Yahoo! and Bing, this contextual ad network offers competitive payouts and may be less restrictive for some financial advertisers.
4. Taboola: Similar to Outbrain, Taboola offers content discovery options that can work well for financial services looking to distribute educational content.
5. Social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have their own financial service advertising policies, which may be more suitable for certain types of financial services.

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However, if you still want to give Google a shot, you can go through the process of obtaining a financial services verification.

How Do You Get Google Ads Financial Services Verification?

Obtaining Google Ads financial services verification involves a systematic process that varies slightly by country. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the steps:

1. Initiate the verification process

The first step is to access your Google Ads account (create one if needed). Then, determine who will apply for verification. If you're working with an agency or network that will apply on your behalf, they must be verified first.

Understand the specific verification requirements for your country or region, as they vary significantly.

2. Complete G2 verification

For many countries outside the UK (such as India, Singapore, and Indonesia), verification involves a third-party company called G2:

• Access G2's verification process through their official form.
• Ensure all business information matches exactly with financial service registries and official documents.
  
  
• Submit accurate and complete information about your financial services offerings, licenses, and regulatory status.

3. Obtain your unique G2 verification code

After applying for G2's verification, you'll receive updates via email about your verification status. 

Once approved by G2, you'll receive a unique verification code that you'll need to provide to Google. This code serves as proof that your business has passed the third-party verification check.

4. Apply for Google's financial services verification

Provide the G2 verification code to Google using their designated form. 

Next, complete Google's advertiser verification program if you haven't already done so. This is a separate process that all advertisers in sensitive categories must complete.

Ensure all information provided to Google matches exactly with what was submitted to G2 and your official business documents.

5. Await approval from Google

After submitting all required information, your application will be reviewed by Google.

Once successfully verified, your Google Ads account will receive a certificate, and you'll be notified by email. Only after receiving official approval can you begin running financial services ads on Google.

The verification process typically takes several weeks to complete, so plan your advertising campaigns accordingly. 

In the UK, advertisers must be approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, which may have its own timeline and requirements.

Why Was Your Financial Services Verification Rejected?

Financial services verification rejection is common and can occur for several reasons. Understanding these potential issues can help you address them properly:

1. Inconsistent business information: Discrepancies between the information provided to Google, G2, and official financial registries can lead to rejection. Ensure all business names, addresses, registration numbers, and other details match exactly across all platforms and documents.
2. Insufficient regulatory authorization: Lacking proper licensing or registration with the appropriate financial regulatory bodies for your jurisdiction will result in automatic rejection. You must be properly authorized to offer the financial services you're advertising.
3. Incomplete documentation: Failing to provide all required documentation, such as license numbers, registration certificates, or authorization proof, will lead to rejection.
4. Operating in unauthorized regions: Attempting to advertise financial services in regions where you don't have proper authorization or where Google hasn't extended its verification program could cause rejection.
5. Misrepresentation of services: If Google determines that your actual services don't match what you've described in your verification application, your application will be rejected.
6. Previous policy violations: A history of Google Ads policy violations, especially related to financial services, can lead to rejection of your verification application.

If your verification is rejected, carefully review the rejection notice for specific reasons. Address these issues directly before reapplying. Sometimes, simply providing additional documentation or correcting inconsistencies can resolve the problem. 

For more complex issues, you may need to obtain additional regulatory approvals before reapplying.

What Are the Steps for Creating Compliant Finance Ads on Google?

Once verified, creating compliant financial services ads requires careful attention to Google's policies. Here's how to develop ads that will meet Google's standards:

1. Adhere to Google's Financial Services Policies
2. Follow Targeting Restrictions
3. Meet Specific Disclosure Requirements
4. Review Policies to Maintain Ongoing Compliance

1. Adhere to Google's Financial Services Policies

Creating policy-compliant ad content is essential for financial advertisers. Your ads must:

Maintain accurate representations of your products and services:

• Avoid superlatives like "best," "top," or "guaranteed" unless you can substantiate these claims
• Present fees, rates, and terms transparently without hiding important details
• Be clear about the nature of the financial product being advertised
• Avoid misleading users about potential returns or benefits

Include required qualifiers and disclosures directly in the ad:

• For credit products, include appropriate "APR," "terms apply," or similar qualifiers
• For investment products, include risk disclosures such as "investments may lose value"
• For insurance, specify the type of insurance being offered
• For cryptocurrency, include relevant risk warnings

Use appropriate formatting and language:

• Avoid excessive capitalization, punctuation, or symbols that could appear sensationalistic
• Maintain professional language appropriate for financial services
• Ensure all claims are factual and verifiable
• Use industry-standard terminology rather than ambiguous marketing terms

Ensure landing page alignment with ad content:

• Your landing page must offer the exact product advertised
• Terms, rates, and offers mentioned in ads must match landing page details
• Required disclosures must be prominent on the landing page
• User experience should be transparent and straightforward

2. Follow Targeting Restrictions

Google imposes specific targeting restrictions for financial services ads:

Geographic targeting must align with your licensing:

• Only target countries where you hold valid financial services licenses
• For certain products like credit offers, state/provincial targeting may be required
• Some financial products have country-specific restrictions even with verification

Age targeting requirements include:

• Financial services ads generally cannot target users under 18
• Credit products often require 21+ targeting in many markets
• Investment products may require targeting users of legal investment age in the target location

Audience restrictions to be aware of:

• Some remarketing capabilities are limited for financial services
• Certain sensitive audience categories cannot be targeted with financial offers
• "Similar audiences" may be restricted for some financial product categories

Keyword selection guidelines:

• Avoid bidding on competitor brand terms for financial products
• Ensure keywords accurately reflect the specific financial product offered
• Be cautious with broad match keywords that might trigger ads for non-compliant searches

3. Meet Specific Disclosure Requirements

Different financial products have unique disclosure requirements that must be followed in both ads and landing pages:

Credit and loan products need:

• Representative APR disclosures
• Information about fees and charges
• Repayment terms
• Total cost examples
• Information about consequences of non-payment

Investment services require:

• Risk warnings ("investments may lose value")
• Fee structure disclosures
• Performance disclaimer if mentioning returns
• Regulatory status information
• Information about who is appropriate for the investment

Insurance products must include:

• Clear identification of the type of insurance
• Information about the underwriter
• Key exclusions or limitations
• Premium calculation factors
• Claims process details

Cryptocurrency services need:

• Volatility warnings
• Regulatory status disclosures
• Security information
• Fee transparency
• Jurisdictional limitations

These disclosures must be clear, prominent, and easily accessible to users. Simply including them in fine print or behind multiple clicks typically doesn't satisfy Google's requirements.

4. Review Policies to Maintain Ongoing Compliance

Financial advertising policies evolve constantly. To maintain compliance:

Schedule regular policy reviews:

• Set calendar reminders to check Google's financial services policies quarterly
• Subscribe to Google Ads policy update notifications
• Join relevant industry groups that share policy change information
• Consider using a compliance monitoring service

Implement a pre-launch review process:

• Create a compliance checklist specific to your financial product category
• Have legal or compliance teams review ads before submission
• Document your review process for potential Google verification requests
• Test user journeys to ensure all required disclosures are accessible

Monitor performance metrics for compliance issues:

• Watch for sudden increases in ad disapprovals
• Track policy-related account notifications
• Review Google Ads policy reports in your dashboard
• Be alert to changes in approval rates for new ads

Stay informed about regulatory changes:

• Financial regulations often influence Google's policies
• Local regulatory changes may require updates to your ads and disclosures
• International advertisers need monitoring systems for multiple jurisdictions
• Industry associations often provide early warning of regulatory shifts

Is Advertising on Google Worth It?

Successfully advertising financial products on Google requires thorough understanding of policies, diligent verification processes, and ongoing compliance monitoring. While the barriers to entry are high, the potential rewards justify the effort for most financial services businesses.

The most successful financial advertisers on Google share several common practices: they invest in compliance expertise, build relationships with Google representatives, create thorough documentation systems, and prioritize transparency with potential customers.

The guidelines that we’ve outlined will help you and other financial services advertisers navigate Google's complex requirements while building effective campaigns that reach their target audiences. Remember that compliance isn't just about avoiding penalties—it also builds trust with potential customers who appreciate clear, transparent financial advertising.

Whether you're new to financial services advertising or looking to improve existing campaigns, a methodical approach to Google's policies and verification requirements will set your business up for sustainable success on the platform.