💡 What is the Healthcare & Medicines Policy?
Google has very strict rules for anyone advertising medicines, healthcare services, supplements, or medical devices. Some products require a special Google certification before you can advertise them at all. Others are completely banned. This checklist walks you through every requirement in plain language — so you know exactly what to fix, what to apply for, and what to avoid before requesting a policy review.
This is one of Google's most heavily regulated advertising categories. Errors here can lead to ad disapproval, account suspension, or a permanent ban. Read every item carefully and only submit an appeal once all issues are fully resolved.
If you are unsure whether your product needs a Google certification, complete Section 1 of this checklist first — it will tell you what applies to your situation.
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Find out whether your product or service requires a Google Healthcare certification
Google requires a formal certification for several healthcare categories, including online pharmacies, prescription medications, addiction treatment services, clinical trial recruitment, and certain dietary supplements. Without this certification, your ads will always be disapproved — no editing will fix it. Visit ads.google.com/home/tools/policy-manager and check the Healthcare and Medicines section.
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If you sell prescription medicines, verify you are a licensed pharmacy or manufacturer
Prescription-only medicines — medicines that require a doctor's prescription before purchase — can only be advertised by properly licensed pharmacies or accredited healthcare providers. If you are not licensed, you cannot advertise these products on Google at all. Obtain the required license first.
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If you offer addiction treatment services, apply for Google's LegitScript certification
Addiction treatment centres, rehabilitation services, and substance abuse programmes must obtain LegitScript certification before advertising on Google. This is a third-party verification programme that Google requires. Go to legitscript.com to begin your application.
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Confirm your country is included in Google's list of approved advertising locations for your product type
Google's healthcare advertising rules vary country by country. A product you can legally advertise in the UK may be restricted or completely prohibited in another country. Before targeting any geography, check Google's country-specific policy restrictions for your exact product category.
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Check that your specific product is not on Google's completely prohibited healthcare list
Certain healthcare products are completely banned from Google advertising with no exceptions. These include counterfeit medicines, unapproved pharmaceutical drugs, products making false medical claims, and certain controlled substances. Confirm your product does not fall into any of these categories before spending time on any other fixes.
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Your landing page must load quickly and completely without any errors
If your page shows a "404 error," loads blank, crashes, or takes more than a few seconds to open on mobile — Google will automatically disapprove your ad. Test your exact landing page URL in Chrome on both a phone and a desktop computer right now.
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Your landing page must match exactly what the ad says — no bait-and-switch
If your ad promotes a specific medicine, treatment, or health service, that exact thing must be clearly visible and available on the page people land on. Sending people to a homepage or an unrelated page is a direct policy violation called "bait and switch."
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Display your business name, physical address, and contact details clearly on your website
Healthcare advertisers must clearly identify who they are. Your website must show your business or practice name, a phone number or email address, and preferably a physical address. Websites that hide their identity are automatically flagged during manual review.
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Add a clear, detailed Privacy Policy that explains how patient or customer data is handled
Healthcare websites that collect any personal data — including names, email addresses, symptoms, or payment details — must have a Privacy Policy that is easy to find (link it in your website footer). It must clearly state what data is collected, how it is used, and how users can request deletion.
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If you sell medicines online, display your pharmacy licence number prominently
Online pharmacies must display their official licence or accreditation number on every page — not just the homepage. Google's reviewers will look for this during the approval process. Include a link to the relevant regulatory body that issued your licence so reviewers can verify it.
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Include a medical disclaimer on your website if you provide health information or advice
If your website contains health articles, medical information, dosage guidance, or treatment recommendations, it must carry a clear disclaimer stating that this content does not replace professional medical advice. Example: "This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions."
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Remove all unproven medical claims from your ad headlines and descriptions
Saying things like "Cures cancer," "Reverses diabetes naturally," or "Guaranteed to heal your condition" are unproven medical claims — and they violate both Google's policy and advertising law. Only include health claims that are medically verified, supported by evidence, and approved by the relevant regulatory authority in your country.
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Do not advertise prescription medicines to the general public without proper licensing
In most countries, it is illegal to promote prescription-only medications directly to consumers. If your product requires a prescription, your ad must be directed to healthcare professionals only — not the general public. General consumer-facing ads for prescription drugs will be disapproved and may result in legal consequences.
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Do not use fear, panic, or medical scare tactics to push people to click
Ad copy like "Warning: Ignoring this could be fatal" or "Your symptoms are a sign of something serious — act NOW" uses fear to pressure vulnerable people. Google strictly prohibits manipulative or exploitative language in healthcare advertising. Use supportive, informative, and reassuring messaging instead.
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Do not make "guaranteed results" promises for medical treatments
Every patient is different and medical outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Phrases like "100% recovery guaranteed," "Results in 7 days, guaranteed," or "We guarantee you will be pain-free" are not allowed. Use factual, realistic language such as "clinically studied" or "may help support" — and only if evidence exists.
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Do not use celebrity endorsements unless they are genuine and properly disclosed
Using a famous person's name or likeness to promote a health product — when they have not actually endorsed it — is both deceptive and potentially defamatory. If you use a real celebrity or doctor endorsement, it must be genuine, paid for (and disclosed as such if required by law), and verifiable.
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Make sure pricing, offer terms, and availability in the ad match your actual website
If your ad says "From £9.99 per pack" but the real price on your website is £24.99, that is a misleading pricing violation. The price, stock availability, and any offer terms shown in your ad must exactly match what customers see when they arrive on your website.
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Make sure your product does not contain any banned or controlled substances
Products containing controlled drugs, anabolic steroids, prescription-only active ingredients (such as sildenafil hidden in a supplement), or substances banned by your country's regulatory body cannot be advertised on Google under any circumstances. Have your product independently tested and verified if you are unsure.
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List all active and inactive ingredients fully and accurately on your website
Healthcare and supplement products must disclose their ingredients transparently. Do not use vague terms like "proprietary blend" as a substitute for a full ingredient list. Each ingredient should be listed with its quantity per serving. Regulatory bodies and Google reviewers both look for this.
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Add the correct regulatory disclaimer for supplements or health products on your website
In many countries (including the US, UK, and EU), health supplement websites must display specific disclaimers. Example for UK-based supplements: "Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a balanced diet." In the US: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration." Add the appropriate disclaimer for every country you target.
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Do not claim your supplement or product can treat, cure, or prevent a disease
Only registered pharmaceutical drugs can legally make treatment or cure claims. Supplements, vitamins, and wellness products must use only structure/function claims (what the ingredient does in the body), not disease claims. For example: "Supports immune function" is acceptable. "Cures the flu" is not — even if you believe it works.
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Ensure your product has all required regulatory approvals for the countries you advertise in
Different countries require different product registrations — MHRA approval in the UK, FDA registration in the US, CE marking in the EU, and so on. Do not advertise in a country where your product has not been approved or registered by the relevant health authority.
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Restrict your ads to the correct age group for your healthcare product
Healthcare products intended for adults must not be shown to minors. In your Google Ads campaign, go to Demographics → Age, and exclude audiences under 18 years old. For products aimed at seniors or specific age groups, set your age targeting to match precisely. Advertising prescription medicines or clinical treatments to under-18s is a serious violation.
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Only target geographic locations where your product is legally sold and approved
In your Google Ads Location settings, make sure you are only targeting countries and regions where your product has received regulatory approval and where Google permits your category of healthcare advertising. Targeting unapproved regions is both a policy violation and potentially illegal.
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Do not use remarketing to re-target people based on sensitive health conditions
Google explicitly prohibits using remarketing lists built from health-related website visits to serve targeted ads. For example: you cannot create an audience of "people who visited your diabetes treatment page" and then serve them ads about diabetes medication. This is considered targeting based on a sensitive health condition and is strictly prohibited.
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Review your keyword list and remove any that could attract vulnerable or at-risk audiences inappropriately
Keywords around topics like suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or addiction — even if your service genuinely helps — must be handled with extreme care. Google may restrict your keywords if they appear to exploit or target vulnerable users in a harmful way. Frame keywords around support and professional care, not around the condition itself.
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Do not use shocking, graphic, or distressing medical imagery to pressure clicks
Images showing severe wounds, surgical procedures in graphic detail, extreme "before" states of illness, or other disturbing visuals are not permitted — even in a medical context. Use clean, professional, hope-focused imagery that represents your service with dignity and care.
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Do not use fake "doctor" imagery or people in lab coats unless you have genuine medical endorsements
Stock photos of people in white coats to imply medical authority — when no real doctor has endorsed your product — is deceptive. If you feature a healthcare professional in your ad, they must be genuinely affiliated with your product or service and willing to be identified as such.
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Before-and-after images must be real, representative, and appropriately disclosed
Before-and-after images for medical treatments (such as surgery, physiotherapy, or dermatology) are allowed only if they are genuine and represent typical patient outcomes. They must be accompanied by a clear disclosure that "individual results may vary." Fabricated or misleadingly enhanced before-and-after images are strictly prohibited.
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Product images must accurately represent what customers will actually receive
Showing a pill, device, or medical product that looks dramatically different from what is delivered — or showing a generic professional product when you sell something basic — is misleading. Use real product photographs and ensure packaging, size, and appearance in the ad exactly matches the physical product.
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Video ads must not contain misleading demonstrations, scripted "testimonials," or staged medical scenarios
Video ads that show actors playing patients dramatically recovering, scripted "real patient" stories that are actually fictional, or demonstrations that exaggerate a product's effect are deceptive. All video content must be factually accurate and must not dramatise or fabricate health outcomes.
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Confirm your Final URL and Display URL are on the same domain and go to the right page
In Google Ads, the "Final URL" (where people actually go) and the "Display URL" (what appears in the ad) must both belong to the same website. For healthcare ads specifically, the URL must lead directly to the product or service mentioned — not to a homepage or unrelated page.
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Review every ad extension — callouts, sitelinks, and structured snippets — for accuracy
Ad extensions add extra lines of text or links below your main ad. Each sitelink must go to a real, working, and accurate page that matches its label exactly. A sitelink reading "Book Appointment" must lead to an actual, functional booking page — not a homepage or error page.
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If you have uploaded a certification to Google, confirm it is still active and not expired
Healthcare certifications — such as LegitScript, MHRA registration, or Google's own pharmacy certification — can expire. Log into your Google Ads account, go to Policy Manager, and verify that any uploaded certifications are current. An expired certification is treated the same as no certification at all.
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Audit all campaigns and ads in your account — not just the disapproved one
If one ad was disapproved for a Healthcare & Medicines policy violation, similar ads in other campaigns may have the same issues. Before requesting a review, go through every active and paused campaign to check for and fix any other policy violations. A clean account strengthens your appeal.
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Verify your Google Ads billing information is current and your account is in good standing
An account with overdue payments, billing errors, or previous policy strikes can have appeal requests deprioritised or denied. Log into your billing settings and confirm your payment method is valid, all invoices are paid, and no billing issues are showing.
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Review this entire checklist and confirm every single item is genuinely resolved before appealing
Healthcare policy appeals are reviewed manually by Google's specialists. You typically get a very limited number of appeal attempts — sometimes just one or two. Do not submit until every item on this checklist is truly fixed. A second rejection is much harder to overturn and may extend your suspension significantly.
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Write a clear, detailed appeal explaining every change you made — specific and professional
In Google Ads, find the disapproved ad or the account suspension notice → click "Appeal" or "Request Review" → in your message, list every specific change you made: ad copy edits, landing page updates, certifications submitted, targeting changes, and so on. Vague appeals like "I fixed everything" are almost always rejected. Be specific.
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Attach any supporting documentation — licences, certifications, regulatory approvals
If your product or service requires a licence or certification, upload it directly with your appeal. Include your pharmacy licence number, LegitScript certificate, MHRA registration, or other official documents as appropriate. Appeals that include documentary evidence have a significantly higher approval rate.
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If your appeal is still rejected, work with a Google Ads policy specialist
Healthcare policy cases are among the most complex and consequential on the Google Ads platform. If you have fixed everything and your appeal is still denied, do not guess what the remaining issue is — contact Google Ads Support directly for a detailed explanation, or engage a certified specialist who handles healthcare policy appeals regularly.
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