PPC Management Services: Which Industries Can’t Advertise?

Creating a Google AdWords account and launching an eCommerce PPC campaign can be a great way to bid your way to the tops of the SERPs and start generating interested traffic with intent-to-purchase.

That is, unless you fall under one of the industries that Google won’t allow to advertise. Read on to learn more about some of these restricted industries. 

Google’s “Four Guidelines” of Prohibited Goods and Services

Google’s official “Ad Policies” spell out four main criteria they use when assessing an account and determining whether or not to levy restrictions on it. 

These criteria are

• Counterfeit goods: If a business uses a logo or mark that is too similar to another’s Google may flag the account and shut down advertising. 
• Dangerous products or services: Google maintains a list of products and services considered harmful (see below for details) that are prohibited from advertising.
• Dishonest behavior: Any industries or services that Google deems supportive of dishonest behavior may be targeted and shut down. 
• Inappropriate content: Certain industries are considered inappropriate by Google and therefore prohibited from advertising. 

Unfortunately, the bar here is inherently subjective, as Google gets the final say in whether or not an ad account will be able to run its operations or be flagged and suspended. 

However, we can tell you from our experience as an eCommerce PPC management services provider that the following industries are almost universally proscribed by Google. 

Adult Content

Adult content falls under the “Inappropriate Content” umbrella mentioned in Google’s Ad Policy. Gentlemen’s clubs, for instance, are forbidden from advertising, as are businesses that sell adult products. 

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages fall under Google’s “dangerous products” or services, blacklisting them from running Google Ads campaigns. For distilleries and liquor shops, the only avenues for online growth are organic. 

Tobacco

Tobacco is another one of Google’s forbidden “dangerous products” or services. However, it’s not just cigarettes that are verboten; cigars, pipe tobacco, tobacco accessories, and even tobacco shops get a red light. 

CBD and THC

The same goes not only for THC but also for CBD. Products containing THC or CBD oil, and the shops that sell them, cannot advertise on Google, and therefore there is no market for eCommerce PPC management services for these online merchants. 

Gambling

Gambling, and products related to it, are considered “dishonest” by Google and therefore cannot run ads. This restriction applies to casinos, locations that offer bingo or other gambling, and websites that advertise poker or other similar games. 

Healthcare and Medicine

Healthcare and medicine fall under a sort of gray area because there are some instances in which Google will allow it if the advertiser is Google-certified and certain other conditions are met. However, ads for pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, and medical services are generally not allowed. In addition, there are restrictions on supplements (including weight loss supplements) and medical procedures. 

Financial Services

Google maintains an exhaustive list of regulations and country-specific requirements, so it is hard to say with confidence whether or not a specific bank or financial institution’s services will be flagged; however, Google is notoriously tough on this industry, so it’s best to consult a Google rep if you have questions. 

Firearms

Guns, ammunition, and shooting accessories are included on Google’s list of “dangerous products,” and therefore gun shops, manufacturers, and many sellers of sporting goods are forbidden from advertising. 

Knives

Like firearms, Google considers most knives and many edged tools to be “dangerous products” and therefore does not allow companies that produce or sell them to advertise. 

Other “Dangerous Products”

Unfortunately, Google’s list of “dangerous products” does not end with knives, firearms, and ammunition. Included also are fireworks, airsoft guns, many tools, and any other device or implement that Google deems to be a weapon (or dangerous). 

Consult a Google rep before enlisting eCommerce PPC management services because if your account is flagged and shut down, it may be difficult for you to get it unsuspended. 

How to Manage These Restrictions: The Answer Is Organic

Google’s restrictions make it nearly impossible for businesses in these industries to advertise, but it doesn’t remove digital marketing entirely from the picture. 

For businesses in these industries affected by Google’s restrictions, the way to reach more customers online is through organic growth, notably through social media management, content marketing, and most notably, SEO.

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, like Google, levy restrictions on certain industries and there is a lot of crossover between what is banned on each of them. 

However, with respect to organic social media marketing, there is a lot more flexibility. For instance, while many industries cannot advertise on Google, many of them can still create social media profiles and interact with users and prospective customers.

While they can’t pay to promote their goods and services, they can still disseminate content, interact with followers, and in general, create more organic outreach. 

Content Marketing

Content marketing is another avenue for affected businesses that can help them break free of the restrictions imposed by Google on PPC.

Content marketing is not necessarily as good at increasing organic online visibility as SEO or even social media, but high-quality content can be distributed via a company’s social media accounts, and if it generates interest among users, will be shared and can attract new business.

eCommerce SEO Services: The Main Alternative to PPC for Restricted Businesses

Last but most importantly, eCommerce SEO services offer the best viable alternative to PPC management services. 

For businesses that are PPC-restricted, SEO offers, far and away, the best avenue for growth. 

SEO is faced with a few shortcomings when compared to PPC. For instance, it takes a long time to get moving, and SEO does not allow participants to “actively” bid on keywords and search terms. 

That said, most digital marketers agree that SEO offers the best ROI of all marketing strategies, period, up to 10 times more than social media. 

Moreover,  it is more sustainable than PPC and efforts compound on themselves over time. When you stop investing in PPC, traffic drops off immediately, but the work you put into SEO will come to bear fruit many months, even years, into the future. 

Best of all, eCommerce SEO strategies are viable options for all eCommerce businesses. For more information on how to start climbing the search engine results pages through a purpose-driven SEO strategy in the face of PPC ad restrictions, get in touch with us eCommerce SEO experts at 888-982-8269 – and make sure you ask about a free eCommerce SEO audit.