Google pauses ads for linked accounts in violation of third-party policy

Google has updated its advertising platform policies to address situations where individual advertising accounts become linked to manager accounts that violate the company's third-party policy guidelines. The update, announced just two days ago on June 6, 2025, introduces new mechanisms for handling policy violations that affect account hierarchies.

According to the company's updated documentation, the new policy states that individual accounts may face suspension if they remain connected to manager accounts currently violating the third-party policy. The change affects advertisers who operate under management structures where their individual advertising accounts are linked to broader manager accounts that oversee multiple client relationships.

The technical implementation centers on account linking structures within the Google Ads platform. When a manager account receives a policy violation designation, all individual accounts connected to that manager account become subject to advertising restrictions. This creates a cascading effect where compliant individual advertisers may lose advertising privileges due to their association with non-compliant management entities.

Google's notification system for these policy violations operates through two primary channels. Account holders receive in-account notifications directly within their Google Ads interface, alerting them to the policy violation status. Additionally, the company sends email notifications that include specific instructions for resolving the compliance issue through account unlinking procedures.

The resolution process requires individual account holders to disconnect their accounts from the violating manager account. According to the policy documentation, this unlinking action allows the individual account to resume normal advertising operations. The technical process for unlinking accounts involves accessing account settings within the Google Ads interface and removing the manager account relationship.

This policy update represents a significant development in how Google manages compliance across its advertising ecosystem. The company's third-party policy framework governs relationships between Google and entities that purchase or manage advertising on behalf of their customers. These relationships include advertising agencies, marketing consultants, and other intermediary services that handle Google Ads accounts for clients.

The financial implications of this policy change extend beyond immediate advertising disruptions. Individual advertisers who become caught in manager account violations may experience sudden stops to their advertising campaigns, potentially affecting revenue streams and marketing objectives. The policy places responsibility on individual account holders to monitor the compliance status of their manager accounts and take proactive measures to maintain advertising privileges.

The enforcement mechanism reflects Google's broader approach to maintaining advertising ecosystem integrity. The company has consistently emphasized accountability as a core principle in its advertising policies, requiring all participants in the ecosystem to understand and comply with established guidelines. This latest update extends that accountability to account relationship structures.

For advertising agencies and management companies, the policy creates additional compliance pressures. Manager accounts that violate third-party policies now face the consequence of affecting all connected individual accounts, potentially damaging client relationships and business operations. This creates stronger incentives for management entities to maintain strict compliance with Google's policies.

The technical architecture of Google Ads accounts facilitates these policy enforcement mechanisms. Manager accounts typically oversee multiple individual accounts, providing centralized management capabilities for agencies serving multiple clients. The hierarchical structure that enables efficient account management also creates the pathway for policy violations to affect multiple accounts simultaneously.

The June 6, 2025 implementation date provides context for understanding the timing of this policy change. This update comes during a period of increased scrutiny on digital advertising practices and enhanced focus on platform compliance across the industry. The specificity of the implementation date suggests Google has been planning these changes as part of broader policy framework updates.

Marketing professionals must now consider account relationship structures when evaluating their advertising strategies. The policy change introduces new risk factors for businesses that rely on third-party management services for their Google Ads operations. Individual advertisers need to assess the compliance track record of their management partners and maintain awareness of potential policy issues that could affect their accounts.

The notification procedures outlined in the policy update demonstrate Google's approach to providing account holders with actionable information for resolving compliance issues. The combination of in-account and email notifications ensures that affected parties receive multiple opportunities to understand and address policy violations before they result in extended advertising disruptions.

Why this matters

This policy update fundamentally changes the risk profile for businesses using third-party advertising management services. Marketing professionals must now evaluate not only the performance capabilities of their advertising partners but also their compliance track records and policy adherence practices.

The cascading effect of policy violations creates new vulnerabilities in advertising operations. A single compliance failure by a management company can now affect multiple client accounts simultaneously, potentially disrupting advertising campaigns across an entire client portfolio. This amplifies the importance of due diligence when selecting advertising management partners.

The policy change also introduces new operational requirements for marketing teams. Regular monitoring of account relationships and compliance status becomes necessary to prevent unexpected advertising disruptions. Marketing professionals need to establish procedures for quickly identifying and responding to policy violations that might affect their advertising capabilities.

Furthermore, the update highlights the increasing interconnectedness of compliance requirements across digital advertising platforms. As platforms implement more sophisticated policy enforcement mechanisms, marketing strategies must account for compliance considerations across all aspects of advertising operations, including account structures and partner relationships.

Timeline

• June 6, 2025: Google updates third-party policy with new provisions for individual accounts linked to non-compliant manager accounts
• April 22, 2025: Google rolls out policy center improvements with new issue classification system to help publishers identify policy, regulatory, and advertiser preference issues
• December 23, 2024: Manual search penalties to affect Google Ads in unprecedented policy change linking organic search violations to advertising restrictions
• December 18, 2024: Google updates platform policies with focus on privacy and emerging ad surfaces, effective February 2025
• October 15, 2024: Google tightens rules for Ad Agencies managing client accounts with severe penalties for policy violations
• October 9, 2024: Google unveils new Verification Requirements for Financial Advertisers in Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand