One of the most common problems we see when therapists come to us after trying to run their own Google Ads — or after working with a general marketing agency — is account issues caused by healthcare policy violations. Disapproved ads, limited account reach, or in the worst cases, suspended accounts.
Google's healthcare advertising policies are more complex than most advertisers realise. They're also not always clearly documented, and they're enforced inconsistently. Understanding them is essential if you want to run Google Ads for a therapy practice without running into problems.
Why Google has special rules for healthcare advertisers
Google's healthcare advertising policies exist because of the sensitive nature of health information and the potential for harm from misleading health advertising. Mental health is classified as a particularly sensitive category — alongside other health conditions, financial services, and political content.
The policies are designed to prevent advertisers from exploiting vulnerable people, making false claims about health outcomes, or targeting people based on their health conditions in ways that could feel invasive or harmful.
For legitimate therapy practices, these policies are generally manageable — but you need to know what they are.
The personalised advertising restriction
This is the policy that catches most healthcare advertisers off guard. Google restricts "personalised advertising" for certain sensitive categories, including mental health. What this means in practice:
- No remarketing: You cannot show ads to people who have previously visited your website based on their visit to a mental health-related page. This rules out standard remarketing campaigns.
- No similar audiences based on health data: You cannot create audiences based on people's interest in mental health topics.
- Limited audience targeting: Some demographic and interest targeting options are unavailable for healthcare advertisers.
For search campaigns targeting keywords, this restriction has minimal impact — you're targeting based on what people are searching for, not based on who they are. But it does rule out some of the more advanced targeting strategies available in other industries.
Ad copy restrictions
The language you use in your ads is subject to specific restrictions for healthcare advertisers. The key rules:
No before/after claims
You cannot make claims that imply a specific outcome from therapy. "Overcome your anxiety" or "recover from depression" are problematic. "Support for anxiety and depression" is fine.
No targeting based on health conditions
Your ad copy cannot imply that you know the viewer has a specific health condition. "Struggling with anxiety?" is potentially problematic. "Anxiety therapy in [city]" is fine — it describes what you offer, not what the viewer is experiencing.
No misleading claims
This applies to all advertisers, but it's particularly scrutinised in healthcare. Claims about success rates, guarantees of outcomes, or comparisons with other providers need to be accurate and substantiated.
Professional credentials
In some markets, Google requires healthcare advertisers to demonstrate that they are qualified professionals. This may involve providing details of your professional registration or qualifications during the account verification process.
The Healthcare and Medicines certification (US)
In the United States, Google requires healthcare advertisers in certain categories to complete a certification through its Healthcare and Medicines programme. This is a verification process that confirms you're a legitimate healthcare provider.
The certification process involves submitting documentation of your professional credentials and agreeing to Google's healthcare advertising policies. Without certification, your ads in certain healthcare categories may not run, or may run with limited reach.
If you're advertising in the US, this is an essential step. The certification process can take 1–2 weeks, so it's worth starting early.
Landing page requirements
Google also has requirements for the landing pages that your ads link to. For healthcare advertisers, the key requirements are:
- The landing page must be relevant to the ad — if your ad mentions anxiety therapy, the landing page should be about anxiety therapy
- The landing page must not make claims that violate the ad copy restrictions
- Contact information must be clearly displayed
- If you collect personal health information, your privacy policy must clearly explain how it's used and stored
Common compliance mistakes
Here are the most common compliance mistakes we see from therapy practices running their own Google Ads:
- Using condition-specific language in ad copy: "Are you struggling with depression?" — this implies knowledge of the viewer's health condition.
- Making outcome guarantees: "Get your life back" or "Feel better in 8 weeks" — these imply specific outcomes that can't be guaranteed.
- Running remarketing campaigns: Setting up standard remarketing without realising it's restricted for mental health advertisers.
- Not completing the Healthcare and Medicines certification in the US — leading to limited ad reach.
- Using a general agency that doesn't know healthcare advertising policies — leading to disapprovals and account issues.
What happens if you violate the policies?
The consequences of policy violations range from minor to severe:
- Ad disapproval: Individual ads are disapproved and stop running. You can edit and resubmit, but this takes time and disrupts your campaign.
- Limited account reach: Google may limit the reach of your entire account if it detects repeated policy violations.
- Account suspension: In serious cases, Google can suspend your entire account. Reinstating a suspended account is a lengthy and uncertain process.
Account suspension is rare for therapy practices that are genuinely trying to comply — it's more common for advertisers making deliberate misrepresentations. But ad disapprovals and limited reach are common, and they can significantly impact your campaign performance.
How to stay compliant
The most reliable way to stay compliant is to work with an agency that specialises in healthcare advertising and knows these policies inside out. General marketing agencies — even experienced ones — often don't know the specific nuances of healthcare advertising on Google.
If you're managing your own campaigns, the key principles are:
- Describe what you offer, not what the viewer is experiencing
- Avoid outcome guarantees and before/after language
- Complete the Healthcare and Medicines certification if you're advertising in the US
- Keep your landing pages relevant and compliant
- Review Google's healthcare advertising policies regularly — they do change
Healthcare compliance is one of our core specialities at TheraFlow Systems. We know these policies in detail, we've navigated them for dozens of therapy practices across the US, UK, and Australia, and we build campaigns that stay compliant while still generating strong results.
If you'd like to understand what a compliant, effective Google Ads campaign would look like for your practice, book a free strategy call.
About TheraFlow Systems: We're a done-for-you marketing agency working exclusively with therapists and private practice owners in the US, UK, and Australia. We build the Google Ads campaigns, landing pages, and client management systems that bring a steady stream of ideal clients to your practice.