INTRODUCTION
Google Ads is often used by individuals and organizations to run political ads in the United States. In 2022 alone, Google advertisers included players from both major political parties and supporting committees.
Whether you are running political ads on a small or large scale, you must adhere to Google Ads requirements before you can run these types of campaigns.
Following are some tips on how to run issues-based or election-based political ads on Google.
COMPLETE THE ELECTION AD VERIFICATION PROCESS
According to Google’s advertising policies, a United States election ad is an ad that features any of the following:
- A current officeholder or candidate for an elected federal office, such as that of the President or Vice President, members of the United States Senate or House of Representatives;
- A current officeholder or candidate for a state-level elected office, including Governor, Secretary of State or member of a state legislature;
- A federal or state level political party; or
- A state-level ballot measure, initiative or proposition that has qualified for the ballot in its state.
If your ads fit into any of the above categories, you must complete the election advertising verification process. This can take 5-10 business days, so make sure to plan ahead.
To be verified, your billing address must be located in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. You must also have your currency type set to USD. In addition, your account type must match the entity that is running the ads.
If you are running the ad from a political committee, non-profit organization, business or other entity, you must have “Business” or “Organization” as your account type. If you are running the ad as an individual, then you need to have “Individual” as the account type.
Check your account type in your Google Ads payment profile located in Tools & Settings > Settings (under the “Billing” menu). Of note, you cannot modify an account type once you select it. If your account type doesn’t match your verification method, you need to create a new Google Ads account.
In addition, you will need to complete the identity verification process again if you make any changes to your payment profile, so make sure it is up-to-date before you start. You may also need to renew your verification periodically.
If you are running political ads that do not fall into any of the above categories, such as ads for local district alders, you do not need to complete verification. Your ads will run as long as they comply with all other Google Ads policies and local laws and regulations.
USE APPROVED GOOGLE ADS TARGETING PARAMETERS
Google has some targeting restrictions for election ads. Make sure to only use the following parameters to ensure your ad gets approved:
- Geographic location (except for radius-targeting, which is not allowed)
- Age
- Gender
- Contextual targeting options like ad placements, topics, keywords against sites, apps, pages and videos
You cannot use in-market segments or affinities, target other demographics or use custom audiences.
ADD REQUIRED DISCLOSURES
All election ads must include a disclosure that identifies the individual or organization that paid for the ad. In most formats, Google will automatically generate a “Paid for by” disclosure that uses the information you provided during the verification process.
For instance, Google Search ads and ads showing in Google’s Search Partner network will include the disclosure directly in the ad. YouTube and Google Display ads, on the other hand, will have a “Why this ad?” section. This information can be accessed through an info icon, three-dot icon or the AdChoices icon, depending on the ad format.
Other ad types, such as third-party ads that run on the Google Display Network and audio, native or video creatives on Display and Video 360, require you to add your own disclaimer directly in the ad. In this situation, you should add “Paid for by [individual’s or organization’s name]” to any images, audio or video creative you plan to use.
If you were not required to complete the election ad verification process, it is still a good idea to add disclaimers to ensure your ads comply with local laws and to preserve transparency.