🚨 Google Ads Compromised Site & Circumventing Systems Disapproval: How We Got a Client’s Ads Approved [Case Study]

Are your Google Ads disapproved due to Compromised Site or Circumventing Systems?

If yes, you’re not alone.

One of the most frustrating things for a Google Ads advertiser is having a legitimate website, an active business and a campaign ready to run, but Google keeps rejecting the advertisements.

Sometimes you fix the obvious website issues and submit the advertisements again.

They still get disapproved.

You contact Google Ads support, make additional changes, and wait for another review.

But nothing seems to work.

Today, I’m sharing an actual case from AARSWEBS.com, where our team investigated a website affected by two Google Ads policy violations:

• Compromised Site
• Circumventing Systems

The good news is that following our investigation, corrective work and additional Google reviews, the client’s ads and assets were eventually shown as Approved/Eligible.

However, this wasn’t a simple case of changing a few words in the advertisements.

Let me explain what happened.

About AARSWEBS

I’m Ali Raza, owner of AARSWEBS.com, a Google Partner company.

Our team helps clients with:

• Google Ads Management
• Google Ads Disapprovals
• Google Ads Suspensions
• Landing Page Compliance Reviews
• Malicious Software and Compromised Site Investigations
• Advertiser Verification
• Google Merchant Center Issues
• Google Business Profile Issues
• Website Development and Management

We have worked on numerous Google Ads policy cases, and our internal review process includes a 160+ point audit checklist.

If you need professional assistance, you can reach us through:

The Client’s Problem: Two Google Ads Disapproval Errors

Our client was operating a vehicle history check website.

The website was designed to help users obtain vehicle-related history information before purchasing a car.

The business had a website and advertisements, but Google wasn’t allowing the affected ads to run.

When we reviewed the Google Ads policy details, we identified two reported violations.

1. Compromised Site

2. Circumventing Systems

Both policy issues were affecting the client’s advertising.

Before I discuss our investigation, it’s important to understand these policies.

What Is a Compromised Site Error in Google Ads?

Google defines a compromised site as a website whose code has been manipulated in ways that benefit a third party without the site owner’s knowledge, often creating risks for visitors.

This can involve things such as:

• Malicious code
• Unwanted redirects
• Injected scripts
• Unauthorized data collection
• Malware
• Exploited website vulnerabilities
• Other suspicious or harmful website behavior

A website can appear perfectly normal to its owner while still containing malicious code or third-party scripts.

That’s why you shouldn’t diagnose a Compromised Site disapproval simply by looking at the homepage in a browser.

A technical security investigation may be necessary.

What Should You Check?

Start with:

• Website files
• Themes and plugins
• JavaScript
• Redirect rules
• Third-party scripts
• Server-side code
• Google Search Console security reports
• Google’s Safe Browsing status
• Unusual outgoing links
• Recent website modifications

You need to identify whether the destination has genuinely been compromised, contains unsafe behavior or has been incorrectly classified.

What Is Circumventing Systems in Google Ads?

Circumventing Systems is a separate Google Ads policy.

Google prohibits attempts to interfere with or evade its advertising review and enforcement processes.

Examples can include:

• Cloaking
• Misleading review systems
• Obfuscating prohibited content
• Using variations of disapproved websites or advertisements to bypass enforcement
• Creating new accounts to evade restrictions
• Misusing multiple accounts to promote noncompliant content

Important: A Circumventing Systems issue can lead to account suspension. In this particular case, the transcript documents disapproved advertisements rather than an account suspension.

Google treats this policy seriously, so it requires careful investigation.

Why Can a Website Trigger Multiple Google Ads Policy Issues?

There isn’t always one obvious explanation.

A website might contain several issues that require investigation.

For example:

• Inconsistent business identities
• Old domain references
• Suspicious redirects
• Vulnerable plugins
• Misleading advertising claims
• Incomplete disclosures
• Unexpected code behavior
• Conflicting destination information

However, it’s important to distinguish potential compliance risks from confirmed causes.

Finding a technical error or an old domain reference does not automatically prove that it caused a particular Google Ads violation.

The purpose of an audit is to gather evidence, identify genuine problems and correct them.

Step 1: We Started With Our 160+ Point Website Audit

At AARSWEBS, we use an internal checklist of more than 160 review points for website and advertising compliance investigations.

Rather than treating this as a simple ad-copy issue, we reviewed the wider website.

Our technical SEO and development specialists investigated different areas.

These included:

• Website security
• JavaScript errors
• Redirect behavior
• Search engine indexing
• Canonical URLs
• Domain references
• Duplicate pages
• Website transparency
• Marketing claims
• Policy disclosures
• Google Ads destination requirements

We also examined additional concerns as they emerged during the process.

Step 2: Technical SEO and Website Issues

One of our technical specialists identified several website problems worth reviewing.

Canonical URL Problems

Some URLs had canonical configuration issues.

Canonical tags help search engines identify the preferred version of duplicate or similar pages.

While a canonical problem by itself doesn’t establish a Circumventing Systems violation, incorrect canonical configurations can create confusion about which URLs represent the intended website.

Localhost URL References

The audit also identified references to localhost URLs.

These may be leftovers from development or migration.

We recommended reviewing those references and ensuring the production website used the correct live URLs.

Duplicate Pages and URL Slugs

Duplicate pages and inconsistent slugs were also reviewed.

These issues can affect website quality and discoverability, and in some cases may reveal configuration problems worth investigating.

Sitemap and robots.txt

Our team also reviewed sitemap and robots.txt configuration.

This helped us investigate crawl accessibility and the website’s overall technical setup.

A critical distinction: Sitemap submission and search indexing are not mandatory fixes for every Google Ads disapproval. They were part of our broader investigation, not proof of the cause of the policy flags.

Step 3: JavaScript and Website Security Investigation

Our technical review raised concerns about JavaScript on the homepage.

We investigated whether the website might contain:

• Unexpected scripts
• Suspicious code
• Malicious redirects
• Unwanted third-party resources
• Broken functions
• Security vulnerabilities

For Compromised Site issues, Google recommends website security checks, including reviewing Search Console security reports and identifying harmful code.

This part of the investigation was particularly relevant to the reported Compromised Site violation.

We also recommended further security review by technical specialists where appropriate.

Step 4: Reviewing Business Information and Website Transparency

Another area we investigated was business transparency.

We recommended reviewing important pages such as:

About Us

Users should be able to understand who operates the website.

Contact Us

Contact information should be accurate and accessible.

Privacy Policy

The website should explain relevant data-handling practices.

Pricing

Prices and charges should be communicated clearly.

Business Affiliation

A website should not mislead visitors into believing it is affiliated with a government body or another organization.

For a vehicle history checking website, clarity about the service provider and any official affiliations is particularly important.

Our team prepared recommendations for the client’s team to implement.

Step 5: We Found References to Another Domain

Here’s one of the interesting parts of this case.

During our investigation, we identified references to another business website or domain.

We raised the issue with the client.

The client explained that it was an older domain they had used before moving to their .com website.

This meant we needed to understand the relationship between the websites.

We considered questions such as:

• Was the previous website still accessible?
• Did it have any unresolved Google Ads issues?
• Was business information consistent?
• Were redirects accurate and necessary?
• Was outdated website content still being used?
• Did Google associate additional policy concerns with the previous domain?

Later, Google support also raised a policy concern involving another domain previously associated with the business.

Our team discussed that history and the client’s explanation with support.

Should You Buy a New Domain to Fix Circumventing Systems?

Not simply to evade the disapproval.

Google explicitly prohibits using new domains or accounts to bypass advertising restrictions.

If a business legitimately migrates to a new domain because of technical, security or operational problems, the underlying problems still need to be corrected and the migration must not be used to conceal a policy violation.

A new domain isn’t a substitute for Google Ads compliance.

In our case, the transcript describes a further domain-related recommendation, corrective work and a subsequent review. It does not establish that merely switching domains caused the successful outcome.

Step 6: Reviewing Marketing Claims and Website Credibility

During the investigation, we identified marketing claims that needed further attention.

For example, the website used a claim referring to millions of users or records.

If a business cannot substantiate a numerical marketing claim, it can create credibility and potential policy concerns.

We recommended reviewing such statements.

We also highlighted areas such as:

• Pricing clarity
• Contact email information
• Affiliate disclosure
• Business identification
• Service descriptions

Although these issues were not all the named reasons for the original disapproval, we wanted the client’s website to communicate its services accurately and transparently.

Step 7: Contacting Google Ads Support

This case involved significant communication with Google.

Our team reviewed support responses and continued investigating the issues.

At one stage, Google support indicated that the website had been flagged as a malicious entity and could not be re-enabled at that point.

That was a major obstacle.

Instead of assuming the matter was resolved simply because we had recommended some corrections, our team continued working on the case.

We reviewed the remaining website concerns, investigated the domain history and prepared further compliance recommendations.

Why Can Reviews Take Time?

After correcting website problems, advertisers may need to allow Google to re-evaluate the destination.

Google’s Compromised Sites guidance says its systems may need up to 72 hours to recrawl and reassess a cleaned landing page.

That doesn’t guarantee approval within 72 hours.

Additional review or support communication can be necessary depending on the issue.

Step 8: The Final Google Ads Review

After further corrective work and review, the client’s advertisements and assets were displayed as Approved/Eligible in the case demonstration.

That was the successful outcome we were working toward.

The review process involved multiple areas:

• Technical website investigations
• Security-related checks
• Domain history
• Business transparency
• Content recommendations
• Google Ads policy review
• Google support communication
• Further corrective work

The client subsequently left positive feedback describing satisfaction with the team’s work.

What Actually Fixed the Problem?

This is an important question.

The case documents several recommended changes, support discussions and eventual approval.

However, Google’s exact internal reason for lifting every individual disapproval flag was not disclosed in the transcript.

Therefore, we should not claim that a specific change—such as adding robots.txt, editing canonical tags or moving a domain—independently resolved both policies.

The case demonstrates a comprehensive investigation and a successful final review, not a universal one-step fix.

What Should You Do if Your Ads Are Disapproved for Compromised Site?

Here is a practical approach.

1. Confirm the Policy Reason

Open Google Ads and review the affected advertisements.

Check their detailed policy labels.

2. Check Google Search Console

Review available security information, including the Security Issues report.

3. Run a Technical Website Audit

Examine your website for malicious code, harmful redirects, outdated software and compromised resources.

4. Fix Confirmed Problems

Remove malicious content and repair vulnerable software or configurations.

5. Review Your Landing Pages

Make sure the destination functions properly and accurately represents your business.

6. Check Your Domain History

Investigate relevant old domains, redirects and associated policy decisions.

7. Review Website Transparency

Ensure business details, pricing, disclosures and relevant legal pages are accurate.

8. Request a Policy Review

After fixing the underlying problem, use the Google Ads review or appeal process as appropriate.

9. Avoid Repeated Identical Appeals

If the policy remains applied, examine the reason carefully rather than repeatedly submitting identical requests.

10. Maintain Website Security

Continue updating plugins, software and security measures after the ads are approved.

Google Ads Disapproval vs Google Ads Suspension

These are different outcomes.

Google Ads Disapproval

A particular advertisement or asset is not permitted to serve because Google identifies a policy issue.

Google Ads Suspension

The account itself is restricted from advertising.

Some serious violations, including Circumventing Systems, can result in account-level suspension.

Our case study concerned ad disapproval, so it should not be represented as proof that an account suspension was overturned.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fix Google Ads Compromised Site disapproval?

Investigate website security, identify and remove malicious or compromised code, verify destination safety, and submit the affected ads for review.

What causes a Circumventing Systems violation?

Google identifies practices that attempt to interfere with or evade its advertising processes. The specific reasons depend on the case.

Can an old domain affect a Google Ads review?

Associated domains and account history may be relevant to Google’s review. An old domain is not automatically a violation, but unresolved policy or identity inconsistencies should be investigated.

Will Google Ads approve my ads after I fix the website?

Not automatically. Google makes the final policy decision after review.

Does submitting an XML sitemap fix Compromised Site errors?

No. A sitemap can help with technical website management, but it does not remove malware or establish compliance.

Can I use a new domain?

A legitimate, fully compliant destination may be appropriate when a compromised destination cannot be repaired. However, creating variations of disapproved domains or accounts to bypass enforcement is prohibited.

How long does Google Ads review take?

It varies. A Compromised Site cleanup may need additional crawling and assessment; complicated cases can require further work and support interaction.

Need Help With Google Ads Compromised Site or Circumventing Systems?

If your ads have been disapproved for:

• Compromised Site
• Circumventing Systems
• Malicious Software
• Misrepresentation
• Unreliable Claims
• Destination Issues
• Other Google Ads policy violations

our team can help investigate the issue.

At AARSWEBS.com, we provide Google Ads reviews, technical website audits, landing-page compliance recommendations, suspension and disapproval assistance, and Google Ads management.

Our approach is focused on genuine policy compliance.

We cannot guarantee approval or reinstatement because the final decision belongs to Google.

Visit: https://aarswebs.com/

Conclusion

This Google Ads case study is a reminder that a disapproval can involve much more than ad copy.

In our client’s case, the investigation covered website security, JavaScript, technical SEO, domain history, business transparency, marketing claims and policy communications.

After further corrective work and Google review, the ads and assets were eventually approved.

The most important lesson is simple:

Don’t try to bypass the policy. Investigate the actual problem, fix what needs correcting, document the changes and request a proper review.

That’s how you approach Google Ads compliance professionally.

Case study disclaimer: This article is based on the documented client walkthrough. It reflects the observed approval outcome but does not establish Google’s undisclosed internal decision criteria or guarantee comparable results for other advertisers.

Official Sources

• Google Ads Compromised Sites Policy: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15938376
• Google Ads Circumventing Systems Policy: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15938075
• Google Ads Disapproval Appeals: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9338593