If your Google Ads suddenly get disapproved and you see policy reasons like “Compromised Site” or “Circumventing Systems”, you’re not dealing with a normal ad issue anymore — you’re dealing with a trust + security + compliance problem.
And here’s the part most advertisers get wrong:
They keep pressing Appeal again and again, hoping the system will “re-check” and approve automatically.
In reality, frequent appeals can backfire, create delays, and in some cases increase the risk of bigger account-level restrictions because Google interprets repeated appeals without fixing root causes as non-compliance.
In this case study, I’ll walk you through the exact process me and my team used to restore a client whose ads were disapproved for:
- ✅ Compromised Site
- ✅ Circumventing Systems
This was a combined effort with my team, and the objective was clear: remove every possible risk signal, document what we fixed, then use the right support workflow so Google could confidently lift the restriction.
What These Disapprovals Usually Mean
1) “Compromised Site”
Google believes the destination website may have:
- Malware / adware / malicious scripts
- Infected plugins or themes (common on WordPress)
- Hidden redirects (users land somewhere else than expected)
- Injected code (spam links, popups, suspicious downloads)
Even if your site “looks fine” to you, Google might detect code-level issues or third-party injections.
2) “Circumventing Systems”
This usually triggers when Google believes:
- You’re trying to bypass policy enforcement
- Redirect behavior is inconsistent (especially between devices, locations, or bots vs humans)
- Cloaking-like signals exist
- Multiple pages/domains behave suspiciously or inconsistently
Sometimes the website is genuinely compromised, and the “circumventing” flag is simply a side effect.
Step 0: Don’t Spam Appeals (This Matters)
Before we touch anything, we stop the pattern that makes things worse:
- Don’t keep appealing every day
- Don’t randomly edit ads without fixing the site
- Don’t create new accounts to “work around it” (that can lead to permanent restrictions)
Instead, treat this like a proper recovery workflow.
Step 1: Website Security + Malware Scan (First Priority)
The first thing we did was a website malware/security scan.
The goal here is to detect:
- Malware infections
- Suspicious scripts
- Injected redirects
- Infected plugins
- External calls to unknown domains
In our case, when we started, the site was initially in a critical situation. After cleanup work, it moved to medium risk, and importantly, it was not blacklisted.
What to do if risk is high/critical
If your scan reports high risk:
- Remove suspicious plugins
- Update CMS + themes + plugins
- Regenerate admin credentials
- Run server-side malware cleanup (developer-level)
- Check
.htaccess,wp-config.php, injected JS, and database spam
This step often requires developer support, especially for WordPress or custom-coded sites.
Step 2: Placeholder Audit (Surprisingly Important)
This might sound small, but it’s something we learned heavily through Google Merchant Center compliance work:
Placeholders can damage trust signals, and in some cases, contribute to policy disapprovals because Google interprets them as:
- incomplete site
- low-quality templates
- “auto-generated” store signals
We audited placeholders using browser developer tools and the page source.
Where placeholders often hide:
- Contact form fields (“your name here” placeholders)
- Empty HTML sections
- Default theme templates
- Missing alt text / placeholder images
- Checkout or cart fields
Important note: if an image filename contains the word “placeholder,” that’s not always a violation — the issue is when placeholders appear in visible content or as unfinished elements.
Step 3: robots.txt Review (Crawler Access & Trust)
Next, we checked the robots.txt file.
Why?
Because sometimes websites block:
- crawlers
- resources (CSS/JS)
- important directories
If Google can’t crawl your site properly, it creates:
- inconsistent rendering
- missing page understanding
- higher risk signals
So we ensured:
- the file was accessible
- it wasn’t blocking critical resources
- important pages were crawlable
Step 4: Broken / Dead Link Scan (Plus Manual Verification)
Then we used a dead link checker tool to scan the entire website for:
- 404 errors
- broken internal links
- broken external links
Google Ads disapprovals can happen when:
- landing pages return errors intermittently
- broken links lead to suspicious domains
- old content links to questionable URLs
But here’s the crucial part:
⚠️ Tools can be wrong.
So we always do a manual verification of anything flagged.
If links were real:
- we fixed them
- redirected properly
- removed malicious/outdated URLs
Step 5: Google Search Console Deep Review
After link cleanup, we reviewed Google Search Console to find:
- invalid non-HTTPS URLs
- page experience issues
- coverage errors
- crawl errors
- security warnings
Search Console becomes your proof layer:
- It shows whether Google can crawl the site
- It flags structural issues
- It reveals problems the owner doesn’t see
This step is mandatory when you’re trying to convince Google the site is safe.
Step 6: Plagiarism / Duplicate Content Check
Many people don’t know this: duplicate or copied content can be associated with:
- low trust
- doorway pages
- suspicious site networks
We ran a plagiarism check on critical pages (home, about, services, blog).
In one example shown, the tool reported high duplication — but we explained a reality many sites face:
Sometimes duplication is:
- your own about/author bio repeated across pages
- syndicated content
- content scraped from you by others
Even then, the professional approach is:
- rewrite and make pages unique
- remove content that looks templated
- strengthen author/business identity signals
Step 7: Remove Risky Claims & Fix Website Copy
Google policy systems often react to:
- exaggerated claims
- unrealistic promises
- unverified statements
Example:
“Lose 5kg in 10 days”
If you cannot prove something, don’t claim it.
So we did a full copy review:
- removed risky claims
- added disclaimers where needed
- revised pages to be policy-safe
Step 8: Support Escalation (4-Channel Method)
After we cleaned and documented everything, we contacted Google support.
As a Google Partner, we used:
- Dedicated manager route
- Live chat support
- Email support
- Call support
We run these in parallel so:
- the case is taken seriously
- we reduce delays
- we increase escalation chances
And this is exactly what worked.
Step 9: Approval Confirmation + Reupload Ads
The final proof came via email:
Google confirmed the website was now free from malicious content and lifted restrictions.
Then the key recommendation:
✅ Reupload ads after clearance for faster processing.
Once the system synchronized, the ads moved into approved status.
Final Result (Case Study Outcome)
- Compromised site issue cleared
- Circumventing systems restriction lifted
- Ads approved after sync
- Business resumed normal advertising
Need Help Restoring Google Ads?
If your account is facing:
- Google Ads disapprovals
- Account suspension
- Compromised site or circumventing systems
- Merchant Center suspension
We provide full recovery + management services.
Hire me and my team through Aarswebs.com