Reminder – Google is enforcing stricter rules for consumer finance ad targeting

Google will start enforcing tougher restrictions on personalized ads related to consumer financial products and services from tomorrow, February 28.

Any breaches of the updated policy will prompt a warning, with the possibility of account suspension.

It’s worth noting that the full enforcement of these measures may take approximately six weeks to be fully implemented.

Why we care. Make sure your personalized ads comply with Google’s updated policy now, as this is your final opportunity before the new restrictions kick in. If your account gets suspended for policy violations, it can seriously impact campaign performance, and lifting suspensions can be difficult. Act now to avoid disruptions.

What’s changing? Google’s “credit in personalized ads” policy will be broadened to include “consumer finance in personalized ads.” The updated policy will say:

• “In the United States and Canada, the following sensitive interest categories cannot be targeted to audiences based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.”

The update will apply to offers relating to credit or products or services related to credit lending, banking products and services, or certain financial planning and management services. Examples include:

• Credit cards
• Home loans
• Car loans
• Appliance loans
• Short-term loans
• Banking and checking accounts
• Debt management products

What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:

• “We’ve long had personalized ads policies that prohibit advertisers from targeting people on the basis of sensitive categories. This update strengthens our ongoing efforts to protect consumers, expanding our credit in personalized ads policy to additional consumer finance ad categories in the US and Canada.”

Deep dive. Read Google’s full blog post for more information.