Restricted categories

Google Ads requires Advanced Verification for certain categories before campaigns can run. This is separate from Advertiser Identity Verification (which most accounts complete by default).

What restricted means

Advanced Verification is a Google policy for service categories where consumer harm risk is high. The process verifies the business is licensed, insured, and operating legally before Google will serve their ads.

Without Advanced Verification, ads in these categories are disapproved. Campaigns will still publish in your Google Ads account but ads will show as "Disapproved" in the UI.

Restricted categories

VibeAds flags these categories as restricted:

• Locksmith
• Garage door

Other categories Google has restricted in some markets (HVAC in certain regions, plumbing post-2024) are not on this list today because the restriction has not been uniformly enforced. We will update the list as Google publishes new policy.

Verification process

1. Submit the Advanced Verification request at Google Ads Help → Advanced Verification
2. Provide business license, proof of insurance, business address
3. Schedule the video interview with a Google policy reviewer
4. Submit any additional documents requested during the interview
5. Wait 7 to 14 days for verification status to update
6. Once verified, your ads will start serving

What VibeAds does

For restricted-category campaigns, VibeAds:

• Shows a yellow warning banner during campaign creation
• Adds a verification-pending note to the campaign overview
• Blocks the agent's auto-execution on those campaigns until verification confirmation (legally_dicey blast radius gate)
• Recommendations still surface for manual review even before verification
• Once verification clears + Google Ads identity_verified flips to true, agent auto-pushes any deferred BUSINESS_LOGO or image assets

If you proceed without completing Advanced Verification, the campaign will run with no impressions (ads disapproved). All metrics will be zero. The agent will surface a critical conversion_tracking_broken orcampaign_not_serving diagnostic.