How to avoid getting banned on Facebook and Google while Dropshipping?
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Trying not to get banned by Facebook or Google is never 100% avoidable. Most marketers have at one point been banned when running ads on these platforms. However, we will try to give you some pointers on how to avoid it in the best way possible.
It is very important that you read the policies on each platform as they may differ from each other and they constantly get updated.
Facebook ad policies
Google ad policies
There are some important policies when it comes dropshipping which are:
Avoid bold and/or misleading claims;
You can read more about it here.
Avoid any kind of discrimination;
You can read more about it here.
Be mindful of your choice of words;
The most common things to avoid are:
don’t use the words 'you', or 'yours';
don’t overuse capital letters,
don’t use profanity,
don’t say FB, IG, or change Facebook’s brand names in any way. This also concerns any other brand name, use them carefully.
Personal Attributes and Nudity;
This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person's age, gender, and physical health and more.
You can read more about it here.
Since you're selling fashion products and might take your own pictures or use pictures of models you need to be careful not to make Facebook think it's 'adult content' as they put it. This is many times a hit or miss where Facebook can reject your ads because they think it's nudity when in fact it could just be a model wearing clothes.
This can be very annoying however, read more here for best practices.
Keep in mind to never zoom in, or have closeups, on body parts. See the image below that illustrates this:
Be careful with using Brand logos.
This is not as clear as it perhaps should be when it comes to running ads. But to be on the safe side, try to avoid using logos of the brands you're selling. Of course using the Gucci logo is very tempting and can help you reach people and build trust. But at the same time it can trigger the algorithms into flagging your account and banning it.
Facebook and Google can be full of surprises, so it's important to keep in mind that in some cases, it's not the advertiser's fault if their ad account is disabled. They may mistakenly flag an ad or block an ad account during occasional control checks. This kind of ban is a matter of bad luck and unfortunately, it could happen to anyone.
Keep in mind that every Facebook Business Manager and Ad Account has a 'trustworthiness rating'. It's a measure of how credible you seem to be in the eyes of the Facebook algorithms. The ratings, or score, are based on many factors. If your trustworthiness rating is low, then the risk of getting banned gets higher.
There are a few things you can do to increase your trustworthiness rating and prevent being banned, at least as much as possible.
Use a Business page, not a personal profile on Facebook;
If you’re using a personal profile to sell products on Facebook, you’re risking being banned. Personal profiles are not meant for business purposes, so it’s best to switch to a business page. Never run ads on your personal ad account. Instead, create a dedicated ad account for your business.
If you have an active subscription we have guides that teaches you how to do this here.
Use real information on your facebook business manager and verify it;
You have to use real information about you and your business inside your business manager settings to prevent Facebook from thinking your account is not legit.
The best thing you can do is to also verify your business manager as this helps the prevention of getting banned.
Read more on how to verify your business manager on Facebook here.
Avoid payment/billing issues;
Your Payment Account can have unresolved payments which sometimes can cause bans.
Verify in the Payment and Billing sections of your Ad account that the:
payment information is accurate (e.g. the credit card has not expired);
there are no unresolved payments, such as unpaid bills or debts. Additionally, review other payment profiles using the same credit card.
It is possible that you may get banned if you're using the same credit card in multiple Ad accounts or Business Managers, particularly if one of them was previously disabled, so try to avoid that.
Be consistent and gradually warm up your account;
Unusual behaviour is something that can automatically get your account banned.
If you have a new account, start a few simple ads just to get yourself started and get the ads approved by Facebook or Google. This way you're showing that you are following the policies and that you're not here to do anything bad.
After that, make sure you gradually work your way up. For example, start with less ads and smaller budgets in the beginning as going all in from the start can trigger the 'unusual behaviour' and get you banned.
One extra step you should take is to set up everything on the Facebook page, such as information, pictures etc. Make sure to also create a few posts and post them to your page to start showing Facebook you're active.
Create high quality ads!
This is perhaps the most important step, and it goes hand in hand with following all the above steps.
Create high quality ads that people like and engage with by using good quality pictures and videos, and by also writing copy that follow the policy.
It is also important that your website is good and trustworthy because if it's not, people might report your ads or Facebook page. The 'after click' experience is very important and something that Facebook and Google keeps in mind when looking at your ads.
What to do if you get banned
If you've been banned from Facebook or Google it's important to appeal the decision in order to get your account reinstated. The first step is to identify the reason for your ban. You can now craft an appeal that addresses the issues and explains why you should be allowed to continue using the platforms. Be sure to be polite and professional in your appeal, as this can increase the chances of having your ban overturned.
However, if you can't get your account back from a ban, the best option is to create a new one. It's important to make sure you don't use the same payment method as this usually results in an instant ban.
Trying not to get banned by Facebook or Google is never 100% avoidable. Most marketers have at one point been banned when running ads on these platforms. However, we will try to give you some pointers on how to avoid it in the best way possible.
Read the Advertising Policies on the platforms you're going to advertise on
It is very important that you read the policies on each platform as they may differ from each other and they constantly get updated.
Facebook ad policies
Google ad policies
There are some important policies when it comes dropshipping which are:
Avoid bold and/or misleading claims;
You can read more about it here.
Avoid any kind of discrimination;
You can read more about it here.
Be mindful of your choice of words;
The most common things to avoid are:
don’t use the words 'you', or 'yours';
don’t overuse capital letters,
don’t use profanity,
don’t say FB, IG, or change Facebook’s brand names in any way. This also concerns any other brand name, use them carefully.
Personal Attributes and Nudity;
This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person's age, gender, and physical health and more.
You can read more about it here.
Since you're selling fashion products and might take your own pictures or use pictures of models you need to be careful not to make Facebook think it's 'adult content' as they put it. This is many times a hit or miss where Facebook can reject your ads because they think it's nudity when in fact it could just be a model wearing clothes.
This can be very annoying however, read more here for best practices.
Keep in mind to never zoom in, or have closeups, on body parts. See the image below that illustrates this:
Be careful with using Brand logos.
This is not as clear as it perhaps should be when it comes to running ads. But to be on the safe side, try to avoid using logos of the brands you're selling. Of course using the Gucci logo is very tempting and can help you reach people and build trust. But at the same time it can trigger the algorithms into flagging your account and banning it.
How to prevent and minimize the risk of getting banned
Facebook and Google can be full of surprises, so it's important to keep in mind that in some cases, it's not the advertiser's fault if their ad account is disabled. They may mistakenly flag an ad or block an ad account during occasional control checks. This kind of ban is a matter of bad luck and unfortunately, it could happen to anyone.
Keep in mind that every Facebook Business Manager and Ad Account has a 'trustworthiness rating'. It's a measure of how credible you seem to be in the eyes of the Facebook algorithms. The ratings, or score, are based on many factors. If your trustworthiness rating is low, then the risk of getting banned gets higher.
There are a few things you can do to increase your trustworthiness rating and prevent being banned, at least as much as possible.
Use a Business page, not a personal profile on Facebook;
If you’re using a personal profile to sell products on Facebook, you’re risking being banned. Personal profiles are not meant for business purposes, so it’s best to switch to a business page. Never run ads on your personal ad account. Instead, create a dedicated ad account for your business.
If you have an active subscription we have guides that teaches you how to do this here.
Use real information on your facebook business manager and verify it;
You have to use real information about you and your business inside your business manager settings to prevent Facebook from thinking your account is not legit.
The best thing you can do is to also verify your business manager as this helps the prevention of getting banned.
Read more on how to verify your business manager on Facebook here.
Avoid payment/billing issues;
Your Payment Account can have unresolved payments which sometimes can cause bans.
Verify in the Payment and Billing sections of your Ad account that the:
payment information is accurate (e.g. the credit card has not expired);
there are no unresolved payments, such as unpaid bills or debts. Additionally, review other payment profiles using the same credit card.
It is possible that you may get banned if you're using the same credit card in multiple Ad accounts or Business Managers, particularly if one of them was previously disabled, so try to avoid that.
Be consistent and gradually warm up your account;
Unusual behaviour is something that can automatically get your account banned.
If you have a new account, start a few simple ads just to get yourself started and get the ads approved by Facebook or Google. This way you're showing that you are following the policies and that you're not here to do anything bad.
After that, make sure you gradually work your way up. For example, start with less ads and smaller budgets in the beginning as going all in from the start can trigger the 'unusual behaviour' and get you banned.
One extra step you should take is to set up everything on the Facebook page, such as information, pictures etc. Make sure to also create a few posts and post them to your page to start showing Facebook you're active.
Create high quality ads!
This is perhaps the most important step, and it goes hand in hand with following all the above steps.
Create high quality ads that people like and engage with by using good quality pictures and videos, and by also writing copy that follow the policy.
It is also important that your website is good and trustworthy because if it's not, people might report your ads or Facebook page. The 'after click' experience is very important and something that Facebook and Google keeps in mind when looking at your ads.
What to do if you get banned
If you've been banned from Facebook or Google it's important to appeal the decision in order to get your account reinstated. The first step is to identify the reason for your ban. You can now craft an appeal that addresses the issues and explains why you should be allowed to continue using the platforms. Be sure to be polite and professional in your appeal, as this can increase the chances of having your ban overturned.
However, if you can't get your account back from a ban, the best option is to create a new one. It's important to make sure you don't use the same payment method as this usually results in an instant ban.
Updated on: 08/08/2022
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