Google is extending its “Limited Ad Serving” policy to Search, with a gradual rollout that began in August 2026 and is planned to run until 2028 (Search Engine Land). A technically compliant ad can now lose visibility without any disapproval or visible signal in the usual campaign metrics.
The facts
- The scheme, until now limited to certain formats, covers all Google Ads campaigns from now on, Search included, with gradual enforcement until 2028 (Search Engine Land).
- Ads judged insufficiently qualified are not disapproved: their impressions are capped on queries deemed risky for the user experience.
- Qualification rests on account age, advertiser verification, the history of compliance with advertising policies, user reports and the ad format used (PPC Land).
Why can a compliant campaign lose visibility?
Ad Rank and Quality Score measure the relevance of a bid at a given moment. The new scheme adds a separate layer: a trust indicator built over time, independent of budget and campaign structure. A recent account, an unverified advertiser identity or a history of user reports can be enough to reduce delivery, even if every auction is still won and every ad remains approved in the strict sense of the advertising policies.
In Luxembourg, this weighs particularly on advertisers operating through a multilingual domain, an intermediary or a legal entity distinct from the brand displayed. An inconsistency between the advertiser name, the ad and the landing page can be enough to downgrade a campaign whose indicators are otherwise healthy. Diagnosing a drop in coverage that comes neither from bids nor from budget means checking compliance, advertiser identity and brand consistency along the whole chain.
AIxH's view
This change shifts part of SEA diagnosis towards account verification and brand consistency, ground that AIxH, SEA agency in Luxembourg, already covers in its campaign audits. If you see a drop in coverage that your usual metrics cannot explain, a targeted audit can often isolate the cause within a few days.