What were Google’s Restrictions?

Back in 2018, Google announced its decision to ban all ads relating to online trading and alternative coin-related services due to the involvement of several scam operations at the time. The high-risk nature of these products and services was enough to drive Google to limit the digital marketing of these ads to the point of making it extremely difficult to promote online.

Digital marketers and advertisers in these financial verticals found themselves in a real bind, as they had minimal leeway in how they could promote their products and services to their target audiences. The power of Google also affected social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Due to these strict restrictions, affiliate marketing traffic sources became harder to work with, especially ones like Google search and display ads.

The change in Google’s previously more forgiving stance meant new challenges where the mere names of these services could freeze or block off their accounts altogether and automatically.

With the very names becoming a trigger to Google’s alert system, the advertising process was even more complex than it had been before its change of heart.

Last Men Standing

Despite the restrictions Google placed on this part of the financial technology industry, external and in-house digital marketers were still able to rise above them with the correct wording and visuals. While they did not hide what they were offering their end clients, they did tone their advertising down in order to avoid rousing the suspicion of Google’s algorithms – and thus, its wrath.

Traffic sources such as Google banners and various ads, landing pages, paid and organic social media posts were still going strong. Still, digital marketers were careful to mention certain names as they had been the cause of flagging and removing of ads or other content by Google. This ultimately led to freezing up business accounts and closing them if the affiliate marketers were not careful enough.

With so many things that could potentially set Google’s system off, digital marketers were racking their brains for creative solutions. While there were several success stories, affiliate marketing traffic sources did suffer a great deal when it came to the marketers’ lead generation rates and affiliate campaigns’ longevity.

The Aftermath

By September 2021, the ban on alternative coins and online trading-related advertisements had been lifted. While Facebook and Instagram are still holding onto certain limitations to this day, most of them are no longer hindering the work and progress of independent affiliate marketers and advertisers in these financial verticals.

As we have mentioned above, this predicament has taught us that there is always a creative solution to the problems we may encounter – whatever they may be.

Despite this situation not being a particularly easy one, digital marketers were able to save and even revive specific affiliate marketing traffic sources. Seeing these channels shut down was not something anyone was ready to face, especially as they serve as the digital marketers’ primary, if not exclusive, source of income.

Nowadays, you will need to watch out for aggressive marketing strategies, especially when dealing with these specific financial verticals, as they may trigger Google, Facebook, or Instagram into action. Otherwise, you are pretty much clear when advertising for these specific products or services as long as you are not attempting to deceive Google’s algorithms or your potential clients.