While advertising on Google Shopping Ads, there is a chance you could run into certain errors or warnings. These errors or warnings prevent your ads from running entirely, as they indicate a violation of Google Ads policies — and in more severe cases, can even lead to account suspension due to policy violations.
Google enforces Ads policies with high priority and should not be treated as mere ‘guidelines’.
One such error that many advertisers run into is “Personalized advertising: personal hardships”.
Personalized Advertising in Google Ads is a tool that improves ad relevance by delivering ads to users based on their interests, online activity and online activity.
It uses online user data to target customers with relevant content rather than showing the same ad to everyone. It is beneficial for users and advertisers alike as it provides improved experiences.
The issue is that targeting users based on certain interests could appear sensitive. Thus, Google has policies in place to prevent personalized advertising based on sensitive categories. One such category is “personal hardships”.
You may incur the personal hardships error when your ad or shopping listing:
- Implicates that the user is experiencing a personal hardship, financial struggles, physical or mental conditions, etc.
- Targets users based on sensitive personal issues.
This blog explores what this GMC error means, the reasons for it, how you resolve it and how to avoid it in the future.
| Important⚠️: This error can be displayed as error, warning or informational notification depending on your account history or violations. Each of these carry a different outcome. The issues are differentiated by colors: red errors are critical errors or account suspensions, yellow errors are warnings, and blue errors are informational. Regardless of the level of severity, they should all be treated with equal importance as overtime it can result in an account suspension or product disapproval(s). Ultimately, all decisions are made by Google’s policy team and are subject to change based on their evolving policies. |
Table of Contents
What Is the Personalized Advertising Policy?
As we have already discussed, Personalized Advertising refers to ads customized based on user data to target relevant users for improved ad relevance.
The Personalized Advertising Policy was introduced by Google Ads to protect the sensitive interests of users. Google’s main goal here was to protect users from targeting based on sensitive personal information.
Personalized ads can’t target sensitive interests. Google defines these based on its content policy guidelines:
- Legal restrictions
- Personal hardships
- Identity and belief
- Sexual interests
- Access to opportunities
It is important to note that all targeting systems used in personalized ads are by default configured to exclude sensitive user signals in accordance with the Google Ads policies.
If you are using advertiser-curated audiences such as Customer Match, Customer Affinity, Audience Expansion, your own data segments etc, you will not be able to promote sensitive products or services.
However, if you are using pre-defined Google audiences that are typically free of sensitive data, you can promote sensitive products. Google audiences are managed by Google and are designed to comply with the policy.
They include Affinity, In-market Segment, Life Events, Location Targeting, etc. Certain Google audience types also have exceptions though (refer here).
Coming back to the Personal Hardships error which is a part of the Sensitive Interest category–this is a common error faced in Google Merchant Center.
[Important⚠️] Since Google Shopping Ads don’t allow traditional audience targeting, the personal hardships error cannot not be from targeting settings but from your content i.e. product feed, landing page or the ad copy.
Remember, Google defines sensitive interest categories based on its content policy guidelines, so they are not restricted to targeting settings.
However, if you are using Performance Max campaigns the audience signals could be a root to this error.
Some examples of personal hardships include, physical or mental conditions, bankruptcy services, divorce services, domestic abuse shelters, unemployment resources, and more.
Many merchants unknowingly violate this policy and face account suspensions or product disapprovals. Even if you are not directly targeting people, the language used in your product feed, ads, or landing pages can still violate this policy.
What Triggers a ‘Personal Hardships’ Violation & How to Identify it?
When you see a “Personalized advertising: personal hardships” error on your Google Merchant Center account, it means one or more of your Shopping ads promotes a personal hardship.
The content causing the violation could be from your product data, ad, or landing page suggesting you are capitalizing on a person’s negative life situation.
According to Google’s help page, a few specific types of personal hardships can trigger this error:
- Health in personalized advertising: This includes content related to physical or mental health conditions, chronic illnesses and their treatments, invasive medical producers, disabilities (even when aimed at caregivers) and intimate health issues.
- Negative financial status in personalized advertising: Content promoting personal financial distress, difficulties or deprivation.
- Relationships hardships in personalized advertising: If you run ads that include personal hardships with family, friends and other interpersonal relationships.
- Commission of a crime in personalized advertising: Ad content that includes personal criminal record, crimes committed, criminal allegation or criminal charges.
- Abuse and trauma in personalized advertising: Running ads with content of a personal status as a victim of abuse, crime and other traumatic events.
- Imposing negativity in personalized advertising: If your ad content imposes negativity on the users or uses negative perspective or bias to promote any content category.
For example,
Product: “CalmEase Anxiety Relief Supplement – 30 Capsules”
Feed Data (Submitted to Google Merchant Center):
- Title: CalmEase – Fast Relief for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
- Description: Struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, or stress? CalmEase is a natural solution designed for those facing emotional challenges and overwhelming daily pressure.
Landing Page:
- Headlines like “Take control of your anxiety today”
- Testimonials mentioning personal trauma or mental health conditions
There is a chance you could have inadvertently violated the Personalized Advertising policy as well. Let’s understand this through an example:
- Product: Natural Supplement
- Title: “Find Peace During Stressful Times – Natural Supplement”
- Description: “Perfect for those overwhelmed by daily pressure or feeling emotionally drained.”
- How does this violate the policy? You’re not explicitly diagnosing or naming a condition, but the language implies the user is struggling, which can still trigger a violation.
As seen in the screenshot above, Google Merchant Center will inform you what product in your ads flagged the issue–it will serve you a generic notice.
GMC does not specifically tell you whether your product feed, targeting, or landing page causes a personalized advertising policy violation. This is something you have to figure out on your own.
How to figure out the source of the violation?
Since Google doesn’t specify exactly where the violation is coming from, we’ve created a checklist to help you quickly identify the source of the violation:
☐ Go to Products > Needs attention (previously known as diagnostics)
☐ Navigate to the “Personal hardships in personalized advertising” error and click on “view products”.
Once you know the product(s) causing the issue, proceed with the steps further.
Check your product feed (source feed)
☐ Are product titles using emotional, diagnostic, or senstive phrases?
☐ Do product descriptions refer to any mental, physical or emotional conditions? Are you using phrases like “struggling with,” “for those going through,” or “suffering from”?
☐ Are custom labels or fields using any sensitive terms?
☐ Is the overall language used in the feed directed at a specific audience e.g., “for people with panic attacks”)?
Check your landing pages
☐ Do any of the affected product URLs mention or reinforce personal hardship topics? This could range from grief, trauma or financial distress.
☐ Are there any specific testimonials or case studies from users referencing their struggles?
☐ Review the language used on the product pages. Is the language emotionally suggestive? Are headings or calls to actions speaking directly to people with specific problems or identities?
☐ Review your ads copy.
Check auto-generated assets (if applicable)
☐ If you are using PMax then check all the auto generated headlines, descriptions and assets that may imply personal hardship.
☐ Check the “Ads & Assets” tab in the campaign to see what the messaging is live.
Check audience targeting (if applicable)
☐ Are you using Performance Max for products that deal with life challenges or recovery? (PMax’s automation can inadvertently cross the line into policy violation).
☐ Review audience signals.
How to Resolve the Personalized advertising: personal hardships Error?
To resolve the Personal hardships in personalized advertising error, ensure you follow the checklist above.
This section details an expanded version of the checklist above.
Step 1: Go to Google Merchant Center, click on “Products” > “Needs Attention”
Step 2: Navigate to the “Personal hardships in personalized advertising” error and click on “view products”. Once you have the list you can begin analyzing each product.
Step 3: Check the product data in the source feed. For example, If you are using Content API for Shopify, then go to your Shopify store and check the affected products title and description thoroughly.
Step 4: Once you have identified certain problematic phrases, make a note of it. (We will apply all the changes in bulk in Step 7)
Step 5: Inspect the landing pages of the affected products. Read the page title, headlines and body text. Look for the same violating language you searched for in your product feed. Check for any testimonials that reference struggles. Make a note of it.
Step 6 (if applicable): Review the auto generated assets. Remember, auto generated assets are pulling the information from your product feed (if you are using the feed only method for PMax) or your website. Review audience signals if you are using PMax.
Step 7: Once you have identified the problematic areas then start making changes. First, update your product feed. If you use a file upload, upload the new file. If you use an app or the Content API, push the updates.
Then, edit or remove the content on your landing pages. If you have auto generated assets, simply refresh them since they are pulling content from your feed or website.
Step 8: Once you have identified and resolved the issue, go back to Products > Needs attention > Personalized advertising: personal hardship > select “I fixed the issue” and “Request review”.
(Note – If the error flags multiple products, you will find the error shown in a banner at the top of Products > Needs attention page. If the error flags a single product, go to the Products tab > Needs attention and scroll down to the list of products with the error. You will have to find the product with the exact error discussed here).
Optional: If you disagree with the error, you can select “I disagree with the issue” and “Request review”.
If you resolve all the issues, the warning will automatically lift, and your products will appear as normal.
If the opposite happens, the account error message will show up and your products will continue to show throughout the warning period. Google will review your account again at the end of the warning period.
| Note – After you request a review, wait for 7 business days. You will receive an email when Google completes the review. During the warning period of 7 or 28 days, you can request an additional courtesy review of your account. |
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Impact on Merchants
The Personalized advertising: personal hardships error has several impacts on merchants.
- Account Suspension: If multiple items trigger the error and you do not resolve it within the warning period, Google may suspend your Google Merchant Center account until you achieve compliance. Getting your account back after suspension may not be so easy or simple.
- Product Disapproval: When this error flags the affected products, they are temporarily disapproved. This means those products no longer show as Google Shopping Ads, reducing your ad coverage and potential revenue.
- Decrease in Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): A suspended account or disapproved products can’t run ads. This affects the overall campaign traffic, conversions, and ROI. Errors in even a few SKUs may lead to lost sales and wasted ad spend.
Also Read: How to Resolve Pending Google Ads Account Link Requests?
Best Practices to Avoid Future Violations
We have explored how to resolve the personal hardships error and why it occurs. Now let’s understand the best practices to implement to avoid this error in the future.
- It is highly important to understand Google’s integration of “personalization”. Personalization doesn’t just mean using someone’s name; it extends to personal hardships experienced by users that advertisers use for advertising purposes..
- For Google Shopping Ads specifically, it is not just about the targeting. It concerns the content you use in your product feed, landing page, and ads.
- Before you make any campaign live, double-check all the language you use in landing pages, product feed, headlines, descriptions, etc. You can even use AI search engine tools to help you identify problematic phrases.
- If you are a merchant selling mental health supplements, therapy tools, budgeting courses and more–you need to be extra cautious to avoid future issues. Adopt more neutral, benefit-focused language, perform ongoing audit checks and ensure no implied targeting of users facing hardships.
- Set up email alerts to receive notifications of any policy violations or disapprovals.
- Stay updated with Google Ads and Google Merchant Center policies as they can change.
- Train your team/content writers/copy writers to follow compliant messaging. Familiarize them with Personalized advertising content policy before they generate campaigns.
- Regular check the “Needs attention” tab on Google Merchant Center to resolve any errors, warnings or violations quickly.
- Use neutral language that focuses on the features or universal benefits of the products.
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Google introduced the personalized advertising policy to protect users’ sensitive interests. Google recognizes personal hardships as one of the sensitive interest categories under the broad policy.
While the policy may feel rigid, it was created for responsible marketing. Understanding the policy is critical so merchants don’t unintentionally violate it.
Merchants must strike a careful balance between promoting helpful products and avoiding language that could be interpreted as sensitive. Even simple listings for wellness, finances, or relationships can unintentionally trigger policy violations.
The Personalized advertising: personal hardships error on Google Merchant Center is easily resolvable.
Key Takeaways:
- Google restricts content related to health conditions, financial difficulties, trauma, and personal crises from use in personalized ads.
- Even Google Shopping Ads, which do not use audience targeting, can trigger violations based on product titles, descriptions, or landing page content.
- Phrasing that implies a user’s health, financial, or emotional state can trigger violations.
- Always focus messaging on benefits and avoid diagnosis-style language.
- Regularly audit your ads, landing pages, and product feeds to ensure compliance.
- To resolve the Personalized advertising: personal hardship error on Google Merchant Center, audit your product feed, landing pages, and the content you use in your ads. Apply all the changes and request a review.
FAQs
What is personalized advertising in Google Ads?
Personalized advertising in Google Ads refers to targeting users based on personal data or interests, and is subject to strict content policies. Google prohibits using sensitive interest categories like health, hardship, or trauma for ad personalization.
What is the “Personal Hardships” error in Google Merchant Center?
The “Personal Hardships” error refers to a policy violation under Google’s Personalized Advertising policy. It occurs when your product titles, descriptions, or landing page content appear to target or reference users experiencing sensitive situations like health conditions, financial distress, or trauma even if unintentionally.
Why does this error appear in Google Shopping when I’m using traditional targeting?
Google Shopping doesn’t use audience targeting like Search or Display ads, but the policy still applies based on your content. If the feed or landing page implies that it’s meant for people with a hardship (e.g., depression kits, debt relief tools), it can still violate the policy.
What types of content typically trigger this error?
Products that reference: Physical or mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, PTSD), financial struggles (e.g., debt help, unemployment guides), divorce, trauma, or criminal history, disabilities or caregiving roles can all trigger this error if framed as addressing those conditions directly.
How can I fix this error in my product feed or site?
Reword product titles and descriptions to focus on product features and benefits rather than user conditions. Avoid language that implies personal hardship, trauma, or diagnosis. Review landing pages for similar content and update accordingly. Once you make changes, request a review in Google Merchant Center. Ensure you make product feed file changes from the source e.g., Google sheets or your Shopify store.
Can this error lead to account suspension?
If left unresolved or if you find violations across multiple listings, the issue can escalate to account warnings or suspension. It’s important to address flagged items promptly and ensure future listings follow Google’s content policies.
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