What Google means by "Destination not working"
Destination not working is one of the disapprovals under Google's Destination requirements policy. Google's short version: "Google requires that your ad destination and contents work on common browsers and devices."
Google lists two kinds of pages that get this disapproval:
- Pages that do not work or are set up wrong. Google gives examples like a "Site Under Construction" page or an error message where your content should be.
- Pages that return an HTTP error to Google AdsBot on common devices. Google names 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, and 500 Internal Server Error.
The ad stops running until the page works. Google says these violations do not cause an instant suspension. You get a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
Common landing page causes
Start in Google Ads. Go to Campaigns, then Ads. In the Status column, hover over the disapproval reason. Google lists these error types:
| Error | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| HTTP 4xx | The URL is wrong or mistyped, or the page was deleted or moved. |
| HTTP 5xx | The server failed when Google crawled the page. |
| DNS error | The domain could not be found. Check that it is registered and not expired. |
| Redirect problems | The redirect is empty, too long, or broken by a site or server rule. |
| Too many redirects | The page redirects in a loop. |
| Timeout | The server answered too slowly. |
| Private IP | A firewall or router blocks Google Ads. |
| Authentication required | A login or password sits in front of the page. |
For a contractor or agency, the usual story is simple. Someone renamed the page slug, unpublished an old funnel step, put the site behind a password while editing, or turned on a security setting that blocks bots. The ad still points at the old URL.
The fix order
- Check the URLs for typos. Google says to check every landing page, keyword, tracking, and deep link URL. Know the three kinds: the display URL shown in the ad, the final URL people land on, and the expanded URL, which is the final URL plus any tracking template and parameters.
- Load the final URL yourself on a phone and a computer, in more than one browser. Google says the page should return an HTTP 200 response and work on common browsers and devices.
- Test it the way Google sees it. Google documents a Chrome DevTools check. Open DevTools, open Network conditions, turn off caching, clear the browser default user agent, and paste the AdsBot user agent string from Google's help page. Load the page. It should look the same as it does in your normal browser.
- Fix the server side if AdsBot is blocked. Ask your web developer to check firewalls, security plugins, and redirect rules. Google's advice is to make sure the site does not return errors when it is crawled.
- Or point the ad somewhere that works. If you cannot fix the page soon, change the ad's final URL to a working page.
If redirects are involved, read Destination mismatch too. Google treats a redirect to a different domain as its own problem.
Ask for a new review
Google gives two paths:
- Edit the ad. Go to Campaigns, then Ads. Hover over the ad or asset, select Edit, fix it, and select Save. Google says the ad is reviewed again on its own. Check the status on the Ads and assets page.
- File an appeal. If you fixed the page and did not need to edit the ad, Google says to fix the destination and then file an appeal. Go to Troubleshooting in the Tools menu, select Policy manager, select Appeal on the ad, and choose "Made changes to comply with policy" as the reason.
Google's appeal page adds a few limits. Wait at least 24 hours between appeals for the same ads. Each ad gets 3 appeals. After that you have to contact Google Ads support.
Where ClickMend fits
ClickMend checks the page a Google Ad sends people to. It does not read your Google Ads account, your policy status, or crawl as AdsBot. So use Google's DevTools test to clear the disapproval.
Once the page loads again, a free ClickMend scan of the final URL is a fast second check. It gives a score from 0 to 100 built on Google PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals, names slow parts like unused JavaScript, and checks tracking. It tells you if a Google Ads conversion tag is on the page, whether it actually loaded, and whether the conversion linker is turned off. A rebuilt or moved page often loses its tag. Our guide on conversion tracking that stopped working covers that.
Pages break after edits and plugin updates. If you run ads for many clients, weekly landing page monitoring on a paid plan sends an alert when a page gets worse.
Frequently asked questions
Will my account get suspended for this?
Google says Destination requirements violations do not lead to an immediate suspension. It issues a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
The page loads fine for me. Why did Google flag it?
Google checks the page with its AdsBot crawler, not your browser. A firewall, security plugin, or server rule can block AdsBot while you see the page fine. Test with the AdsBot user agent in Chrome DevTools.
Do I have to appeal after I fix it?
If you edit the ad and save it, Google reviews it again on its own. If you fixed the page without editing the ad, Google says to file an appeal to request a new review.
Does ClickMend show my policy status?
No. ClickMend does not read your Google Ads account. It checks the page your ad sends people to, including speed and whether your conversion tag loads.