Daily Marketing News, October 5, 2026: Google Ads updates its policy on government services ads
As of October 5, 2026, Google Ads enforces a new version of its policy on ads from intermediaries that help people get a passport, a visa or an official certificate. Google is also testing a hidden phone number in Local Services Ads, a new sitelink format in AI Mode and a search page without the I'm Feeling Lucky button.
Story of the day: Google Ads changes its policy on ads for help with visas, passports and certificates starting October 5
Google Ads has a group of restrictions called Other restricted businesses. These are niches where advertising is allowed, but with conditions. One section of that group is called Government documents and services. It covers intermediaries: services and agencies that charge a fee to help people get a passport, a visa, a certificate, a registration or another government service. As of October 5, 2026, this section works under an updated version.
Google announced the update on August 5, 2026, exactly 60 days before it took effect. Search Engine Roundtable, a publication that tracks changes in Google search and ads every day, says the section has a lot of edits. It recommends that everyone advertising direct access to government documents and services reread the policy, not just those who have already had ads disapproved.
Who this hits. Visa support agencies, immigration services, company registration help and certificate processing services. Ads that passed review under the old version can be disapproved starting today. 60 days to prepare sounds like plenty. In practice, people remember rules like this on the day their campaign stops and they have zero leads by lunchtime.
What to do today. Open the Government documents and services policy page under Other restricted businesses in the Google Ads help center and check your ad copy and landing pages against it point by point. In your account, filter ads by status and see what moved to "Disapproved" or "Eligible (limited)" after October 5. If an ad is disapproved, fix the landing page it points to as well: review looks at both sides.
More news for October 5, 2026
Local Services Ads is Google's ad format for local services: plumbers, lawyers, cleaning companies. The ads sit above the regular search results, and the business pays per customer lead. Since September 1, 2026, these ads have shown the main phone number from the business profile. Now there appears to be a desktop test: the number isn't visible right away, and the user has to hover the cursor over the ad first. Google hasn't made an official announcement. If the number is hidden, fewer people may call without clicking through. Businesses that get direct calls from Local Services Ads customers should track call volume in their October reports and compare it with September.
AI Mode is the Google search mode where an AI model answers instead of showing a list of links, and it shows ads too. Sitelinks are extra links to sections of a website that appear under the main ad. Until now, in AI Mode they looked the same as in regular search results. Now Google is trying a different format for them. On the same day, the publication noticed that images had disappeared from some Google Ads shopping ads, which is either a bug or a test. Advertisers should check in their accounts that every sitelink has a description filled in and that its URL leads to a working page: in the new format, an empty link will stand out more.
It's a long-standing button in the Google search box: it opens the first result right away and skips the results page. For some users, the button disappears completely as soon as they start typing a query. Others see AI buttons appear next to it. On the same day, Search Engine Roundtable noted that Google's AI answers have started showing up for queries about sports team rosters. There's no official announcement. For site owners, this is one more sign that Google is moving people from classic search results to AI answers, and that informational queries may send fewer clicks to websites.
It's an annual US conference on content marketing, attended by agencies and brand content teams. Tickets cost from $899 to $2,299. It's most useful for agencies that build content programs, processes and expert content for clients. The conference usually brings new tools and research, so expect industry announcements on content this week.
What advertisers, creators and site owners should do
- If you advertise help with visas, passports, certificates or registrations in Google Ads, check your ad statuses today and compare your ad copy and landing pages with the new version of the policy.
- If Local Services Ads customers call you directly, track your call volume throughout October: Google is testing a hidden phone number that only appears on hover.
- Check your sitelinks and shopping ad images in Google Ads: a new sitelink format is being tested in AI Mode, and some shopping ads have lost their images.
- If you depend on informational search traffic, watch your clicks from Google: tests like the removal of I'm Feeling Lucky and AI answers on new types of queries keep pushing users toward AI responses.
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