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Google Ads healthcare policy: what UAE clinics can and can't advertise

By Abhishek Thakral · abhi.performs, Dubai · Updated November 2026 · 9 min read

The Google Ads healthcare policy is why a clinic's "Botox Dubai" campaign gets disapproved on day one, usually after the landing page and budget are already set. Most advice on these rules is written for US clinics, where certification opens doors that stay shut in the UAE.

Below is what Google's own policy pages say for campaigns targeting the UAE, what that means for an aesthetic or medical clinic, and the set-up I use so clinic ads stay approved.

What the Google Ads healthcare policy covers for a clinic

Google's Healthcare and medicines policy says some health content can't be advertised at all, and some only in certain locations by advertisers Google has approved. A clinic offering consultations and in-person treatments is not banned. The problems come from specific words, specific treatments and specific targeting.

The policy is a set of sub-policies. The ones that catch UAE clinics are:

• Restricted drug terms. Prescription drug names in ads, landing pages and keywords.
• Speculative and experimental treatments. This one includes cell therapies, and Google names PRP.
• Unauthorised pharmacies. Offering prescription drugs without a prescription. Google treats this as egregious: the account is suspended on detection, without warning, and Google says the advertiser won't be allowed to advertise with Google Ads again.

Certification is the part people misread. Google's examples of certification types are online pharmacy, telemedicine, addiction services, health insurance and pharmaceutical manufacturer. Its restricted drug terms page says: "Do not apply for a category that does not match your business model." A walk-in aesthetic clinic fits none of them, so certification is not the fix for a disapproved clinic ad.

Why "Botox" gets your ads disapproved

For campaigns targeting anywhere other than Canada, New Zealand and the United States, Google's restricted drug terms policy says: "You may not use prescription drug terms in ads or landing pages." That includes the UAE.

• The landing page counts. Clean ad text is not enough. If the page the ad sends people to names the drug, the ad can still be disapproved.
• Keywords count too. Google restricts these terms in keywords as well. Outside those three countries, the policy only names businesses such as online pharmacies and telemedicine providers as able to target them, with certification.

Non-promotional use is allowed, such as regulatory warnings, legal notices and public health campaigns. A treatment page selling the injection is promotional.

Which words? Google publishes a non-exhaustive list of prescription drugs it monitors. When I checked it on 1 November 2026, these terms that UAE clinics often advertise were on it:

• Anti-wrinkle injections: botox, botulinum toxin, dysport, xeomin.
• Weight-loss injections: semaglutide, ozempic, wegovy, tirzepatide, mounjaro, zepbound, liraglutide.
• Hair and skin: finasteride, tretinoin, isotretinoin, spironolactone, latisse (bimatoprost).

Filler brands such as Juvederm and Restylane were not on the list that day. Google calls the list non-exhaustive, though, so treat that as "not listed", not "approved".

PRP and stem cell treatments can't be advertised

Google's policy on speculative and experimental medical treatment, cell therapies and gene therapies does not allow the promotion of cell therapies, and its examples name "Platelet rich plasma, also referred to as PRP therapies", along with stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

The only exception is in the United States, for FDA-licensed therapies promoted by the licence holder. Ads that are purely educational are allowed, such as an academic paper or a ticket to a medical conference. A clinic ad for a PRP hair or facial treatment is neither.

For this sub-policy, Google says it gives at least 7 days' warning before suspending an account. That is a warning, not permission. Repeated disapprovals in the same account add up, so take PRP out of Google campaigns rather than rewording it until something gets through.

Remarketing and Customer Match are off for injections and surgery

Google's personalised advertising policy lists health as a sensitive interest category, and that includes "Invasive medical procedures, including cosmetic surgery, surgical procedures, or injections". Ads promoting those can't use audiences you build yourself.

What that means in the account:

• Can't use: Customer Match (your patient or lead lists), your data segments (website remarketing), audience expansion and lookalike segments.
• Can use: Google's predefined audiences, such as in-market segments, affinity, demographics, detailed demographics and life events, plus location targeting.
• Custom segments, with a catch. If the ads or landing pages are sensitive, Google says custom segments only serve on Display, to non-sensitive audiences or contextually. In other campaign types they won't serve.

Under-18s are not eligible for personalised ads of any kind. The policy also covers chronic conditions and intimate health, so a medical clinic advertising diabetes, fertility or urology services is in the same category.

So a clinic used to remarketing on Meta needs a different plan on Google. Let Search do the work: someone typing a treatment and an area into Google is already looking. Don't plan numbers around a remarketing list the campaign can never use.

Cosmetic surgery ads after Google's 2025 change

Google used to restrict "Mature Cosmetic Procedures" under its sexual content policy. From 22 September 2025 it removed them from that policy, with enforcement phased out over about four weeks, so cosmetic surgery ads are no longer restricted for that reason.

The same notice says these ads must still follow Google's other rules, including those on sexually suggestive content and nudity, and the protections for children and teens. In practice, keep before-and-after creative and landing page images clinical. And because surgery is still an invasive procedure, the audience limits above still apply.

The UAE layer: your regulator has its own rules

Google approval does not mean your health regulator approves the ad. Google itself says you're expected to know the local laws for every location your ads target.

For Dubai clinics, I covered the DHA's standards for medical advertising on social media in my guide to Meta's healthcare ad rules for UAE clinics. They include the licence number, Medical Director sign-off, warnings on invasive procedures and banned words such as "the best", "100%" and "immediate results". That standard covers social media, not search ads, but I run Google ad copy through the same banned-word list so every channel uses one approved wording.

Not sure whether your advertising licence covers search ads? Ask your regulator (DHA, DOH Abu Dhabi, DHCC or MOHAP) before launch, not after a complaint.

A clinic Search set-up that stays approved

A compliant clinic account names treatments in plain language and counts booked consultations, not form-fills, as conversions.

1. Ad groups by treatment, in generic terms. "Anti-wrinkle injections", "lip fillers", "hair loss consultation", "weight loss programme". Check every keyword against the drug list before upload, not after a disapproval.
2. One clean landing page per treatment. No drug names, no guarantee claims, the clinic's address and licence details visible. A consultation booking form or WhatsApp button above the fold.
3. Targeting by location, not lists. A sensible radius around the clinic and Google's predefined audiences as observation if you want them. I explain the location setting that matters in the Google Ads location targeting mistake Dubai advertisers make.
4. Measure booked consultations. Without remarketing, the signal you send back matters more. Import booked and attended consultations with Google Ads offline conversion import so bidding learns from patients, not clicks.
5. Check policy status weekly. Watch the policy column on the Ads page, and look for "Eligible (limited)" as well as "Disapproved". Recheck after anyone edits the landing pages, because the page is part of what the policy covers.

When an ad is disapproved: the fix order

Fix the cause Google names before you appeal. In my experience an appeal with nothing changed wastes a day, and Google warns that ads left in violation can lead to suspension for repeated violations.

1. Read the policy name on the ad. "Restricted drug terms", "Speculative and experimental medical treatment" and "Personalized advertising" each need a different fix.
2. Search the ad, keywords and landing page for the term. Check headlines, descriptions, sitelinks and the page's title and image alt text, not just the body copy.
3. Edit the ad or point it to a compliant page. Google's options to fix include editing the ad or choosing a new landing page. After an edit, Google says re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
4. For personalised advertising flags, remove the audiences. Take Customer Match and remarketing lists off the campaign, ad groups and asset groups.
5. Appeal once the fix is in, or if Google got it wrong. Select the ad on the Ads page, choose Appeal policy decision, then pick "Made changes to comply with policy" or "Dispute decision".

Never let a Google ad or its landing page suggest you supply prescription medicine without a consultation. That is the unauthorised pharmacy rule, and it is the one that ends accounts without a warning.

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