Home > Google Banned Keywords | hCG Being Added

Google Banned Keywords | hCG Being Added

One of our clients here at Hanapin is in the hCG diet space, which is a very exciting, fast paced, and competitive vertical in the PPC world. From an agency standpoint, it’s a great account to work on because accounts with a high level of spend generally come with a team of Google folks to work with on the account. That was the case with our client and this Google team was particularly great and collaborative on efforts to improve the account. The other side of having a great Google team is that you get the bad news first. Unfortunately, we got the bad news yesterday evening. We were told that hCG is being banned on Google AdWords.

 

This is the first time I’ve had to go through a black listing on Google. The reasoning behind the ban is somewhat foggy. Part of the explanation is that the FDA has labeled oral hCG for weight loss as being “economic fraud” and that is the reasoning behind it. There has also been some bad press about the hCG diet in the past few days, which might have had some influence as well. As far as I can tell, the majority of the FDA talk has stemmed from an article posted by USA Today back in January. While this article was posted by a well-respected news source, there is no official stance on the issue posted on the FDA’s website (at least none that I could find in about an hours worth of research). Our Google reps also confirmed that they haven’t seen any actual literature from Google stating their stance. With that said, they don’t know what’s going on in legal behind the scenes so something may exist we don’t necessarily know about.

 

If we assume there is no official word on hCG from the FDA, it brings to question exactly how Google makes the decision to ban products or keywords from paid advertising. I don’t have the answer but I don’t feel confident there is a common answer. I was told by Google employees that it comes down to individual decisions within their policy team. For example, they have products that the FDA has taken a firm stance against that they do allow to be advertised and likewise, there are products that the FDA says are perfectly OK that they have banned in the past. I wasn’t given any specific examples but needless to say, there is no definitive way to get booted (or not booted).

 

As far as hCG is concerned here is what I know. I was told by the source that it’s getting blacklisted. Currently however, our account is still active and driving clicks and sales. I also can say that for every piece of bad press or negative toned writing that is online, there is an overwhelming amount of supportive testimonials posted as a response. I feel like the ban is a little premature given there is no official FDA statement. The use of hCG for weight loss was first identified by Dr. Albert T. W. Simeons, whose work in this area has been trusted by those in the know for over half a century. I guess what I’m trying to put together is that there seems to be as much good to this product as there is controversy and it’s far easier to find a testimonial about how great the product is as compared to someone saying it harmed them in some way.

 

I can attest to the fact that thousands and thousands of folks have tried the diet. Direct traffic accounts for about 25% of our clients revenue, with many of those people being repeat customers. You would think if people thought they were being fraudulently cheated out of their money there would be more negative testimonials but the reality is, the majority of the negativity out there is from people who have never actually tried the diet. The diet itself is trending right now, which I think had as much to do with the ban as anything else. If it weren’t so popular, we wouldn’t see the high level of publicity that might be the driving factor in this decision. After all, the product and diet has been around long before Google was a glimmer in Larry and Sergei’s eye. They allowed advertising on it up until this point, so why the sudden change in policy? We may never know.

 

May 27, 2011

About the Author

Rob Boyd

Rob is a former Account Director at Hanapin Marketing, a search engine marketing firm focused on generating results through pay-per-click advertising.
  • Paige

    Interesting article. I have recently found out that the sale of hcG has been banned on ebay as well, so that may be another factor. I personally have tried the hcG diet with great results and no personal harmful side effects. It will be interesting to see if Google does offer a more detail explaination, as well as any further insight as to criteria for getting blacklisted other than the whims of their policy makers. 

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  • John crestani

    This is very disturbing as it seems Google is undermining free markets and free speech.

    Setting policies for how its users interact with the internet is a very slippery slope, especially as Google grows ever larger and encompasses more parts of IT.

  • Ron

    It may be that Google’s decision to ban this product stems from the overwhelming amount of counterfeit product currently out there and resulting complaints directly to Google or pressure from the FDA.   I own bricks and mortar pharmacies in Canada and have shipped prescription meds (to prescription holders only) to the US for over 10 years. In April of 2010 (as far as my memory serves!), Google suspended all pharmacy accounts unless the pharmacy was properly accredited, thereby wiping out any pharmacy not located within the USA and thereby greatly reducing US citizens abilities to find much cheaper alternatives. At the time, the rumor was that Google had been successfully sued by a party who had received counterfeit meds purchased through adwords ads. It may have been the party was representing a deceased person or there was serious medical issues that result in the lawsuit.

    I also have websites selling hCG injections, not drops. One site was suspended in March of 2011 for having links to my larger pharmacy site. Another was just suspended on May 27th for  selling pharmaceutical products against Google policy.

    hCG is a prescription med not approved by the FDA for weight loss. It never will be.  As an operator of sites selling hCG injections, not a day goes by that I do not hear of a new customer who had tried the cheaper drops with zero results. In January of 2010, there were very few sites selling drops. Suddenly everyone and their dog was and unfortunately;  this particular product is extremely easy to counterfeit.

    That is not to say that all drops are counterfeit or do not produce results. But if the drops are marketed as containing hCG, then the website is selling an FDA controlled prescription medication and without proper licensing would be in contravention of Google adwords policy on pharmacy and prescription products.

    Unfortunately, this affects reputable site operators like me (few and far between!) but does protect the consumer in this case due to the nature of the product usage as sub-lingual or inject-able. You just never know what you’re getting!

    Very upsetting and costly to an above board business like mine, but that’s how Google works!

    Ahhh..the continuing mystery of the inner workings and whims of Google and Adwords!

    Ron

  • Geordie

    Do they rebill the customer for continuing shipments until the customer cancels?  That model has been tough to use since affiliates went to town on the Acai diet stuff and the FTC got involved.  The other factor could be unsubstantiated weight loss claims that aren’t supported by independent studies per the FTC’s new guidelines for online advertisers.

  • http://twitter.com/landtimforgot warhelmet

    The marketing of homeopathic hCG is not permitted. hCG is not listed in the Homœopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) – HPCUS have confirmed this to me.

    • http://twitter.com/HCGMiracleDiet HCG Miracle Diet

      HCG itself may not be but under HPUS and FDA guidelines formulas can include HCG as an ingredient and be covered under HPUS. My company sells one of the who actually officially recognized formulas that does included HCG as an ingredient. 

      Section 400.400 of the FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) conditions under which homeopathic drugs may be marketed (CPG 7132.15) states: “Documentation must be provided to support that those products or ingredients which are not recognized officially in the HPUS, an addendum to it, or its supplements are generally recognized as homeopathic products or ingredients”. The documentation criteria are listed below. There are two ways to make and market a homeopathic remedy or drug product:  1. As an “Official HPUS active ingredient”; and 2. as a “Non-HPUS active ingredient”. The Official HPUS ingredient would be one of approximately 1,300 homeopathic ingredients listed in the HPUS. The documentation for marketing a Non HPUS homeopathic ingredients like HCG can be manufactured and marketed if they meet any one or more of the following criteria:1. Have historical use as a homeopathic remedy. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have used homeopathic HCG. This would put homeopathic HCG at the top of the list of Non-HPUS Active Ingredients. This fact alone should justify its use. 2. Have a homeopathic proving done. This is a special study done on humans that discovers a substances therapeutic potential homeopathically.3. Have 2 or more independent clinical studies done. Futhermore, . Section 400.400 of
      the FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) conditions under which homeopathic drugs
      may be marketed (CPG 7132.15) states: “Whenever a drug is recognized in both
      the United States Pharmacopeia and the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United
      States it shall be subject to the requirements of the United States
      Pharmacopeia unless it is labeled and offered for sale as a homeopathic drug,
      in which case it shall be subject to the provisions of the Homeopathic
      Pharmacopeia of the United States and not to those of the United States
      Pharmacopeia”. 

    • http://twitter.com/HCGMiracleDiet HCG Miracle Diet

      HCG itself may not be but under HPUS and FDA guidelines formulas can include HCG as an ingredient and be covered under HPUS. My company sells one of the who actually officially recognized formulas that does included HCG as an ingredient. 

      Section 400.400 of the FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) conditions under which homeopathic drugs may be marketed (CPG 7132.15) states: “Documentation must be provided to support that those products or ingredients which are not recognized officially in the HPUS, an addendum to it, or its supplements are generally recognized as homeopathic products or ingredients”. The documentation criteria are listed below. There are two ways to make and market a homeopathic remedy or drug product:  1. As an “Official HPUS active ingredient”; and 2. as a “Non-HPUS active ingredient”. The Official HPUS ingredient would be one of approximately 1,300 homeopathic ingredients listed in the HPUS. The documentation for marketing a Non HPUS homeopathic ingredients like HCG can be manufactured and marketed if they meet any one or more of the following criteria:1. Have historical use as a homeopathic remedy. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have used homeopathic HCG. This would put homeopathic HCG at the top of the list of Non-HPUS Active Ingredients. This fact alone should justify its use. 2. Have a homeopathic proving done. This is a special study done on humans that discovers a substances therapeutic potential homeopathically.3. Have 2 or more independent clinical studies done. Futhermore, . Section 400.400 of
      the FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) conditions under which homeopathic drugs
      may be marketed (CPG 7132.15) states: “Whenever a drug is recognized in both
      the United States Pharmacopeia and the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United
      States it shall be subject to the requirements of the United States
      Pharmacopeia unless it is labeled and offered for sale as a homeopathic drug,
      in which case it shall be subject to the provisions of the Homeopathic
      Pharmacopeia of the United States and not to those of the United States
      Pharmacopeia”. 

  • banjo1010

     This is frustrating. I run a legitimate doctors office, run by a board
    certified NMD that happens to use hCG as one of our treatments. It is
    only one of many treatments that we offer.

    Google suspended our adwords account because we used hCG as one of our many adwords. PERMANENTLY SUSPENDED OUR ACCOUNT!

    We can’t even advertise the many other services we offer as a doctors office!

    This has also happened to many other legitimate clinics in our area. Shut down, without warning.

    Yet, if you search hCG on google, a number of homeopathic drops (the ones that the FDA says are bogus) are still there.

    It’s a crime. It is hurting local business and hardworking medical professionals because they actually use hCG in their practice.

  • hcgasap

    I own a site that sells sells hCG and back on May 27th we had our Google Adwords account suspended.  When I contacted them at that time they could not tell me a specific reason other than possibly some misleading text on my landing page. I called today 6/1/2011 and they told me that they were in the process of taking off all sites promoting hCG as a diet aid.

    We have sold to thousand of customers who have been very happy with the diet. We have a 30 day money back guarantee and have had only one return since we started business last year.

    I have had customer tell me that they have bought cheap hCG drops online and they did not work or they had bad reactions to them. This may be what is prompting Google to take a stand.

  • GJonestein

    This entire thing has been set off by affiliate marketers and webbers with absolutely NO medical or health care experience making all these outrageous claims that hCG fixes, cures, is permanent weight loss.  Go to ANY hCG selling website and EVERYTHING on their ENTIRE SITE is HYPE and crap started by Kevin Trudeau!….. which is absolutely NOT the truth and they have NO respect for the fact that homeopathy is regulated by the FDA as a drug. Do you hear me… a DRUG…. a non-approved for over the counter usage for weight loss… and everyone is standing around with their mouths hanging open like Google did something wrong… they didn’t do anything wrong.. they took a DRUG out of the hands of webbers for sale on the internet…. and unfortunately out of the hands of  authorized professionals who CAN sell the product.

    I personally fault Medirol, who was the first homeopathic manufacturer who began selling Homeopathic hCG  to webbers back in ’09.. .and then others jumped on board, then they allowed  private labeling and it has just spiraled out of hand. It appeared on YOU TUBE with some ‘mamaclock’ showing how to take “THE DROPS” with a plastic syringe.. how ignorant… homeopathic products come with a DROPPER…what’s with the fake syringe to take drops with? …… lay people are so ignorant they don’t even KNOW how ignorant they are!.. ignorant in the term of: LACK OF KNOWLEDGE!

    I ASSUME the syringe was supposed to represent a ‘syringe’ used with injections but she was using the comparison you drop the liquid in your mouth….. man!

    These manufacturers legally have had NO right nor authority to sell it  to “webbers” and lay people in the first place!  They manufacture certain products that are only to be sold to health care professionals… and this is ONE OF THEM…. they are all totally in the wrong.. GREED strikes again…

    A homeopathic that is ONLY available otherwise via prescription has NO business on the internet for sales in the hands of anyone OTHER than a professional practitioner…. and that’s LAW…..

     To add on top of this, the media is now making outlandish false claims about homeopathy not working and it has just turned into a horrible mess for legitimate health care professionals selling homeopathic hCG and for Medical professionals offering the hCG injections.  The internet creates an unregulated FREE FRAWL out there that anyone can say anything they dang well please and make totally stupid claims….. Kevin Trudeau does is all the time.. and so do websites….and this is what it has lead to in regard to hCG for ALL of us WHO ARE IN THE HCG BUSINESS……..

    It unfortunately won’t stop the opportunist webbers…… they are ONLY looking to MAKE MONEY… and lots of it in whatever they must do… they are so nieve and stupid about the FDA, drugs and homeopathics and what they’ve done….. they don’t even know THEY’VE  created this mess. … ALONG WITH THE MANUFACTURERS…. who are getting shut down too, by the way.

    All Google has done is follow suit after Amazon, GNC, e-bay…and is making a STAB at stopping webbers with their FALSE claims and misleading advertising!

    Don’t get me wrong….I am VERY much in the HCG Diet business…. the difference is I am a VERY well trained, knowledgeable, experienced health care provider who has the RIGHT to offer the HCG Diet to Clients and WEBBERS don’t… but they’ve now ruined it for EVERYONE to take advantage of PPC and adwords.

    Google actually posted their new policy guidelines on Feb 14, 2011.

    My suggestions for future marketing SEO and PPC companies, webbers and homeopathic companies…. read the LAW and abide by it and even though we may not always agree….. we must suffer the consequences of our actions…. and unfortunately innocent by-standers get taken down too….. especially in this one!

  • Lloyd

    I am an agency with a client that has many separate areas of business as a medical facility. I changed all reference to HCG from adwords and deleted from the website. Google banned the account anyway. 
    The problem is with Google changing policy’s and not allowing anyone time to make a change and comply.

    Robert – How about a followup on this……..

    • Me

      Lloyd were they promoting homeopathic or prescription hcg? Also were they selling it online?

      • http://www.hanapinmarketing.com PPC Hero

        Approval

  • Dr. Beth

    I have been going round and round with them for about a month now with: http://www.hcgdietskincare.com  

    One can CLEARLY see we are not selling a product FOR the HCG Diet.. this is skincare that can be used while on the diet.

    They paused this ad campaign, then after emails back and forth, they approved it. Then the account sat for days, and this past weekend a large red banner appeared in our account that it has been permanently suspended for violation.

    Personally, I think it is time for ALL of us to take our business elsewhere and go where we are welcomed!

    YES?

    • Lloyd

      Hi Dr. Beth
      You are using the “term” HCG in your url and your site contains content related to HCG. This is why. according to the new policy we cannot even mention the word HCG, Hormone or any variation of related content.

  • http://twitter.com/HCGMiracleDiet HCG Miracle Diet

    The FDA has unleashed their puppet Google on us. Plus, I just got an email from MS AdCenter saying HCG is consider a pharmacy  medicine and subject to those guidelines. They disapproved all my ads.  

    Brandon 
    http://www.HCGMiracleDiet.com

  • Dr. Beth

    Another comment about the incorrect terms being used on “webbers’ hCG sites. 

    Homeopathic hCG is NOT “ORAL hCG”. 

     ”Oral hCG” and  is a prescription drug compounded by a pharmacy such as Releana. 

    “Sublingual hCG”  is a prescription drug compounded by a pharmacy such as Releana.

    Homeopathic hCG is the correct term for Homeopathic hCG.

  • AP

    I found this article very informative.  We run a website that sells All Natural Energy and Weight Management Products.  We don’t make any claims, or specify how much weight you will lose, or how much energy you will get.  We simply let our products speak for themselves.   In March 2011 we added Homeopathic HCG to our products list, not knowing that Google had banned these products.  We never used ANY terms relating to HCG on our adwords account.  We sell other Liquid products, and after successfully using the HCG products ourselves, felt they would be a welcome addition to our other products.   On July 21st, Google suspended our account permanently with no explanation.  After 5 days of trying to find out why, they FINALLY told us that it was the HCG on our website, and if we removed it, we could be considered for reinstatement.  I spent hours removing all references to the product from our site, and submitted the revised site to adwords for review.  I was then met with the same vague formletter I received on the first day “you account has been permanently suspended for serious violations of landing page and site policy”.  They didn’t even review our website to check to see if we had in fact complied with policy.  Just a blatant blanket of no.  I tried to respond with an impassioned response.  Had Google warned ANY of us about this, we would have made the changes before it got to this point.  As it is, they are losing about $300 a month in advertising from us.   Just so you know, we have the same ads on MS Adcenter, again, with no reference to HCG, and they have no problem with the products we sell.    Google has always been a Shoot first ask questions later kind of company.  I’m a little surprised they haven’t banned our other account for our other business (which has NOTHING to do with health products btw), just because we have the same address.  My loyalties no longer lie with Google, and I’m seriously considering changing my email addresses over to Yahoo.  It’s where all my advertising money is now going it seems!

  • Anonymous

    I am responding to AP and his post about Google banning hcg ads….. and/or Google in general.

    I am observing a HUGE shift in a lot of internet practices out there…

    This is moving all of us to newer and FRESHER options… not sure what those are at the moment, but good business / entrepreneurs always find a new stream when a dam appears..and all is good!

    I totally agree with AP on his/her comment: “My loyalties no longer lie with Google, and I’m seriously considering
    changing my email addresses over to Yahoo.  It’s where all my
    advertising money is now going it seems!”

    I have used Yahoo search engine and main internet page since 1999 and have loved the info they provide and they have ‘hung in there’ this whole time…

    So yes, the beauty of American Enterprise is we do still have a choice….. !

  • http://righteousmarketing.com robertbrady

    Last month had the same thing happen for the term l-arginine. No warning, just BAM! You’re finished.

    • Beth

      WHAT!!!.. What in the world is going on… ?

      I saw an announcement a month or so ago of some homeopathic hcg that is now mfg withOUT l-arginine so they can get it into Canada..

      In my 12+ years  as a Professional Health Care Practitioner specializing in nutrition and supplementation, I have NEVER witnessed anything like this.. what in the WORLD is someone saying is wrong with L-Arginine!

      its’  an AMINO ACID FOUND IN NUTS AND SEEDS……

      errrrrrrrrrrr.

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  • Fsubobby

    A medical clinic that I work for does the hCG diet with prescription hCG and every patient is seen and monitored by a M.D. and our adword campaign was removed by google even though we were only doing a ad campaign for urgent care. They stated that our website can’t mention the word hCG in any terms in conjunction with weightloss. Doesn’t really seem fair to me.

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  • Alex Plank

    Hello ,

    i would like to know if the keyword” Research Chemicals” and its different variations like Buy/ order/purchase Research Chemicals banned by google?

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