This healthcare ad copy checker works as a Google Ads policy checker for health ads, and covers Meta too. Paste a draft headline, description or primary text, choose the platform, and it flags wording that commonly gets health ads disapproved or creates FTC risk, with the policy behind each flag and a suggested rewrite. It's a pre-flight check, not an approval. No patient information is entered or stored, and you shouldn't paste patient stories.
Check your ad copy: a Google Ads policy checker for health ads
- Paste all the text for one ad: headlines, descriptions and primary text.
- Choose Google and Meta, Google Ads or Meta (Facebook and Instagram).
- Press Check my ad copy. Each flag shows the words it matched, why they're a risk, a "Try instead" rewrite and links to the policy pages. "Likely problem" flags come before "Check this" flags.
- Edit and check again until the copy is clean, then review the landing page and targeting.
The tool shows the date its rules were last checked against the official pages. Few people search for this by name: "google ads policy checker" gets about 10 US searches a month, "ad copy generator" 110 and "facebook ad copy generator" 20 (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026).
What it flags on Google Ads
| Flag | Example words | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription drugs and brand-name injectables | Botox, semaglutide | Google "restricts the use of prescription drug terms in ads, landing pages, and keywords" (opens in a new tab) |
| Addiction treatment | rehab, detox | In the US, LegitScript plus Google certification is required |
| Third-party trademarks | Invisalign, CoolSculpting | Google may restrict a trademark (opens in a new tab) in ad text after the owner complains |
| Pregnancy and reproductive health | IVF, birth control | Health is a sensitive category (opens in a new tab) that limits audience targeting |
| Unverifiable superlatives | best, top-rated | Google bars claims that "entice the user with an improbable result" (opens in a new tab); the FTC expects support |
| Editorial | ALL CAPS, "!!", emoji | Google's editorial policy (opens in a new tab) bars capitalization and symbols not "used correctly or for their intended purpose" |
See our Google Ads healthcare policy guide for certification steps.
What it flags on Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
Personal attributes. Meta ads "must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes," (opens in a new tab) including physical or mental health. Meta allows "Depression counseling" but not "Depression getting you down? Get help now." The checker flags "Are you…", "Struggling with…" and "your" next to a condition.
Drugs and addiction treatment. Prescription-drug ads need Meta authorization (opens in a new tab) (LegitScript certification for telehealth and online pharmacies), run only in the US, Canada or New Zealand, and can't target under-18s. Addiction-treatment ads (opens in a new tab) need LegitScript certification and written permission from Meta.
Weight loss and appearance. Meta's health and wellness policy (opens in a new tab) requires 18+ targeting for weight-loss and cosmetic procedure ads, bans "statements of inferiority about physical appearance," and restricts before-and-after imagery in weight-loss ads. The checker flags specific results, timelines and before-and-after wording. Our Meta health ad policy guide has more.
Claims and testimonials: FTC basics
The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance (opens in a new tab) says health claims need "competent and reliable scientific evidence," and a marketer is "equally responsible for the accuracy of claims suggested or reasonably implied." Testimonials "that report results more dramatic than users can generally expect are likely to be deceptive" without a clear disclosure of typical results.
The FTC's reviews and testimonials rule (opens in a new tab) (16 CFR Part 465) bans fake reviews and testimonials. Using a patient's testimonial in an ad also generally requires their HIPAA authorization under 45 CFR 164.508 (opens in a new tab). The checker flags absolutes ("cure", "100%", "painless", "risk-free"), numbers with timelines, and rating or testimonial claims.
How to rewrite a flagged ad
Illustrative example: fictional practices in Austin, TX.
| Before | After | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Struggling with anxiety? Our therapists get results in 4 weeks!! | Anxiety therapy in Austin. Licensed therapists, evening appointments. | Service, not the reader; no timeline; one sentence case |
| Lose 30 lbs in 8 weeks with semaglutide | Physician-supervised medical weight loss in Austin. | Treatment category, no drug name or numbers |
| Best Invisalign dentist in Austin | Clear aligners in Austin. Saturday appointments available. | Generic term; a checkable fact instead of "best" |
Talk about the service, describe the treatment category rather than the drug brand, drop outcomes and timelines, and swap superlatives for facts you can show: years in practice, hours, languages. Our AI ad creatives guide covers producing compliant variations at volume.
Limits: policies change and reviewers decide
The checker matches patterns in text. It can't see images, video, landing pages, targeting or whether you hold a certification, and it will miss wording it has no pattern for. Platform reviewers make the decision, and policies change, so confirm against the linked pages before launch. Our healthcare advertising rules hub tracks the main ones.
Medfy's Google Ads management checks new ad copy suggestions against healthcare policy, and its Meta ads + AI creatives add-on uses copy written for healthcare ad policies. Each is $199/month (see Medfy pricing). Neither is a legal review, and no one can promise approval. The free marketing audit also flags ad privacy risks such as pixels on patient forms. More free marketing tools cover budgets and reviews.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my healthcare ad disapproved?
The usual causes are wording that implies the viewer has a condition (on Meta), prescription-drug or brand-name injectable terms, addiction-treatment ads without certification, promises of results, and editorial issues such as all-caps or repeated punctuation. The disapproval notice names the policy. Open that policy page, compare your exact wording, rewrite, and check the landing page too.
Can I mention a medical condition in a Facebook ad?
Yes, as a service, not as a statement about the viewer. Meta's own examples allow "Depression counseling" and "New diabetes treatment available" but not "Do you have diabetes?" or "Depression getting you down? Get help now." Name the treatment and where you offer it, keep "you" and "your" away from the condition, and target adults where Meta's health rules require it.
Does passing the checker guarantee approval?
No. The checker matches common problem wording against rules taken from Google, Meta and FTC pages, but it can't see your images, landing page, targeting or certification status, and platform reviewers make the final decision. Policies also change. Treat a clean result as a pre-flight check, then confirm against the official policy pages before you launch.