What affiliates need to know about Google’s 2025 healthcare ad update

Education Google

What affiliates need to know about Google’s 2025 healthcare ad update

June 25, 2025

3 min read

In May 2025, Google rolled out a policy update tightening its rules around healthcare advertising. You don't have to advertise health care products to be considered a “healthcare advertiser” in terms of these changes. Stricter restrictions also imply targeting users based on health-related interests, limiting the use of certain medical or wellness terms, and putting more pressure on landing page compliance.

If you're running offers in nutraceuticals, weight loss, or anything remotely related to healthcare, you're now more likely to see disapprovals or reduced reach. What worked for your ads until now might not today, and staying compliant just got more complicated.

How the update affects affiliate marketers

Affiliate marketers promoting healthcare-related offers are among the most impacted by this update.

If you are promoting supplements, sleep aids, gut health products, weight loss products, or anything mentioning specific conditions (like anxiety or digestion), they are now under closer look on Google. Even landing pages with aggressive language or no visible disclaimers can trigger enforcement.

What does Google now consider sensitive?

Google has expanded its definition of “sensitive” when it comes to targeting. Here are some examples of interest categories and keywords that now fall under Google sensitive healthcare targeting:

Weight loss and body image
Mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression)
Digestive health and gut-related issues
Sexual health and performance
Sleep disorders and insomnia
Chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, arthritis)
Personal hardships or trauma

Targeting users based on related interests or behaviour can trigger disapproval. For full details, you can check Google’s official policy update here. If your offer touches some of these topics, it’s time to reevaluate your ad content and audience targeting.

How to stay compliant as an affiliate?

Staying on Google’s good side isn’t impossible; you just have to tweak your approach. Here’s how to approach compliant nutra advertising without killing your conversions:

Avoid restricted claims – Ditch any wording that promises “instant results,” “cures,” or references specific medical conditions. Stick to general wellness benefits or lifestyle improvements.
Use educational content – Instead of pushing hard sells, lead with valuable content like guides, quizzes, or explainers.
Lean into zero-party and intent-based data – Collect data directly from users via surveys or sign-ups (zero-party) or use contextual targeting based on content, not personal health history.

If you are looking for more tips on how to stay compliant, check our detailed nutra compliance guide.

Final tips to protect your Google Ads account

Navigating Google’s updated healthcare policies doesn’t have to be a headache; just stay proactive:

Keep up with Google’s latest policy changes (they’re updated very often lately!).
Regularly audit your landing pages, creatives, and targeting settings.
Test new ad angles that don’t include sensitive claims.
Use intent-based or contextual targeting instead of audience interests.
And most importantly, don’t wait for a disapproval to react!

Do you need someone to keep up with the changing policies? Contact us for premium advertising support.

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