Ad Creative Approval Checklist: What to Check Before You Approve an Ad

Before you approve an ad, check three things: the creative (is it honest, legible, and appropriate at the actual slot size), the destination (does the link go where it promises, to a safe page that matches the ad), and the advertiser (is the product something your policy allows). A five-minute review against a written checklist catches most problems and makes every rejection consistent and easy to explain.

Key takeaways

• Review the landing page, not just the image. Most problems hide behind the click.
• Check the creative at its real size on a phone, not just as a file on your desktop.
• Use the same checklist every time so decisions are consistent and defensible.
• Decide quickly. If the advertiser's card is only authorized until you approve, that hold expires.
• Reject with a specific reason and a clear way to fix it, and most advertisers will come back.

Why every ad needs a human review

Ads on your site sit next to your own work, and readers associate what appears in your ad slots with you. One misleading or malicious ad can cost more in reader trust than the booking was worth.

Automated screening helps, but it can't judge context. It won't notice that a landing page quotes a different price than the banner, that a "free trial" quietly becomes a subscription, or that a perfectly clean image links to a page full of pop-ups. Those calls need a person and a checklist.

The copy-paste approval checklist

Copy this into your notes app, project tool, or review document and run through it for every booking.

AD REVIEW: [advertiser] / [dates] / [slot]

1. Advertiser and product
[ ] Product or service is allowed under our advertising policy
[ ] Advertiser is identifiable: real business name, website, contact
[ ] Relevant to our audience (or at least not out of place)

2. Creative
[ ] Correct size; nothing important cut off at the edges
[ ] Text readable at actual size on a phone
[ ] Sharp, not stretched or pixelated
[ ] Advertiser's name or logo clearly visible
[ ] No fake buttons, fake warnings, or imitation of our site's design
[ ] Nothing offensive, sensational, or discriminatory

3. Claims
[ ] Claims are specific and plausible ("guaranteed" and "100%" are red flags)
[ ] Prices, discounts, and offers match the landing page
[ ] Regulated topics (health, finance, alcohol) meet our policy and local rules

4. Link and landing page
[ ] Link opens the exact page the ad promises
[ ] HTTPS, loads normally on mobile and desktop
[ ] No automatic downloads, pop-ups, or redirect chains
[ ] Landing page branding and offer match the creative
[ ] Short links expanded and final domain checked

5. Disclosure
[ ] Slot is labeled "Advertisement" or "Sponsored"
[ ] Link uses rel="sponsored"
[ ] Ad can't be mistaken for our editorial content

6. Logistics
[ ] Dates and price confirmed
[ ] Decision made before the payment hold expires

Decision: APPROVE / REJECT / ASK FOR CHANGES
Reason (if not approved):

How to check each area quickly

The landing page and link destination

Open the ad's link in a private browser window on both your phone and your computer, and let every redirect finish. Then ask:

1. Is the final domain the advertiser's own, or something unrelated?
2. Does the page match the ad's offer, price, and branding?
3. Does anything download, pop up, or ask for permissions as soon as the page loads?
4. Is the page clearly finished, with contact details and a privacy policy if it collects data?

If the link goes through a URL shortener, expand it before you approve. Shorteners hide the destination, and the destination can be changed after you've said yes. For the same reason, spot-check running campaigns now and then. A landing page that was fine on Monday can be swapped on Friday.

Claims and honesty

A useful rule: if you wouldn't print a claim in your own article without a source, don't run it in your ad slot. Watch for guaranteed results, miracle health effects, "risk-free" investments, fake scarcity such as countdown timers that reset, and testimonials that look invented.

Advertising rules in many countries require claims to be truthful and backed by evidence, and regulated categories like health, finance, and alcohol often have extra rules. You aren't expected to be a lawyer, but you can decline anything that looks like it needs one.

Brand safety and prohibited categories

Your advertising policy should list what you never accept and what you accept only with conditions. Common exclusions include adult content, gambling, recreational drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, hate content, get-rich-quick schemes, and anything that installs software. Restricted categories, such as alcohol, supplements, or crypto, may be legal but still wrong for your audience, especially if your readers skew young.

When something falls in a gray area, decide once, write the decision into your policy, and apply it the same way next time.

Image quality and legibility at size

Preview the ad in the real slot, at real size, on a phone. A design that looks fine as a full-screen file can turn into an unreadable smear at 320×50 pixels. Good banners usually carry one message, the advertiser's name or logo, and a single call to action.

If your booking tool crops uploads to the slot size automatically, check that no text or logo was trimmed at the edges. Reject anything that imitates interface elements, such as fake close buttons, fake "download" buttons, or fake system alerts. Those trick readers into clicking, and they make your site look compromised.

Disclosure

Readers should be able to tell an ad from your content at a glance. Label the slot "Advertisement" or "Sponsored," keep ad styling distinct from article styling, and use rel="sponsored" on the link, which is how Google asks site owners to mark advertisements and paid links.

Decide before the payment hold expires

Some booking setups authorize the advertiser's card when they book and only charge it once you approve. That protects both sides, but the authorization doesn't last forever. Stripe notes that an authorization for an online card payment is usually valid for 7 days, and the funds are released if they aren't captured in time.

Set yourself a review target well inside that window, for example within one business day of the booking. A fast "yes" also gives the advertiser time to fix problems before their start date. Our guide to authorize-then-capture ad payments explains the payment side in detail.

How to reject an ad politely

A good rejection is quick, specific, and points to a fix. Don't lecture, and make clear the advertiser won't be charged when that's the case. Three templates you can adapt:

Fixable creative issue

Hi [Name], thanks for booking the [slot] on [site]. We can't approve this version yet: the text in the banner isn't readable at 300×250 on mobile. If you upload a version with larger text, we'll review it within a day. Your card hasn't been charged.

Landing page issue

Hi [Name], thanks for your booking. The ad links to a page that [opens a pop-up on load / shows a different price than the banner]. Our policy requires the landing page to match the ad. If you can point the link to [a page that matches], we're happy to take another look.

Not a fit

Hi [Name], thank you for your interest in advertising on [site]. We don't accept ads for [category] under our advertising policy, so we've declined this booking and the payment hold has been released. We'd be glad to hear from you about other products in the future.

Keep a simple review log

For every decision, record the date, advertiser, slot, decision, reason, and a screenshot of both the creative and the landing page as they looked when you approved them. A log keeps decisions consistent when you're unsure, shows patterns over time, and gives you evidence if a dispute or complaint ever comes up.

Build review into your booking flow

The easiest review is the one your booking tool forces at the right moment. In Spreadiom, each ad slot has a setting for whether ads need approval. When it's on, the advertiser's card is only authorized at checkout, it's charged when you approve, and the hold is released if you reject. Bookings that aren't reviewed in time are canceled automatically before the authorization expires. Spreadiom also screens uploaded creatives automatically for adult, gambling, and drug content before a booking can be paid, so your manual review can focus on landing pages, claims, and fit.

FAQ

How long should reviewing an ad take?

A routine review usually takes a few minutes: open the creative at real size, follow the link on mobile and desktop, and run through a written checklist. Set a target such as one business day, because card authorizations used as payment holds expire, typically after about a week for online card payments on Stripe. Reviewing quickly also gives advertisers time to fix problems before their campaign start date.

What should I do if an approved ad's landing page changes?

Treat it like a new submission. Compare the new page against your checklist, and if it breaks your policy, contact the advertiser and ask them to restore a compliant page or point the link elsewhere. If they won't, pause or remove the ad according to the cancellation terms in your advertising policy. Spot-checking running campaigns regularly and keeping approval screenshots makes these conversations much easier.

Can I reject an ad without giving a reason?

You can, if your advertising policy reserves the right to refuse any ad, and you should say so in that policy. In practice, a short, specific reason works better. It shows the decision wasn't arbitrary, helps the advertiser submit something you can approve, and reduces the chance of an angry email. For category exclusions, pointing to the relevant line in your written policy is usually enough.

Is automated ad screening enough on its own?

No. Automated screening is good at catching obvious categories in images, such as adult content, but it can't judge whether a claim is honest, whether the landing page matches the banner, or whether an ad fits your audience. Use automation as a first filter and keep a short human review for the link, the claims, and the overall fit with your site and your advertising policy.