Policy & compliance · also called Deceptive ad, Misleading creative
Misleading ad
A misleading ad promises or implies something the landing page does not deliver, tricking people into a click they would not otherwise have made.
In search arbitrage the upstream ad (on Facebook, a native widget or a display network) is the first promise the user sees. A misleading ad breaks that promise: "Seniors get free dental implants", "The government will clear your loan", or a fake play button. The user arrives, finds an article with related searches, feels cheated, and any click that follows is worth little to the advertiser who pays for it.
Both sides of the trade prohibit it. Google's RSOC guidance says traffic sources must describe the destination accurately, must not create false expectations, and should use wording such as "find out" or "learn" for informational pages. Google Ads' misrepresentation policy bans improbable claims, clickbait built on shock or fear, and designs that imitate buttons or system warnings. Regulators treat deception as unlawful under rules like the FTC Act.
Since November 2025 the referrerAdCreative requirement means Google sees the exact wording of the upstream ad, so a misleading creative is now much easier to trace back to the publisher who ran it.
An example
Honest: "See what dental implants typically cost in 2026". Misleading: "Dental implants now free for over-60s", pointing to an article that only lists search links.
Related terms
Clickbait
Clickbait is a headline or image engineered to provoke a click through exaggeration, withheld information or shock, without delivering what it implies.
Ad angle
An ad angle is the particular idea or motivation an ad uses to make a topic interesting, such as saving money, curiosity, convenience or news.
referrerAdCreative
referrerAdCreative is a Google AdSense for Search parameter in which a publisher must send the exact wording of the ad that brought a visitor to a related search page.
RSOC policies
RSOC policies are Google's rules for the related-search unit on content pages: real standalone content, honest search terms, honest upstream ads and a fully declared ad creative.
FTC Act (deceptive advertising)
The FTC Act is the US law that empowers the Federal Trade Commission to stop unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce, including deceptive advertising.
Implied functionality
Implied functionality means an ad or page element pretends to do something, such as play a video or download a file, when a click really opens ads.
Sources: Google AdSense Help: Related search for your content pages, Google Advertising Policies: Misrepresentation, FTC: Native Advertising, A Guide for Businesses