What can a telehealth company advertise on Google?
Google treats online prescribing, dispensing and selling of prescription drugs as "prescription drug services". Online pharmacies and telemedicine providers both fall under it, and advertisers must apply before these ads can serve [1].
Generally allowed
- Ads for your brand and services once certified, in countries where Google allows telemedicine
- Educational health content that doesn't sell a prescription drug
- Prescription drug terms in ads and landing pages in the US, Canada and New Zealand
Needs certification or is restricted
- Telemedicine and online pharmacy services (LegitScript plus Google certification in the US)
- Keyword-targeting prescription drug names (US, Canada, New Zealand)
- Addiction treatment services (LegitScript Addiction Treatment Certification in the US and Canada)
Prohibited on Google Ads
- Selling prescription drugs without a valid prescription; Google suspends these accounts without warning
- Unapproved substances and supplements with active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Speculative treatments such as stem cell or PRP therapy (narrow US exception for FDA-licensed products)
- Showing reviewers a different page than patients see (cloaking)
Which countries allow telehealth ads?
Google's policy lists telemedicine rules country by country. If a country isn't listed, Google doesn't allow the promotion there [3].
| Country | Telemedicine ads | Prescription drug terms in ads |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Allowed with LegitScript and Google certification | Allowed in ads and pages; keyword targeting needs certification |
| Canada | Allowed with certification | Allowed in ads and pages; keyword targeting needs certification |
| New Zealand | Allowed since Apr 2026, with certification | Allowed in ads and pages; keyword targeting needs certification |
| United Kingdom | Allowed with LegitScript certification | Not in ads, landing pages or keywords |
| Spain | Allowed from Aug 2026, with LegitScript certification | Not in ads, landing pages or keywords |
| Japan | Allowed with MHLW registration or LegitScript | Not in ad text, pages or keywords (narrow exceptions) |
| Australia, France, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden | Listed with country-specific requirements | Check the country section |
How do you get certified?
- 01Pick the right certification type
Google asks you to identify the category that matches your business (online pharmacy, telemedicine, addiction services and so on) and warns not to apply for one that doesn't fit [3].
- 02Get LegitScript certified first
- 03Apply to Google for each ad account
Submit Google's prescription drug services application for the account that will run the ads. Google certifies child accounts, not the manager (MCC) account [2].
- 04Make the site reviewable
Google says the website must be fully functional, globally accessible and meet the requirements for each target country [3]. A site that blocks some regions or hides pages behind a login doesn't meet that bar.
- 05Target only certified countries
Set campaign locations to the countries your certification covers, and keep a separate campaign per country so the rules and copy can differ.
GLP-1 and weight-loss programs. We found no separate Google policy page for GLP-1 drugs as of Oct 29, 2026. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are prescription drugs, so the prescription drug services and restricted drug terms rules above apply. Weight-loss claims are also covered by Google's unreliable claims policy, which bans promises like losing a set amount of weight in a set time [11].
How should telehealth campaigns and landing pages be set up?
- Lead with the service and the process: a licensed clinician reviews each patient, and treatment is prescribed only if it's appropriate.
- State pricing plainly. Google requires subscriptions to disclose the recurring cost and billing interval, and free trials to state the trial length and when the charge starts [12].
- Show who the clinicians are and where they are licensed. Google treats pretending to provide medical help as an unacceptable business practice [13].
- Plan for audience limits. Health is a sensitive category, so Customer Match, remarketing, lookalikes and in-market audiences are off; Google also notes that Demand Gen campaigns may be restricted from serving [14]. Search and contextual targeting carry most of the load.
- Send every ad to a page that matches it. The page reviewers see must be the page patients see.
Copy to avoid
Get [drug] online, no doctor visit needed
A licensed clinician reviews every request
Guaranteed prescription in 24 hours
If treatment is right for you, your clinician can prescribe it
Lose 30 lbs in 30 days
Doctor-led weight care, with a plan built around you
Free trial (billing terms on page 3)
$X for the first month, then $Y every month. Cancel anytime.
Before-and-after photo of a patient's body
Explain the program, the clinicians and the steps
How RunAds handles this
RunAds won't help anyone get around Google's policies, and it can't promise that an ad or account will be approved. What it does is help you find problems before you submit anything. Site Audit reads your site and gives a verdict for each ad platform, including Google: ready, creative limits, or needs certification. For a telehealth site it flags prescription drug content that needs certification before Google will run it.
When Mission Control writes ads, its copy check rejects lines with health-claim words (cure, treatment, relief, detox, clinically and similar), clickbait phrasing and before-and-after language. Nothing goes live until you approve the launch card, so you see every headline before Google does. Pricing starts at 500 free credits; see the pricing section and the full feature list.
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