Overhead Door — Google Ads Approval & Asset Strategy

Overview

After a prolonged period of rejections, Google Ads finally approved and ran for Overhead Door Company of Madison. A brief 2-day run immediately produced 3 phone calls at $14 per call — a strong early signal. The key lesson from the approval process: generic, non-branded imagery passes review; branded assets (logos, video, branded graphics) do not.

This article captures the approval pattern observed and the asset strategy going forward.

The Breakthrough

During the October 2025 review meeting, Sebastian noted that Google Ads had finally cleared the rejection hurdle and ran for approximately two days. Results were immediately encouraging:

• 3 phone calls generated
• $14 cost per call
• Campaign ran without full team control over which assets served — results came from whatever Google was able to approve and serve automatically via a responsive display ad setup

"It ran for just a couple-day period, and we immediately got three phone calls kind of right away at $14 apiece. So that's even encouraging that when we didn't necessarily have control over it, we immediately got some phone calls from it."
— Sebastian Gant

Asset Approval Pattern

The campaign was structured as a responsive display ad, where multiple image assets were uploaded and Google selected combinations to serve. Not all assets were approved.

Approved

• Generic, non-branded images (e.g., stock or lifestyle imagery without logos or brand marks)

Rejected (outlined in red in the dashboard)

• Branded images featuring the Overhead Door logo
• Video assets
• Any graphic with brand-specific design elements

Pattern: Google's policy appears to flag assets that resemble manufacturer or franchise branding in the home services / garage door vertical. Generic imagery clears review; anything identifiable as a specific brand does not.

Strategy Going Forward

1. Prioritize generic image sourcing — Build out a library of non-branded garage door imagery (installs, service calls, residential/commercial doors) that can pass automated review.
2. Deprioritize branded creative for display — Logos, branded video, and co-branded graphics should be held back from Google display campaigns until a clear approval path is identified.
3. Maintain responsive display ad structure — Continue uploading multiple asset variants so Google has options to serve; this also provides data on which asset combinations perform.
4. Monitor asset approval status regularly — Check the asset-level approval view in Google Ads to identify newly rejected assets quickly and swap in alternatives.

Context & Next Steps

At the time of this meeting, Google Ads was being elevated to a primary focus channel now that Meta ad creative was fully built and ready to launch. The immediate priority was expanding the approved asset pool to give the campaign more reach and control.

Related work in progress:
- ^[1] — Client overview
- ^[2] — Meta campaign readiness as of Oct 2025
- ^[3] — Commercial landing page build (needed to support expanded PPC)

Key Takeaway (Generalizable)

In franchise or manufacturer-affiliated home services accounts, Google display asset approval is significantly easier with generic imagery than with branded creative. Build a non-branded asset library first; treat branded assets as a secondary layer to pursue once the account is in good standing.