First, find out why
When your account is suspended you should get an email from Google, and a red banner appears at the top of your Google Ads account with a link explaining the issue. Start there. The reason matters enormously, because the fix for a click-through rate suspension is completely different from the fix for a website policy violation. Do not appeal until you know which one you are dealing with.
Reason one: click-through rate below 5 percent
This is the most common cause. Google requires an account-wide click-through rate of at least 5 percent, and two consecutive months underneath it triggers deactivation. The fix is not subtle: pause or remove keywords that generate impressions without clicks, tighten your ad groups so ads match the search intent more closely, rewrite weak ad copy, and add negative keywords aggressively. A smaller, sharper account beats a big loose one every time.
Reason two: missing conversion tracking
Every Ad Grant account must have valid conversion tracking recording at least one meaningful conversion per month. If conversion tracking was never set up, or it broke when your website changed, the account is out of compliance. Set up real conversions tied to actions that matter, such as donations, volunteer signups, contact form submissions, or newsletter registrations. Not page views.
Reason three: the account went dormant
Google expects a login at least once every 30 days and a meaningful optimization at least every 90 days. Accounts that sit untouched get flagged. This one is entirely preventable and it is why the weekly routine matters more than any single optimization.
Reason four: website problems
Suspensions are frequently triggered by the site rather than the ads. Common causes include slow page speed, missing nonprofit identification on the site, affiliate links, intrusive advertising, broken pages that ads point to, and pages failing mobile friendliness. Fix the website before appealing, because Google will check it again.
How to actually submit the appeal
Once you have genuinely fixed the underlying issue, reply to the original email thread from Google confirming your account now complies. There is also a reactivation request form available through Google's grants support. Submit one appeal at a time and wait for a response. Filing repeatedly does not speed things up and misusing the appeals process can get your appeals suspended for a week.
What to say, and what not to say
Google is looking for evidence of compliance, not justification. Keep the appeal short and factual. State what was wrong, state specifically what you changed, and stop. Do not explain that you are a small organization, that the person who managed it left, or that you did not know about the rule. None of that helps, and long emotional appeals tend to slow things down.
After you are reinstated
Reinstated accounts sometimes take a few days before ads actually start serving again, which is normal. The bigger risk is repeating the cycle. Whatever caused the suspension was almost certainly a maintenance gap rather than a one-time mistake, so put a recurring monthly reminder in place before you move on.