Taboola Rejections Explained (Special Edition Germany) - A Practical Policy Guide for Advertisers Using Realize Ads

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This article is not legal advice.

Advertising in Germany, especially in sensitive verticals like Health, Beauty, Weight Loss, and Personal Finance, is highly regulated and depends on consumer protection law, EU regulations, and publisher-specific requirements.

Everything below is based on practical platform experience, not legal authority.

All disclaimer examples shown in this article are for inspiration only and are not legally binding templates.

This guide is meant as a high-level operational framework, not a substitute for legal review.

The content is based on the status as of February 2026. The policy is subject to change at any time, which may invalidate the information in this article. Here you can find Taboola's official policy help page.

If you want to run campaigns on Taboola (via Realize Ads) in Germany without constant rejections, you must operate far more carefully than in many other markets.

Not only because of Taboola itself, but because of:

• German consumer protection law

• EU regulations

• strict publisher requirements

  
  

This guide explains:

• what is always required

• what applies specifically to Health, Beauty / Weight Loss, and Personal Finance

• what is allowed in ads

• what is allowed on landing pages

• how to avoid common Taboola rejections

  
  

We clearly separate:

👉 Ads (titles + images – general rules)

👉 Ads (vertical-specific rules)

👉 Landing pages (general requirements)

👉 Landing pages (vertical-specific rules)

👉 Final advertiser checklist

PART 1 – ADS (Titles & Images): General Rules for ALL Verticals to avoid a Taboola Rejection when buying traffic from Germany

Most advertisers assume rejections come from landing pages.

In reality, many campaigns die already on ad level.

These rules apply regardless of vertical.

1.1 Language Quality (Extremely Important)

Ads will be rejected if they contain:

• spelling mistakes

• grammar errors

  
  

Also NOT allowed:

• WORDS IN ALL CAPS

• exaggerated punctuation (!!!)

  
  

1.2 Image Quality

Not allowed:

• blurry images

• pixelated visuals

• low resolution creatives

• distorted or stretched images

  
  

Even when technically approved, premium publishers often block low-quality visuals, which leads to:

• reduced reach

• performance collapse

  
  

1.3 Artificial Visual Manipulation

Avoid:

• red arrows

• circles

• aggressive highlights

• “look here” markers

  
  

Besides rejection risk, these often cause premium inventory exclusion.

Result: less scale + worse performance.

1.4 Contextual Relevance (No Fake Clickbait)

Your ad must match the landing page.

Not allowed:

• irrelevant visuals

• misleading imagery

  
  

Example:

Showing an avocado while sending traffic to a finance lead form is not acceptable.

Native ads must feel contextual, not deceptive.

1.5 No Authority Simulation

Forbidden:

• coats of arms

• visuals implying government affiliation

• politicians or political lookalikes

  
  

Also strongly discouraged:

• AI-generated people resembling celebrities

  
  

This almost always leads to rejection.

PART 2 – ADS: Vertical-Specific Rules

These apply on top of general ad rules.

Health Ads

Titles must NOT contain:

• symptoms

• diseases

• doctors

• medical claims

  
  

Images must NOT show:

• doctors (unless real + provable collaboration exists)

• medical procedures

• X-rays

• treatments

• body close-ups

  
  

Beauty & Weight Loss Ads

Not allowed:

• shocking visuals

• exposed bodies

• underwear

• extreme transformations

Important Note on Before-and-After Images (Ads & Landing Pages)

Whether you’re promoting Beauty or Weight Loss offers, before-and-after images are heavily scrutinized.

These visuals must be realistic and clearly show that they were taken at different times and ideally in different locations.

It must be obvious that the results are real and not artificially generated or manipulated using AI. The transformation should be believable and reflect genuine outcomes. It should also be clear that the same person is shown or that the “after” image represents a later stage of the same journey.

For Weight Loss in particular, you must not place specific weight numbers (such as kilograms lost) directly on the images. Unrealistic or exaggerated visual transformations almost always lead to rejections.

Personal Finance Ads

Not allowed:

• guaranteed income

• “safe returns”

PART 3 – LANDING PAGES: General Requirements (ALL Verticals)

These are hard requirements.

If any are missing, rejection is guaranteed.

3.1 Legal Imprint (“Impressum”) – Mandatory

Must be visible in the footer.

Required:

• company name

• full physical address

• contact method (email or phone)

• legal representative

• trade register + court (if applicable)

• VAT ID or company registration number

  
  

👉 No imprint = rejection.

3.2 Cancellation & Refund Policy (“Widerrufsrecht”) – E-Commerce

Must be linked in footer.

Mandatory in Germany:

• 14-day withdrawal right

• full return address

• who pays return shipping

• explanation of return process

• refund method

• refund timeframe

• how withdrawal is exercised

• when the period starts

• potential value reduction if goods were used

  
  

Returns Outside EU

Must explicitly state:

• buyer pays shipping

• customs / taxes may apply

  
  

Company Outside EU (incl. UK, Switzerland, UAE, Hong Kong)

Additional required notice in footer of Advertorial OR within return policy (Widerruf):

This product/service is offered by a company located outside the EU. Exercising your 14-day withdrawal right may be more difficult. Please review the refund policy for details.

Missing this often causes rejection.

3.3 Advertorial Disclosure

If using advertorials:

👉 “Advertorial” must be visible above the fold.

Not only in footer.

3.4 External Logos & Trust Badges

If you display:

• TÜV

• Trustpilot

• magazines

• TV logos

• Google Reviews

  
  

They must be verifiable.

You have two options:

• link directly on the logo

• OR collect all required links in the footer

  
  

Footer linking often reduces bounce rate and is perfectly acceptable.

Same logic applies to all mandatory references (studies, disclaimers, certificates, etc.).

Fake credibility = rejection.

3.5 Celebrities & Testimonials

If you show famous personalities:

You must prove:

• person exists

• formal permission

• real collaboration

  
  

No stock celebrities.

No implied endorsements.

3.6 Author Transparency

If author is mentioned:

“Dr.” or “Prof.” only allowed if real and verifiable.

Otherwise use:

👉 Expert

👉 Specialist

PART 4 – LANDING PAGES: Vertical-Specific Rules

Health

Allowed

Symptoms only:

• fatigue

• sleep issues

• stress

• discomfort

  
  

Soft language:

• may help

• can support

• may promote wellbeing

  
  

Required

• linked studies (if referenced)

• visible ingredients

• health disclaimer (Footer; German)

  
  

Health Disclaimer Example (inspiration only):

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Individual results may vary.

Forbidden

• diseases

• healing promises

• medication comparisons

• replacing doctors

• miracle claims

• “revolutionary”, “instant”, “one-time solution”

  
  

Doctors (Very Restricted)

Only allowed if:

• doctors truly exist

• collaboration can be proven

  
  

Otherwise use “experts”.

If both conditions are met, doctors may even increase performance due to higher trust.

Without proof: almost guaranteed rejection.

Weight Loss

Weight Loss Before / After

Must:

• show different time + location

• state weight + duration

• max ~1kg per week

• no underwear

• no misleading lighting

  
  

Beauty Before / After

Must:

• show different time + location

• preferably full face

• avoid aggressive zoom-ins

• Weight Loss disclaimer (Footer; German)

  
  

Weight Loss disclaimer (inspiration only):

The offer is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease; The offer does not constitute medical advice. The offer is not a substitute for medication or other treatment prescribed by a physician or health care provider. Users should consult a doctor before starting any treatment.Results may vary. Images are illustrative only. Individual outcomes depend on multiple factors. To lose weight, a healthy diet and sufficient exercise are also necessary.

Personal Finance

Risk disclosure mandatory.

Example (inspiration only):

Investing involves risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You may lose part or all of your investment.

PART 5 – Quick Memory Rule (Germany)

Allowed:

👉 wellbeing

👉 support

👉 symptoms

👉 “may help”

Forbidden:

🚫 diseases

🚫 cures

🚫 guarantees

🚫 miracle promises

🚫 fake authority

🚫 doctors in ads

Final Advertiser Checklist (Germany)

Before launch:

✅ spelling & grammar clean

✅ no ALL CAPS

✅ high-quality images

✅ contextual relevance

✅ no fake authority visuals

✅ legal imprint complete

✅ refund policy compliant

✅ advertorial disclosure visible

✅ external logos verifiable (direct or footer links)

✅ celebrity permissions documented

✅ correct disclaimers present

✅ soft language used

✅ ads neutral

✅ no shocking imagery

✅ compliant before/after

✅ finance risks disclosed

If you respect this structure, you avoid around 90% of Taboola rejections in Germany.

Native advertising works through trust, context, and education – not exaggeration.

⚠️ Bonus: It can often be very helpful to have a personal contact at Taboola to better and more quickly understand why campaigns have been rejected. Let's talk, with no obligation, and I'll help you understand how you can get an official account manager at Taboola. Click here.