Why does Google say my message asset is unverified?
Direct answerGoogle will not run a message asset until it has verified that the messaging ID belongs to the advertised business. The message asset requirements, reviewed October 16, 2026, let you verify by showing the chat link on the site or social page in the ad, or by proving you own the display-URL domain. An unverified message ID or username is a named disapproval.
Show the link
Message assets let someone start a conversation on the messaging platform you choose. Google requires the asset to relate to the advertised company. An asset Google has not verified is not allowed. The example is a message ID or username that has not been verified.
If you verify by displaying the link:
- The messaging link must be on the business website or the social page featured in the ad.
- If that same link is used in ads for different websites or social pages, it must appear on at least one page of each of them.
- Google says the link is easier to detect on a landing page that is visited frequently. The page does not define “frequently.”
- The verification URL must use the same domain as the ad’s display URL.
Safer: the ad’s display URL is acme.example, and the WhatsApp link is on that domain’s contact page. Risky: the link lives only on a link-in-bio domain the ad never shows. The second setup misses the same-domain rule.
Or prove you own the domain
Google names two ways to prove ownership of the display-URL domain:
- Link the Google Search Console account and the Google Ads account.
- Add the account’s unique Google Ads conversion tracking tag.
After you edit and save, Google reviews the asset. It can run if Google finds that the non-compliant content is gone from the asset and the landing page. This page does not state how many hours that review takes.
Phone numbers and the first message
If the message asset is tied to a phone number, Google has to verify that number before it can be used. The details are the unverified phone number policy. Google then says only one verification is required: the phone check or the message-asset check, not both.
The starter message still has to be clear, spelled correctly, and within the capitalization and symbol rules. Those are the editorial requirements.
Sources
Reviewed October 16, 2026. Policies change. This is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Do I verify the phone number and the message link?
Google says only one verification is needed for a message asset that uses a phone number: either the unverified-phone-number check or the unverified-message-asset check. You do not have to complete both.
The chat link is in the footer of a different domain. Is that enough?
No. If you verify by showing the link, the verification URL must use the same domain as the ad’s display URL. The link also has to be on the website or social page featured in the ad. If the same link is used on ads for different sites, it has to appear on at least one page of each of those sites.
What are the two ways to prove the domain?
Google says you can link Google Search Console with the Google Ads account, or add the account’s unique Google Ads conversion tracking tag. Those are the ownership methods. Showing the messaging link on the site is the other verification path.
Put the chat link on the domain in the ad
LaunchGuarding can scan the landing page for a messaging link that does not match the display URL.