Ads

Limits and checks

Every ad field Startica writes for Google Ads, Meta and Reddit, with its limit and recommended length, the calls to action, and every check with its level.

This page lists what Startica knows about each ad platform: the fields it writes, their character limits and recommended lengths, the calls to action, and every check it runs on an ad. For how the checks show up on a campaign, see Checks.

The limits were last checked against the platforms’ help pages on 2026-10-10. The campaign page’s Hand off card shows the same date. Platforms change their limits; their own ad managers have the last word.

Fields and limits

The limit is a hard limit: the platform rejects longer text, and Startica flags it as an error. The recommended length is where text starts to get cut off in some placements; Startica flags longer text as a warning. Lengths count characters.

Google Ads

A Search campaign with responsive search ads.

Field	Limit	How many	Required
Headlines	30 characters each	3 to 15	Yes
Descriptions	90 characters each	2 to 4	Yes
Path 1	15 characters	1	No
Path 2	15 characters	1	No

The paths are the display path after the domain, such as fieldnote.example/field-notes/app. Google ads have no call to action field.

The plan asks for 10 to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, more than the minimum, because Google mixes them and tries combinations.

Field	Limit	Recommended	Required
Primary text	2,200 characters	about 125	Yes
Headline	255 characters	about 40	Yes
Description	255 characters	about 30	No
Call to action	One from the list below

Field	Limit	Recommended	Required
Headline (the post title)	300 characters	about 100	Yes
Body text	500 characters		No
Call to action	One from the list below

Character counts on the page

Each line on the campaign page has a count next to it. For Google headlines, descriptions and paths it’s out of the limit, for example 27/30. For fields with a recommended length (Meta’s primary text, headline and description, Reddit’s headline) it’s out of the recommended length, for example 118/125, and turns amber when you go over it (a warning), or red past the hard limit. Reddit’s body is out of 500.

Calls to action

The Edit ad dialog offers these. The plan picks from the same list.

Meta	Reddit
Learn more (`LEARN_MORE`)	Learn More
Sign up (`SIGN_UP`)	Sign Up
Get started (`GET_STARTED`)	Get Started
Download (`DOWNLOAD`)	Download
Subscribe (`SUBSCRIBE`)	Install
Contact us (`CONTACT_US`)	Shop Now
Apply now (`APPLY_NOW`)	View More
Get offer (`GET_OFFER`)	Contact Us
Shop now (`SHOP_NOW`)	Apply Now
Book now (`BOOK_NOW`)	See Menu

Meta’s values in brackets are what the Meta bulk import file carries. When an ad has no call to action yet, Edit ad starts on the first one in the list.

Checks

Every ad is checked each time its campaign page loads. Errors are things the platform rejects. Warnings are advice: common reasons ads are disapproved or perform badly. Neither blocks the download in Startica.

Limits and required fields

Check	Level	Platforms	Flagged when
“Field is required.”	error	All	A required single field (Meta primary text or headline, Reddit headline) is empty.
“At least n field needed (m now).”	error	Google	Fewer than 3 headlines or 2 descriptions.
“At most n field (m now).”	error	Google	More than 15 headlines or 4 descriptions.
“n characters: the limit is limit.”	error	All	A line is over its limit.
“n characters: over about n, it’s cut off in some placements.”	warning	Meta, Reddit	A line is within its limit but over its recommended length.

Google rules

Check	Level	Flagged when
“Google doesn’t allow exclamation marks in headlines.”	error	A headline contains `!`.
“Two headlines are the same; Google needs each to be different.”	error	Two headlines match, ignoring upper and lower case and spaces at the ends.
“Google allows one exclamation mark per description.”	warning	A description has two or more `!`.
“Google disapproves excessive capitals (ALL CAPS words).”	warning	A line has a word of 4 or more capital letters that isn’t a common abbreviation (SEO, GEO, API, CSV, PDF, GDPR, HIPAA, SAAS, GPS, HTML, JSON, USA).

Wording, on every platform

These run on every line of every text field. The call to action isn’t checked.

Check	Level	Flagged when the line contains
“Superlatives (best, #1…) need proof on the landing page, or the ad may be disapproved.”	warning	best, #1, number one, top rated (or top-rated), cheapest, or leading
“Guarantees and risk-free claims are often rejected; say what’s true instead.”	warning	guarantee, guaranteed, guarantees, risk free (or risk-free), 100% free, 100% safe, 100% effective, or instant result or instantly result (singular or plural)
“Clickbait phrasing lowers quality and is often rejected.”	warning	click here, you won’t believe (or wont), or shocking
“Mentions name: competitor names in ads can be restricted by trademark rules.”	warning	the name of a competitor in the product’s Intel, as a whole word, ignoring case. Names of 2 characters or fewer are skipped.

Meta rule

Check	Level	Flagged when the line contains
“Meta rejects ads that assert or imply personal attributes; talk about the product, not the reader’s situation.”	warning	“are you” followed by struggling, depressed, overweight, in debt, single or divorced; or “your” followed by debt, diagnosis, condition, disability, religion or sexual

Words are matched as whole words, ignoring case.

What isn’t checked

The checks are pattern rules over the text. They don’t check:

whether a claim is true, or proven on the landing page;
the landing page itself;
images, or the platforms’ rules for them (the creatives only keep to each platform’s sizes and file limits);
prohibited or restricted product categories;
every way an ad can imply personal attributes, or name a competitor not in Intel;
the targeting: keywords, communities, interests and locations.

The platforms review every ad before it runs, and their decision is final.

Ads
Hand-off

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