As components of an advertisement are received by an online system, the online system determines whether the received components satisfy one or more policies of the online system. If a component does not satisfy a policy of the online system, the user providing the components is notified when the component is provided, allowing the user to modify the component. Additionally, stored data describing previously analyzed components are compared to received components, and the stored data is used if the received component matches a previously analyzed component This process expedites approval of advertisements by the online system.