Adwords: Important Change to URL Policy Enforcement
March 21, 2008
Stumble it!The time came, Google Adwords will be enforcing this URL Policy that means that you are not able to add into your URL display for example: Google.com when the landing page is Googlelady.com.
Here is what Google have to say:
Based on feedback from both our advertisers and users, and consistent with our efforts to present relevant results, we’ll no longer allow certain exceptions to our display URL policy. These include, but aren’t limited to, redirects and vanity URLs. In line with our existing policy, we’ll continue to require that your ad’s display URL matches its destination URL (the URL of your landing page). This policy will be strictly enforced for new ads, regardless of previous exceptions.
Here are some other important aspects of the policy you may want to keep in mind:
Tracking URLs
Your ads will be approved if the URL of your landing page domain matches that of your display URL domain.
For example, the following would be acceptable:
* Display URL: www.google.com/adwords
* Destination URL: www.trackingurl.com/google123
* Landing page URL: www.google.com
However, this example would be unacceptable:
* Display URL: www.google.com/adwords
* Destination URL: www.trackingurl.com/google123
* Landing page URL: www.trackingurl.com
Sub-Domains
The use of sub-domains and additional text within the display will continue to be acceptable, provided the top-level domain matches the URL of your landing page.
For example, the display URLs below would be acceptable for the landing page URL of http://sub.google.com/miscellaneous, as the top-level domains match:
* sub.google.com
* google.com/extratext
* www.google.com/extratext
Quality Score
Note that changing your display URL may affect your ad’s Quality Score and ad position.
Keyword URLs
Keyword URLs are considered your destination URL (the URL of your landing page); your ad’s display URL must match its destination URL.
Next Steps
While no immediate action will be taken on existing ads, we encourage you to make the necessary changes to all ads within your account. This will ensure that your ads run without being disrupted by future disapprovals related to this policy enforcement.
I Love Google!
You know why? Because they allow me to have a landing page in Googlelady.com/something and I can display Keyword.Googlelady.com. I was afraid about this issue.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
The only thing i’m not sure, with the examples provided here or at google, is:
Display URL: http://www.domain.com
Target URL: http://www.trackingurl.com/trackingurl
Redirect destination: http://www.domain.com/landingpage
In other words, can we only put the Domain in the Display URL, when the final destination is a subpage for that domain?
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Yes you can, you can even have for example:
Display URL: http://www.domain.com
Target URL: Re-direct or Tracking Direct Link from an affiliate
Destination: http://www.domain.com/yourreferral
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Awesome, thanks for the clarification. So all is well then. This should kill Direct to Merchant affiliates, and broaden the playing field for the real workers.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Actually this will kill direct linking for those merchants that doesn’t accept trademark bidding but it can be gamed buying a domain name and redirect that domain to the merchant.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I am desperate and I hope you can help, because I cannot seem to find an answer anywhere. We have our store hosted by ChannelAdvisor and our real store name is http://stores.channeladvisor.com/Shop-At-Clares which is longer then 35 characters. Before the redirect rule we displayed http://www.shopatclares.com, which is the name we purchased through Go Daddy. Now that does not work and Google is saying the only thing we can do is display stores.channeladvisor.com as the display URL. To me it makes no sense because they are going to go to our website when we enter the destination URL.
I can’t figure out how to fix this. Channel Advisor says something about a CANAME but I am really clueless. Can you help or are we simply stuck?