URL Policy Enforcement

[smartidiot]

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Starting in April, display URLs for new ads will be required to match their destination / landing page URLs, without exception. Please adjust your URLs accordingly when creating new ads.

How do you guys think this is going to affect affiliate marketers? I mainly promote CJ advertisers through PPC and most of the advertisers don't allow to use their site as display URL. Now, I guess I need to stop promoting many of the advertisers or I'll have to switch to AdCenter or Yahoo SM. Wot say?

[drivetowin]

Why not create your own landing page for each merchant?

[DioBach]

Sounds like you're going direct to merchent - could always get a generic domain name and make some landing pages to use as the display URL. Say bestdeals.com/Merchant-Name or something similar. Takes abit of work, but Yahoo and MSN doesn't have the volume you get at AdWords, so it's worth the time.

[Frostie]

As I mentioned on another thread... it does say;

display URLs for new ads

Therefore I read it that any existing campaigns with existing ADS will not be affected. Only new campaigns, or existing campaigns where you introduce a new ad will be affected.

As has been said - landing pages are the answer.

[Affi Liate]

Why not create your own landing page for each merchant?

Apologies Mods, I missed this thread when I started one on the same thing. Must be all the Malibu and coke I had last night.

DTW: That's a very simple sollution...

If any noobs have got a problem with this policy change. That's the answer.

Affi Tishoo

[Brigadoon]

From the Adwords Blog

What about tracking URLs?
We do understand that many advertisers utilize tracking URLs within the destination field of their ads. Therefore, if the URL of your landing page matches that of your display URL, your ads will be approved.

For example:

Display URL: www. google.com/adwords
Destination URL: www. trackingurl. com/google123
--> Landing page URL: www. google. com would be acceptable



Display URL: www. google.com/adwords
Destination URL: www. trackingurl.com/google123
--> Landing page URL: www. trackingurl.com would not be acceptable

[Travel Pixel]

This will affect all ads, not just new ones, so change them if you are affected!

Tracking urls will be fine as long as the final landing page matches the display url.

Will spell the end of affiliates using the merchant redirect as a display url.

More here:

AFFILIATE CITIZEN » Google Calls Time on Affiliates Using Redirect Display URLs

[Frostie]

This will affect all ads, not just new ones, so change them if you are affected!

Where did you get this confirmed? I see the notice on Adword accounts still says that NEW ADS will need to conform to this new standard - nothing about existing ads

Starting in April, display URLs for new ads will be required to match their destination / landing page URLs, without exception. Please adjust your URLs accordingly when creating new ads.

[hpops]

From our point of view this will have no impact on sending traffic directly to the merchant as long as the display matches the FINAL destnation - ie use whatever redirects, tracking technologies - its actuallly been ths way for a couple of years now - they just weren't enforcing it properly

[leveldisc]

From our point of view this will have no impact on sending traffic directly to the merchant as long as the display matches the FINAL destnation - ie use whatever redirects, tracking technologies - its actuallly been ths way for a couple of years now - they just weren't enforcing it properly

Agreed.

I think people are getting confused by the term destination url.

[Shane]

Frostie .. I just think it's an ommission regarding existing ads, I'd guess that it will apply to all ads as they say "this includes, but is not limited to redirects and vanity URLs. This policy will be strictly enforced regardless of past approvals and will apply to all advertisers

"regardless of past approvals" being the pertinent point that I'd interpret to mean even existing ads currently in your account, live or even paused probably too.

When we got the heads up a few weeks ago the adwords support mentioned this regarding keyword urls (where one or more keyword has it's own destination url assigned to it rather than the default adcopy one) :

"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."

So the "keyword urls are considered your destination url" bit could be interpreted that any keywords with their own url will be affected unless that url matches the display url, so reading it like that even interim tracking redirects aren't allowed on a keyword url basis. regardless of if the landing page matches the display url and the user ending up on blah.com after clicking an ad saying blah.com ..

so if you have urls for some or all keywords that hop via a different tracking/redirect url than the actual ad display url is it'd be wise to keep an eye on them to see if they get disabled when the changes go live, I wouldn't go changing them yet as it'll reset the quality score, but bear it in mind if things suddenly stop.

[Edwin]

It will certainly benefit those affiliates and merchants who have simple, generic, descriptive domain names since their competitors will no longer be able to "fake" an elegant display URL to go up against them.

[leveldisc]

"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."

So the "keyword urls are considered your destination url" bit could be interpreted that any keywords with their own url will be affected unless that url matches the display url, so reading it like that even interim tracking redirects aren't allowed on a keyword url basis. regardless of if the landing page matches the display url and the user ending up on blah.com after clicking an ad saying blah.com ..

so if you have urls for some or all keywords that hop via a different tracking/redirect url than the actual ad display url is it'd be wise to keep an eye on them to see if they get disabled when the changes go live, I wouldn't go changing them yet as it'll reset the quality score, but bear it in mind if things suddenly stop.

I'm sure they mean that keyword urls are subject to the same rules as the ad destination url. I.e. the final destination of the keyword url must match the display url.

I wish they would use a different term for the "ad destination url" (as in the one typed into the destination url box) and the final destination / landing page url

[Shane]

yup I'm guessing/hoping so too.. would be stupid if not.. as it would penalise you for trying to be more relevant

yup.. would be good if they put more thought into the words used, lately virturally every communication leaves grey areas and is open to more than one interpretation, and this from the very best online superstars and graduates around

Yup Edwin.. the value of generic domains will continue to rise and you guys can thank G$$gle for a change bout time the playing field was level for all.

I've seen on particular affiliate.. a "super affiliate" no less too lol , taking the utter p*** out of the system for the last two years, networks don't ban him despite constant brand bidding when he shouldn't be and his total ignorance of ad compliance issues as he tap dances around google display url rules with glee using totally fake display urls.

seems it really does pay to be a complete a$$ long as you are adding to some network's bottom line