If you opened your AdWord account in the last hours you probably found the following message from Google (screen shot below).

“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.”

Affiliates are using other brand website in the display URL although the ad does not direct them to the displayed website. Its one of the techniques to attracts the user attention.

For example this example would be unacceptable::

• Display URL: www.google.com/adwords
• Destination URL: www.trackingurl.com/google123
• Landing page URL: www.trackingurl.com

This kind of ad format will not be allowed anymore.
I am not sure how wide the use of this technique but there is no doubt that if Google in advice with their advertisers has decided to put an end to this phenomenon, its not a minor issue.

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