Bugs Found
1. Javascript Errors in IE 5 ( None in Netscape )
Invalid Object line 166
2. If ad text, contains pharma terms, you need to press back in GUI, to make it work. Interface gets stuck if you have this problem
3. Problem saving ads. I have tried to create an ad twice with the Message "Cannot process Ad"
One suggestion for G.. Can't it be setup to write one request for review per ad, instead of one per possible infringment? Copying & pasting "see prior message" three times per ad is a bit much.
Good for them, because with humans checking them a few always got through without being noticed.
Hopefully they'll run it against all current ads to flush out the cheaters.
I'm sort of looking forward to seeing the comments of those on this Forum, whether negative or positive, as there is such a great mix of very new and very experienced advertisers posting here.
As always, I'll pass your comments on to 'The Responsible Parties' here at AdWords. ;)
AWA
However, it severely slows me down. It takes as long for it to check just one ad as it does for me to make an adgroup from start to finish with 3 ads in it.
I would like to see a way to create new groups, accounts, campaigns, whatnot - and then run the entire checker while I'm off doing something else - and then it can report to me what I need to fix.
Along the same lines, I'd like it to 'save' ads, and if I'm using the same ad in multiple AdGroups or Campaigns, I can just copy the ads from one area to another. The duplication of ads is probably the single slowest thing about creating new accounts - and any help in this arena would be quite useful. (And if G adds this technology, then maybe it'll start letting me move keywords and groups from one campaign to another...)
Having to type in an exception to every single line for an ad in an account where ads have already been approved - and is doing nothing illegal for every single ad you want to add just is highly annoying.
Regarding this one:
Account wide exceptions - this is necessary...
Although it is always dependent on the case-by-case circumstances, please note that in many cases when an 'exception request' is approved the system will remember the approval for future ads.
AWA
So far this does not seem to be affecting existing ads, but it is being enforced by the new create ad interface.
I got a bit worried on the destination/display URL having to be the same, as this would surely crush the ad mgmt and affiliate market overnight, however NO probs there as it allowed me to create a new ad with different dispaly/destination url.
so maybe someone can enlighten me?
Shak
Personally think its a bit cumbersom. At the same time, I'm sure the rules dont apply to the bizrates and the expedias.
Nice to have:
a way to upload all your keywords and ads for an adgroup from an excel sheet (.csv?).
a tool with which you can create exact [widget] and phrase match "widget" from a list of broad keywords.
Just my 2 cts.
Your ad doesn't appear to comply with one or more of our editorial rules
Inaccurate Display URL [?]
Your Display URL must accurately reflect the URL of your website and be a viable web address that is part of your ad's destination domain (example.com). Please also be sure that your Display URL does not contain an extraneous 'http://' or 'https://'.
Request an exception
Another change - the display URL and the target URL must now be in the same domain
I've just realized that I should clarify one point - so thanks for causing me to think of it, cagey1.
So, to clarify: the new interface is operating on top of the exact same policies that were previously in place. So the Display/Destination URL requirement is not a policy change at all.
The reason that we've have always had a policy regarding Display URL and the Destination URL being in the same domain, is to make sure that users are taken to the site they're expecting to be taken to. If it were to happen otherwise, that wouldn't be a very trust-inspiring user experience.
If your ads have been approved in the past with the same URLs that caused the quoted message to appear, then there is no reason to believe that requesting an exception won't net the same result.
AWA
is this a global thing?
Excellent question, Shak.
At present, the 'create ad interface' being discussed here is only available to US/English advertisers.
AWA
The Display/Destination URL requirement is not a policy change at all.
I disagree, and this is causing a lot of annoyance for me. Here's why:
1. Some ads I have running have a display URL as companyx.com although they may actually go to <edited>a URL tracking site</edited> or something similar. This is exactly the same site, it's just I'm linking to the site with all the variables for a particular choice (e.g. yellow widgets) included to automatically select that option from a drop-down. That happens to change the URL for whatever reason for that company, and I have to put the rather obscure and irrelevant actual URL in rather than the more user-friendly company URL.
2. One company I work for specifically asked for companyx.com to be used as the display URL even though the actual URL is choosecompanyx.com. Same company, it's just the choosecompanyx.com is for affiliates (no pop-ups, no phone numbers) but they don't want users to think it's not their official site and dilute branding.
That's just what I've noticed today. And the silly thing is I only noticed because I was tweaking the campaigns - previously when a human editor looked at the ads they could see the reasoning, an automated system takes out any scope for an intelligent, subjective decision. I know you can request an exemption but I can guess at how long that would take.
On the whole, rather annoying.
Neil
[edited by: eWhisper at 10:57 pm (utc) on Sep. 10, 2004]
[edit reason] No URL promotions please [/edit]
My first new ad took substaintailly longer to create - as in it took the automated checker probably 30-45 seconds to run. If I were to be creating 20 of these it would really slow me down quite a bit.
Then it flagged me with two errors that would not allow me to continue:
1) Double punctuation. On an item where a dramatic savings was available to competitors - putting a "save X%, available now" is now illegal because of the percentage and comma.
2) It flagged as a trademark concern a name that has always been allowed - and I have running several ads using that trademarked term, and as a representative of that trademarked company it has not been a problem before. But now I apparently have to ask for an exception granted.
Neither of these two issues were problems before - never had an approval problem with either of them just 2 weeks ago. But now, well - it sucks :)
Ok I'm a bit harsh - but really I was floored when the system came back after a significant checking delay and told me to go to heck :)
