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how does google adwords bot detect pop-ups?

         

suzanne

4:08 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Hi,

I am having trouble with a client site that uses a pop-up "timer" window to launch an exit offer when a customer leaves their site. This has been extremely successful, so they do not want to eliminate it. However, my google adwords are getting rejected due to the pop-up that is detected on each landing page.

Does anyone know how the google adwords bot detects pop-ups? We are trying to come up with a compromise so we can get their keywords on google, and continue to utilize the exit offer.

Does google go through all external .js files to search for pop-ups, or is it detecting the action when it executes on the page? If it's the latter, we thought we might get around this by commenting out the code.

Thoughts/advice/commiseration would be much apprecaited!

Suzanne

eWhisper

4:32 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Would you rather have a custom landing page for PPC with no pop-up and Adwords or every page having a pop-up and no AdWords at all?

That's really your two choices. Fooling them in the short run won't do you any long term good.

farside847

6:52 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I would email the Adwords team and explain the reason for the popup. Since it seems to be in place for a legitimate reason, they might make an exception for you. Worth a try anyway, even though I have never heard of an exception being made in the past.

farside847

6:52 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I would email the Adwords team and explain the reason for the popup. Since it seems to be in place for a legitimate reason, they might make an exception for you. Worth a try anyway, even though I have never heard of an exception being made in the past.

AdWordsAdvisor

7:53 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Suzanne, I think that eWhisper is on the right track here. And also please be aware that the AdWords review team reviews every ad - and that this review includes a site visit by an actual human being, who has learned to wait for pop-ups. ;)

I would email the Adwords team and explain the reason for the popup. Since it seems to be in place for a legitimate reason, they might make an exception for you.

Farside847 is correct in that many policies have a bit of 'wiggle room'. However the pop-up policy is one for which there really are no exceptions.

The reason behind the policy is that we believe that pop-ups are not a positive user experience, and we would rather not have our users subject to them on our site - or on sites that link from AdWords ads. The ultimate goal, by the way, is one that works in your favor: to create an advertising program our users trust, and which they do not hesitate to use.

Just to be clear about what the policy says, I've pasted it below - quoting from the Editorial Guidelines at [adwords.google.com...]

We do not allow links to landing pages that generate pop-ups when users enter or leave your landing page. We consider a pop-up to be any window, regardless of content, that opens in addition to the original window.

AWA

suzanne

9:46 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Thanks for the info. The methodology being utilized for the pop-up is not my first preference, however the survey is being delivered by an external research company. We've gone so far as to attempt to source a different research company, only to discover they utilize the same methodology.

We have tried to work with the company to get them to change the way the survey is technically executed to eliminate the pop-up on the landing page. Unfortunately, we have had limited success in this area. So we have our current dilemma. The exit survey/offer has been very well received by customers - and provides the business with signifigant gains in the area of conversion.

It seems like there are two options. 1. Keep the survey and just allocate more $$ toward overture/other search marketing firm who are more accomodating, or 2. Eliminate the survey (and lose the incremental lift in conversion as well as the customer feedback) to accomodate Google.

The client is considering both options but is understandably not happy about either.

Any additional thoughts/ideas on this topic?

PatrickDeese

9:58 pm on Nov 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I would say your client is simply going to have to make a choice.

No adwords, have a pop up or Adwords and have no popup.

Google is reputed to control 54% of the PPC market. That's a pretty big audience to lose to keep a pop up.

What I would do, if it were my client, would be to make a special Adwords landing page, that was a teaser to the complete page, with the popup. That is acceptable within the TOS.