Disapproved ad - reasons now given on site

Is this new? It's pretty cool!

[ThatAdamGuy]

I just noticed that one of my recent ads was disapproved, and while I think one of the reasons was a bit silly, I was appreciative to see the specific reasons listed clearly and succinctly right underneath the ad in the AdWords system.

From what I recall, earlier disapproved ads were commented upon in e-mail, but the reasons were not listed in the AdWords interface.

This new enhancement is much appreciated :)

Oh, and about the disapproved ad? I had mentioned that a product was $249, and the ad was denied because it was actually $249.99. Sheesh :D. Luckily, I still had two characters free on the title line, but I'm wondering what would have happened if i had put $250. Would the AdWords folks have complained about that, too? ;)

[killroy]

Hehe, yeah, their reasons sometimes seem nonsensical...

for example a non-title line:
"smooth green fluffy widget (aff)"
was no good... it had to be like this:
"smooth green fluffy widget. (aff)"

Ya know grammar and punctuation ;) that's not even a sentence!

What I hate about htis though is, that little fix resets all statistics, as if I deleted and recreated the ad... wish they'd keep the stats for such minoredits...

SN

[fidibidabah]

Hey! That's a good ad! It makes me want something smooth, green, and fluffy. Whoops, I had two exclimation marks, that's no good ;)

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Oh, and about the disapproved ad? I had mentioned that a product was $249, and the ad was denied because it was actually $249.99. Sheesh :D. Luckily, I still had two characters free on the title line, but I'm wondering what would have happened if i had put $250. Would the AdWords folks have complained about that, too? ;)

Ah, now here is a case where I'd ask you to step out of your perspective as the unlucky advertiser who has to re-write an ad.

Step into your customer's shoes for a moment: do you trust a business that tells you one price in an ad, then a higher price when you get to their site? And, how do you feel?

Another question: do you trust AdWords ads as much as you did before you clicked? I'd guess not.

Now step back into your advertiser perspective, and ask yourself: "Do I care if my customer trusts me?" Also ask: "Do I want people to trust AdWords ads, so that they'll click on mine in the future?".

Personally, If I wanted a click to convert to a customer, you bet I'd care about both of these things.

BTW, if your ad said $250.00, and your site said $249.00, you'd be OK. In this case the customer feels as if they've saved a buck, not been the victim of bait-and-switch. The ad would be approved.

Shak said it too, a while ago: always think like your customer. At least for a while.

AWA

[ThatAdamGuy]

AWA, point well taken. Though initially, I was amused at what I perceived to be an extremely small difference to a consumer over what was a legitimate oversight on my part, I can certainly understand -- on principle -- what you're noting.

With that said, I can't exactly get my mind around another recent disapproval.

Here's my original ad (with the first two lines changed, but the third copied verbatim):

Fabulous Fluffy Finds
Fine for families, friends, foes
Sign up free with this affiliate!

The disapproval reason listed? "Identify affiliate status."

How much more clear can I make it?! :D

And yes, I did drop a friendly note to the AdWords staff :)

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Well, let's just say it right off the bat: your ad may have been disapproved in error. This has actually happened in the past.

But only twice.

This would be the third time. ;)

Another thought occurs to me though - the ad is a little confusing in the sense that it implies that the site the user is taken to is the affiliate, rather than you. Do you see what I mean?

In other words, just saying 'affiliate' would be short and sweet - and says that the ad was placed by an affiliate.

However, saying "Sign up free with this affiliate!" kind of makes the affiliate thing a big deal, and implies that clicking on the ad sends the user to 'this affiliate'.

I think this is probably what was in the reviewers mind.

Hope that makes sense. Keep in mind, though, that it's late, and I've been drinking coffee all day. ;)

AWA

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Last minute addition:

If you feel that an ad has been disapproved in error, then by all means reply to the disapproval email and say why you feel that an error has been made.

If a review shows we've made a mistake, then it'll be fixed. And you'll get an apology too.

AWA

[eWhisper]

AWA,

I think these two quotes summarize a lot about AdWords:

Another question: do you trust AdWords ads as much as you did before you clicked?

Do I want people to trust AdWords ads, so that they'll click on mine in the future?".

Do you mind if I quote your information in this thread to people via the phone who just can't wrap their mind around scrupulous advertising?

[killroy]

I like identifying the afiflaite status by placing an (aff) withbraces on the right side of the second or third line. It seperates the aff status from teh ad, and also graphically turns it into a kind of badge. It sets a flag with the visitor sayign this is a property of the ad, but also let'S them filter it out and ocncentrate on the message.

If makes it a bit more obvious and let's it stand out more then some wish, but I think it does right by tehcustomer and AdWords.

SN

[AdWordsAdvisor]

eWhisper, you asked:

Do you mind if I quote your information in this thread to people via the phone who just can't wrap their mind around scrupulous advertising?

No problem at all - quote at will! Thanks very much for asking. ;)

AWA