Redirecting a URL to merchant's site

[Porkchop]

I thought you can not use a link that redirects to a merchant's website (using an affiliate link).

I mentioned this in a forum and this was their response:

I am using the affiliate link:
www #*$!#*$!X.com/r.cfm?B=#*$!#*$!=#*$!#*$!&M=#*$!
Then I use the merchants domain name as display URL.

I have done that for a very long time in Adwords, 100+ ads running right now. All afffiliate links.

It is very common to do that. Go to Google and search for example 'payday loans' and right click on all the ads and check 'properties' and you will see that there is affiliate links behind 20-30% of all the ads.

Your comments?

[simey]

Yeah, I do this too.
But for any search term, google will only show one affiliate redirect ad per/merchant.

Of course merchants have widely differing TOS for what their affiliates are allowed to do.

[Porkchop]

Google Affiliate Policy

We allow affiliates to use AdWords advertising. Please note that we'll only display one ad for affiliates and parent companies sharing the same Display URL per search query.

We also monitor and don't allow the following:

Redirect URLs: Ads that contain Display URLs that automatically redirect to the parent company.

Bridge Pages: Ads for webpages that act as an intermediary, whose sole purpose is to link or redirect traffic to the parent company.

Framing: Ads for webpages that replicate the look and feel of a parent site.

-------------------------------
Can someone explain what they mean by:

Redirect URLs: Ads that contain Display URLs that automatically redirect to the parent company.

I am confused. Are they calling the parent company the merchant? If you put in your affiliate link isn't that redirecting to the merchant/parent company. I'm really confused!
-------------------------------

Also

We allow affiliates to use AdWords advertising. Please note that we'll only display one ad for affiliates and parent companies sharing the same Display URL per search query.

Does this mean if the merchant is running adwords then your ad will not show if you are both displaying the merchants url?

Thanks for your time!

[simey]

(Don't allow)
Redirect URLs: Ads that contain Display URLs that automatically redirect to the parent company.

You need to use the "Display url" as the merchant itself, not a url that re-directs to the merchant. IMO

"Does this mean if the merchant is running adwords then your ad will not show if you are both displaying the merchants url? "

My experience is that the merchants ad may show, along with one affiliate which redirects to the merchant.

[robertskelton]

The system does not allow more than 1 ad with the same Display URL to show.

The only way for multiple ads to the same destination to show is if someone tricks Google into thinking their false Display URL is legit.

[Porkchop]

[The system does not allow more than 1 ad with the same Display URL to show.]

Does that mean not show at all or for the same keyword? Will it show if you are using a keyword that the merchant is not using? or.....if the merchant has an Adwords campaign your ad would never show?

Thanks for your time!

[edited by: Porkchop at 9:03 pm (utc) on Jan. 17, 2007]

[robertskelton]

The system does not allow more than 1 ad with the same Display URL to show - per keyword.

If you use a keyword that merchant / other affiliates are not bidding on, your ad will show.

[thecloser]

I may be thick, but this basically means this?:

if you own the domain www.freehosting.com and use that as your display URL in your ad text but your actual URL is listed as www.merchantx.com then Google will smack you?

[robertskelton]

The Display URL (well, the #*$!x.com part of it) and the actual destination have to match, or else Google will disapprove your ad.