Competitor not following Google Adwords guidelines

that display URLs must match landing page domain

[addvisors]

I am working with clients in industries where [Example.com] will often be my competitor. Whenever I post ads in Google Adwords, they will very quickly find any and all mistakes I make according to their guidelines. To me it seems that [Example.com] has a backdoor with their authorized status that makes them able to bend the Google Adwords guidelines to their liking.

In particular I am concerned about the Display URL compared to their destination URL's. In almost EVERY instance they get the following approved.

Final landing page:

[specifickeyword.example.com...]

Display URL on Google Adwords

www. specifickeyword.com

<snip>

Does anybody have any clarification to this, and does anyone have similar experiences?

Thanks,

Kim

[edited by: buckworks at 4:43 am (utc) on Mar 17, 2010]
[edit reason] Removed specifics; see TOS [/edit]

[ppcbuyers]

top-level/base domain for both landing page and display URLs must be the same - and sub-domains, like your example, are acceptable.

[ChrisKos]

thats using the sub domain as the display url, and as far as i know not permitted by adwords, regardless of who is doing it. i havent seen it first hand but would be worried if my ads cannot by the same rules as others.

[buckworks]

Note the difference between

www.specifickeyword.com

specifickeyword.example.com

They are completely different domains, this isn't just mixing and matching the domain with a subdomain.

The rules are clear that the domain in the display URL must match the domain of the landing page.

But the competitor mentioned in the opening post is not being required to follow this rule; they are being allowed to use a display URL that shows a different domain than the landing page URL.

We'd all like to know, "Why?"

[ppcbuyers]

oh, my eyes switched them up! you're right - it's not subdomain...interesting.

[Victorious]

Since we don't know the real domains, it is difficult to say but maybe it is redirected domain?