========== Beginning the week of February 24, we'll implement a change to our AdWords policy regarding multiple display URL domains per ad group. Please read on to determine whether your AdWords account will be affected by this change. In an effort to provide more relevant results and a high quality experience for our users, we've made the decision to disallow multiple display URL domains within a single ad group. Going forward, all display URLs within an ad group must have the same top-level domain. Please note that this amendment to our policy applies to all advertisers, regardless of previous exceptions or acceptability of any ad groups. For example, an ad group containing any of the following display URLs would comply with this policy because all URLs contain the same top-level domain, “example.comâ€: • www.example.com • www.widgets.example.com • www.example.com/widgets/redwidgets/ • www.example.com/index.html The following display URLs in the same ad group, however, would not comply with our policy because their top-level domains don’t match: • www.example.com • www.example.widgets.com ========= Obsurd change IMO. This means you can no longer 'split test' landing pages if they are on different domains. You can no longer split test domain1.com vs domain2.com Why they have done this is beyond me!
This is old news, http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/019309.html But it is going into effect this coming week http://adwords.blogspot.com/2009/02/change-to-our-display-url-policy.html
It might be old news, but it still doesn't take away the fact that it's stupid. Plus, not everybody knows about it.
The ways around it are obvious, that's not my point. My point is, it's more hard work for an advertiser to have to separate their domains into 2 or more AdGroups. What's more, you can't split test between Adgroups - Google will choose the best Ad Rank of the 2 Ad Groups. As AmpedHosts correctly points out - it's just stupid. Split testing domains is a part of improving your account and improving your ROI - I don't see how it helps the visitor.
The problem is it makes life a lot harder for the advertiser to split test 2 different domains. We have to separate them and the way Google works means it's no longer possible to spread 50/50 impression ratio between the two.
Found out why, it is a legal issue, see http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=100616