Change to Display URL Policy

[curiousgeo]

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2009/02/...rl-policy.html

5 days ago, the Inside AdWords blog announced a pretty big change to their Display URL policy.

If I'm reading the post correctly, it looks like virtually NO advanced notice was provided (i.e. alert customers on Friday afternoon and make it effective 1 business day later on Tuesday February 24th).

I've seen a few other bloggers mention this in recent days, but relatively little analysis, comments, or commentary.

What I'm wondering...

1. Last year's big Display URL policy change gave several weeks advanced notice... reasonable given that many advertisers have to literally MANUALLY review/update hundreds or thousands of AdGroups (or more!). Was this really rushed through with just about ZERO notice? Am I missing something?

2. What's going to happen to AdGroups that aren't immediately compliant? Will the entire AdGroup get disapproved? Will the system "select" one Display URL or another?

3. Is this change immediately retroactive? or just going forward?

4. Why would Google want to RUSH through what seems on the surface to be a relatively routine policy change (again, similar theme to 2008 display URL policy change)? We're not exactly talking about the FDIC rescuing a big S&L that's going to go insolvent if the change waits a few weeks. Seriously, is Google really in THAT much trouble financially?

[AussieWebmaster]

great catch... seems Google is doing a Yahoo...

[SEM&YellowPageGuru]

How does this effect local search marketers that use domain proxy? Such as IdearcSearch.com and ReachLocal.com?

[lekili]

odd you didn't see anything, as I got an email about the change back on January 23rd ... posted it to webmasterworld shortly after. the email did say:

Please know that we will not be retroactively disapproving ads until the end of February. Please aim to make the changes before then

[AussieWebmaster]

I have been using adwords for multiple clients and I did not get any emails.... could it have been shown on the account opening page? I rarely look at those and just click delete

[lekili]

actually, now that i think about it, it probably came directly from my google account rep. i multiple clients too and don't recall seeing any dashboard alerts...kinda lame