Rejecting Rejections

5 rules to help your ads pass scrutiny

In terms of universal dating turn-offs, talking about an ex on the first date probably ranks in the top three. This is followed closely by chewing with your mouth open, obsessively texting your friends, and hints about your monthly income. The good news is that abiding by the simple “rules” of the dating game can be relatively pain-free.

We’ve collected our own list of do’s and don’ts, specifically related to editorial submissions (which each consist of keyword + ad copy + landing page). Brush up on your search marketing savvy and you reduce your chances of rejection:

1. Tell the truth
It’s shockingly simple, yet misrepresenting yourself is the number one editorial reject reason. In fact, we see it every day. For example, lists of trademarked terms are submitted without any seeming correlation to the accompanying websites.

To avoid this unappealing rejection, make sure that your brand keywords either a) represent a product you actually sell or b) represent non-competitive information on your landing page—stuff like news about the brand in question, unbiased reviews, or commentary.

2. Be prepared for popularity
This one’s a bit trickier. Every time you submit a new landing page URL, our crawler has to verify that it’s not a broken page. Obviously, potential customers aren’t pleased to get a “page not found” error after clicking your ad. The crawler also quickly scans the landing page to make sure there are no egregious editorial violations.

Here’s the potential problem: If you’re submitting a lot of new URLs, or you’re a first-time advertiser, our crawler will hit your site quite a bit. And if your site can’t handle the volume, the crawler will think it’s broken, and your submission(s) will be either rejected or routed to our editorial team for human review. Best way to avoid this: Anticipate these hits in advance, and be prepared.

3. Set expectations up front
You can increase the likelihood of search users getting to your website by letting them know exactly what you offer. Make sure your creative is as specific as possible, and clearly relevant to the search term. This way, your customers will know what to expect when they click on your ad. Also, insert the actual keyword within your ad copy—there’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to clarity.

4. Don’t be coy
Really, who wants to play games? There’s nothing more frustrating than reaching a website and not immediately finding what you’re looking for. To cure this Sponsored Search ailment, simply tailor your landing page to the content you advertise. This will help your customers fulfill their online experience, as you will clearly offer what they seek.

5. Follow through
It’s one of the basics in the dating world: If you say you’re going to call, then pick up that phone. If you weren’t planning on doing it in the first place, then why mislead your date…or in this case, potential consumer? Here’s the bottom line: Deliver on your promises. Pick keywords that are relevant to your offering, and double check that your website has relevant content related to each one.

The dating world may be treacherous, but creating solid Sponsored Search campaigns need not be. Follow these “big five” suggestions above, and you could be sealing a lot of new customer relationships more than a kiss.

— Malin Kennedy, Senior Manager, Advertiser Experience