Google makes PPC crackdown against short-term loan companies
For the most part, companies can use Google’s AdWords service to promote virtually any kind of product or service online. As long as you compete on the right keywords for your site, it is possible to increase traffic and secure superior conversions through a well-managed PPC campaign, which is why the platform is so popular.
However, Google does have a fairly extensive set of regulations which govern what is and is not appropriate in its paid ads, which from time to time, it enforces in a high profile manner.
The Drum revealed this month that Google recently decided to clamp down on the use of PPC ads to market short-term loan services, which are a particularly hot topic in the UK at the moment.
Also known as payday loans, a growing number of companies have set up to offer cash to consumers, with minimal repayment periods and sky-high interest rates.
As part of the action, Google has actively removed AdWords campaigns from well-known firms such as Money Supermarket, so that they no longer appear in prominent positions on the SERPs for their targeted keywords.
A spokesperson for the search giant said that Google’s policies were particularly strict when it comes to advertising and the type of content that is permitted.
Advertisers working in the short-term loans industry must not only abide by the laws that impact them in the countries from which they operate, but also need to uphold a superior degree of transparency in the wording of PPC ads.
This basically means that short-term loan promotions must contain information about the fees and potential penalties that will be levelled against customers, if they go through with a particular offer. Marketers cannot make wild promises, such as guaranteeing that customers will not have their houses repossessed as a result of a loan in an ad, because there is generally not enough space to go into depth on the matter, without the viewer having to click through to a landing page.
Short-term lenders need to not only comply with Google’s rules in relation to ad content, but must also meet guidelines when it comes to the information that is available to customers on their websites.
It has said that it will reinstate the removed ads and suspended accounts once the companies involved have taken steps to ensure that they are no longer in violation of the policies.
This particular scenario reveals the underlying complexity that goes with running PPC campaigns, both for marketers and search providers.
Because the internet gives firms access to a global audience, it is necessary for Google to create multiple different policies, based on the laws that are enforced by the countries in which it operates.
In addition to this, site owners that choose to advertise services through PPC need to think about how their campaigns are targeted, ensuring that they fall within the boundaries of what is acceptable domestically, whilst still having the reach to improve the profile of a business in the applicable markets.
Author Bio: Blogger who researches and talks about the latest news regarding pay per click services and how this affects consumers
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