If you’re an advertiser interested in dominating paid search results based on certain search terms/keywords then listen up—you need not rely on affiliates to get the job done nor follow Google’s rules… so says Google itself.  Simply purchase URLs to use as your landing page (re-directing to your actual URL is permitted, of course) and set up a few different charge cards that tie to a few different Google Adwords accounts.  Done!

Google (GOOG) will do anything to bypass middle-men and form direct relationships with large and mid-sized advertisers/brands.  Indeed, the company will even assist advertisers in circumventing its own rules such as the “single URL, single ad term” rule instituted in January 2005. 

Witness one example of many that are not as obvious.

Here we see Priceline dominating the Google search results on its own brand using Priceline.net as a URL that simply re-directs to Priceline.com.  They’re even using their Commission Junction account to monitor the impact of this particular advertising tactic… which, I’m told by various advertisers over the course of the last month, is commonly practiced and endorsed by Google.  Apparently the company is going as far as holding clients’ hand through the process and assuring them the practice is permitted.

In the end, the January 2005 rule change caused affiliates to run out and acquire more URLs (to try and keep dominating search results pages) AND gave the notion to advertisers themselves who, over the last year, have come to own various other URLs and break the rule.

Mom and dad always told me that rules were rules and that you couldn’t have multiple rules that suited your needs.  Mom and dad were wrong when it comes to Google-style advertising via AdWords.  Rules of convenience apply when Google’s in charge—from its selective need to divulge private information in China (violating fundamental civil rights) to its selective need to help advertisers break its own rules designed to remove “ad clutter.” It’s all about the money and, moreover, building the direct relationship with advertisers.