Ah yes, Google is tweaking the rules for their ads starting on April 1st (no joke!). Now the display URL will have to match the destination URL of the advertisement.

The implication for tracking URLs is not good. Tracking URLs are important when you’re doing display advertising so that you get credit for the clicks that you get. However, consumers don’t like to see ugly tracking URLs, especially if they aren’t have absolutely nothing to do with the display ads.

We’ve all been there when we see a display link, “www.blah.com/12343/5455/4/ahe/ddhi/adi.html” and think, “This has what to do with a trip to Tahiti?” Yup, that link doesn’t actually have anything to do with Tahiti, it’s just an ugly tracking link. Google now wants you to realize that’s an ad you’re clicking on, not an actual site.

Consequently, if your display URL is “www.google.com/adwords,” your destination URL is “www.trackingurl.com/google123″ and the landing page is “www.trackingurl.com” it is unacceptable.

Yeah, that’s right, the world’s getting a little more difficult for people doing display advertising. It turns out that good content is still the way to go. This way the links that display on the SERPs are the links to your site, so you’ll get the credit. The credit won’t go to some crap page that you  have set up simply for this ad, but it’ll go to your site.

Taking a longer-term view on this, you’ll get more money from people going to your site than people who click on your ads. Doing display advertising is good, but it’s only a small supplement to a good website. Don’t get lazy, make your website good and you won’t have to worry about the changes the Google makes concerning ads.

Well, we’re finally off and running here at Amodon! Our site is still in the pre-beta stages right now, where we’re still implementing everything before we starting QCing it and testing it — but it is up and running.

I’m exceedingly proud of the way our site looks now and how it’s going to interact with users in the future. It definitely fits our edict that websites, in order to be successful, must be memorable. That, I’m quite certain, we have covered.

To our estimation, that is essentially what comprises good SEO and SEM. You need to get people what they want when they’re online and keep them interested and entertained. At one point in the Internet’s history, it was just fine to have a stock site with decent information. However, that has all changed.

Everyone is now online and they all have an opinion. Not only that, but there are a plethora of companies out there selling more and more cheap designs! I’m not taking anything away from these off-the-shelf designs — they are fantastic for the everyday user. Honestly, I recommend to people who have personal sites, or people who want to do something with their friends, that they use these solutions.

However, businesses need something original, something unique. If you own a business, it’s a prerequisite to have a website now. They are the business cards of the modern age. People with great products and good traditional marketing plans, but lacking a good website are no longer finding the success that they used to find.

That’s where Amodon enters the picture. We want to give these business people the tools for success. We want them to take pride in their website. We want everyone to realize that yeah, technology can be tricky, but you know what? It can be a little fun too! Don’t discredit your business by not having a unique, original and impressive website.

So, that’s Amodon. We’re here to help, to have a little fun and get into some exciting online adventures!