Wow! When we first heard Google was not backing down from their Oct 26th deadline we were sure they were serious. Yet as early as last week we heard rumors of an extension; but still did not believe it...then the announcement came via Google's Inside Adwords blog on Tuesday:
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"Earlier this year, we introduced expanded text ads so advertisers can provide more information about your business right in your search ad. While many have seen great results with the new, longer ad format, some advertisers are still learning how to use it effectively.
To make sure you have ample time to test and iterate your expanded text ads for the holidays, we are giving advertisers more time to upgrade your creatives.
You now have until January 31, 2017, to make the transition to expanded text ads (instead of the original date of October 26, 2016). This means starting on January 31, 2017, you’ll no longer be able to create or edit standard text ads — you’ll only be able to create and edit text ads using the expanded text ads format. Existing standard text ads will continue to serve alongside expanded text ads.
Expanded text ads can deliver great results, particularly for those who have invested in writing and testing new creatives. Please use this additional time to experiment with new expanded text ads of your own.
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While Google makes a good point of having advertisers focus on quality through testing; we are still ready to solve for Proxy URL depreciation.
Utilizing either DevHub's Landing Page or Proxy solutions both support the flexible URL options and still do ;)
Here are some of the ways we handle proxies within DevHub:
1) Domains You Register or Control (no customer involvement needed)
a) Group sites underneath a common domain (most proxy tech supports this)
http://businessname.proxytracking.com
b) Register a domain for the customer, dedicated to the proxy
http://www.businessname.com
c) Register a domain for the customer and use subdomains for each campaign
http://campaignkeyword.businessname.com
2) Domains Owned by Customers
a) Proxy lives as a subdomain of the customer’s primary domain
http://campaignkeyword.customerdomain.com
Customer Involvement: Customer must set a DNS record to point to our servers
b) Proxy lives under a subdirectory within their primary domain
http://www.customerdomain.com/campaignkeyword/
Customer Involvement: Customer must give access to their server configuration or have a tech contact on their side that can do this for them. Not all hosting providers will support this option.
Whether this new Google deadline sticks or not, DevHub is here for the long haul.