Google AdWords ads and Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign

Google AdWords ads uses two URLs: the one, to which ad points to, and the one displayed in ad. These two URLs must follow very strict rules (discussed below) or your ad will be rejected from displaying. Currently Indiegogo uses indiegogo.com domain as main campaigns’ URL and igg.me site to make long URLs short.

For the reasons discussed below, if any Indiegogo campaign’s name is longer than twelve characters, then it’s URL in invalid for Google AdWords and such campaign can’t be marketed using world’s biggest ad network!

In general, you must use base (default) URL (indiegogo.com/projects/project-name). You can’t use redirecting URL (www.igg.me/at/project-name) for Google AdWords.

Why? Here are reasons and my observations:

1. If you use default URL (indiegogo.com/projects/project-name) in both display and point-to URLs, that is fine with Google AdWords, but your display URL (and so campaign’s name) can’t be longer than twelve (12) characters or else, it will be longer that maximum display URL (35 characters) set by Google AdWords.
2. If you use redirect URL (www.igg.me/at/project-name) — which is much shorter and can fit to above mentioned 35 characters limit — for both displayed and point-to URL, that will be point one list of key reasons for which Google AdWords ad is rejected (URL to which ad points to, may use redirect or can be a tracking URL, but redirection must resolve in the same domain as displayed URL”). Because the igg.me domain will finally resolve to indiegogo.com domain, Google will reject such ad.
3. If you use default URL (indiegogo.com) as point-to URL (can be longer) and redirect one (www.igg.me) as displayed (must be 35 characters or shorter), then this will be point three on above mentioned list (domains in both displayed and point-to URLs must match).

So, currently, the only way to market your Indiegogo’s campaign via Google AdWords is to give it a really short name (12 characters at max) and use approach from point one.

Indiegogo could fix that, by introducing shorter URLs in its main domain (that will use campaign’s ID instead of name, for example — indiegogo.com/projects/123456789012 or even indiegogo.com/p/1234567890123456789). This way, campaigns with even really long name could be marketed using Google AdWords network. But I have no idea, if and when this will be implemented.