I don't think you can technically run two campaigns for the same site. I also think it might not even be acceptable to run two campaigns on two different sites that are identical.

It does not mean you can't do it, it just means if they catch you they might paddle you.

I am not talking about duplicate content here, I just happen to have two pregnancy websites and I wonder which strategy to follow in order to have the biggest return from my campaigns. One site is for difficult pregancies, the other for 'normal' pregancies.

They will both give you the same visibility - because you will have to notify Google of what you are doing, so that they can arrange things so that they will not double-serve your ads.

So, you can do your test - say, to see which domain works out better - but you MUST prevent two of your ads from showing on the same page.

Google can arrange this for you.

Or, you could simply run one set of campaigns or the other on alternate days.

I think there is confusion here.

By 'two campaigns' do you mean two campaigns inside one account or two different accounts?

You can have 50 campaigns in the same account going to the same page without any issues. You can have 50 campaigns in the same account going to 50 different websites.

I think the account vs campaign terminology needs to be cleared up first.

Actually I believe the current limit is 25 active campaigns by default (just ran into this a few days ago.). ;)

The other poster is correct, if you setup two different accounts for two different sites, you need to notify Google. They don't like "double serving" of ads (ads going to two sites on the same topic) unless they are substantially different business models.

When I first started with AdWords, back in 2002, I had a client who had two completely different websites that dealt with different aspects of the same subject (one was product oriented, the other was training oriented). The client wanted the accounting kept separate because they were technically two different companies, so I created two accounts, but there was some overlap in the keywords. At some point, Google notified me that I was going to have to merge the accounts into one, and make some decisions about which site was going to come up for which terms - they couldn't both come up for the same word, even though they were different sites.

i would say it's only 25 campaigns per account. i am new to adwords and i just read it in their learning center.

Yes, it's 25 active campaigns (however, you can have 50 camapaigns, just 25 are paused/deleted) - I was just making a point.

There's a huge difference in running two campaigns within the same account and running two separate accounts. That's all I was attempting to clarify.

Whether 2 campaigns or 2 accounts, google will show both ads if the domains of the websites are different right. My understanding is that whether you have different campaigns or accounts, if you are sending all traffic to abcxyz.com, only one ad will show (even if you have different subdomains).

Also in terms of having similar keywords (across campaigns/ ad groups) google will pick the keyword that has a better Max. CPC and Quality Score.

Whether 2 campaigns or 2 accounts, Google will show both ads if the domains of the websites are different right.

If it's two domains, and one account, then only one ad will show. Only one ad shows from a single account at a time.

If it's two domains, and separate accounts, then both ads will show.

If it's two domains, and separate accounts, then both ads will show.

Really? Cause that's what I was doing when Google told me I had to merge the two accounts. The only thing common between them was the credit card (my client's) and some of the keywords - they each went to a different website, and each had a different company name on the account (although the contact name was the same, now that I think of it) Granted, this was a few years ago.

I even appealed it, and got turned down.

I think the account vs campaign terminology needs to be cleared up first.

i think leolapinos should've done this.

Maybe in the 1st situation,it meant 2 campaigns in a single account since there is only one site

in the second situation

I set up one campaign for site A and another for site B with exact the same keywords and achortexts, suposing that both site A and B have more or less the same content.

i guess he should clear this up.

If the 2nd situation meant signing up for different accounts, i think google won't allow itsince they were clear that they only allow multiple adwords accounts for third parties under the My Client Prog.

Google exceptions on double serving policy are only as follows
Advertisers seeking an exception to Google's double-serving policy must contact AdWords Support. We take the following into account when reviewing requests:

* The destination site for each ad offers different products or services (for example, a large manufacturer with two product sites, one solely for stereos and one solely for computers, both running on keyword 'electronics').
* Each destination site has a different layout and design, and each URL and domain is different.

The following criteria are not considered for exceptions:

* Target Audience such as B2B, B2C, and gender.
* Business Structure such as different divisions within same company.
* Accounts handled by various 3rd parties such as agencies and SEOs

If it's two domains, and separate accounts, then both ads will show.

Read this carefully.

He's just saying how the system will react - not what Google's policy is, nor the eventual outcome should Google discover through manual review what is happening.

The policy is pretty clear - only one ad per customer per results page. If you are using multiple accounts with identical keywords, you are supposed to let Google know, so that they can prevent double-serving.

If you are running campaigns for clients, this doesn't apply.

It's irrelevant if you have multiple sites of your own that have different content. The test is common control. If the same person or company controls websites A and B, you aren't allowed to have their ads appear on the same page - unless the sites offer completely different products or services.

In this case, if I understand the poster correctly, the only thing that differs is the URL. Ain't gonna fly.

Read bebs response above carefully. Google spells it out pretty clearly, especially what they WON'T consider for an exception.