If you haven’t heard by now, on February 6th Google announced the new AdWords Enhanced Campaigns, which combines mobile and desktop search in every campaign. This is a major change in the fundamental organization and behavior of AdWords campaigns. From the AdWords blog:
“Enhanced campaigns help you reach people with the right ads, based on their context like location, time of day and device type, across all devices without having to set up and manage several separate campaigns.”
While there is intense debate from both sides we’ll focus on how to move forward since Google isn’t going to change its mind. Here are 3 important things you need to know about AdWords Enhanced Campaigns:
1. No More Tablet Targeting
AdWords added tablet targeting in July of 2011.
With Enhanced Campaigns desktop and tablet search will be combined. As Google says, “consumer behaviors on tablets and desktops are becoming very similar.” I know that many PPC managers dislike losing the control and granularity this change entails. However, for basic users this will simplify the experience.
2. New Conversion Types
Conversion tracking is one of the most attractive features of PPC advertising. Knowing exactly which keyword and ad version got the conversion allows advertisers to optimize their ROI. To improve conversion tracking AdWords will be adding a couple of new conversion types directly into AdWords reports:
- Calls (you can set how long the call must be before counting too)
- App Downloads
Since many advertisers haven’t yet gone “all in” on mobile advertising, these additional conversion types can help justify spend and demonstrate the effectiveness of mobile PPC.
3. When Will It Happen?
If you’re an early adopter, you can get started right away. I’ve already started seeing a message in AdWords to upgrade to Enhanced Campaigns right away.
If you’re comfortable with the current setup and don’t like change, the news is both good and bad. The good news is that you don’t have to change right now. The bad news is that Google plans to upgrade all campaigns in mid-2013 (probably starting around June and then phasing into all accounts).
Conclusion
As with all big changes there are pros and cons. While many lament the loss of control and transparency, there are many advertisers that will benefit from the simplified campaigns and additional conversion tracking options. What do you think of the changes?
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