On Tuesday, April 22nd, Google held an event that was live-streamed on their AdWords blog for all to watch. The broadcast outlined many updates made to the AdWords interface. Google is somewhat notorious for holding these types of events, yet not all of the announcements are perceived as positive by those who work within the advertising platforms to manage ad campaigns. In my opinion, much of what was announced this week should be well received.
One of the interesting quotes during this event, expressed by a Google Exec, really resonated with me. "Let the signals tell a story." Think about that statement next time you are analyzing SEM campaign data.
Here is a brief recap of the updates:
- Mobile App Deep Linking: The goal here is to provide ads that promote app installation with the opportunity to deep link into the app itself (for those who already have it installed). Ultimately, this provides a better user experience for the searcher … Connecting people with exactly the content they are seeking.
- Mobile App Search Queries: In the same vein as above, Google's keyword tool will now offer suggestions for campaigns based on insights from Google Play (app store), which has over 50 million downloads.
- Drafts and Experiments: There were several optimization and reporting updates announced, but I found this one very interesting. It allows advertisers to create a mirror image of an ad group but keep it in draft mode (not running). From there, you can begin to change different factors, including bids, and apply this version of the campaign to a portion of the traffic for experimentation purposes. The “a” and “b” versions would then run side by side, allowing you to see in real-time how those changes impact cost and performance.
- Conversion Measurement Tools: Along the lines of where Google’s Universal Analytics is headed, many of these features in production are driving toward measuring how search ads drive in-store ads.
Overall, some good news shared for search marketers, especially those striving for advanced optimization efficiency. To learn more, watch for updates on our SEM blog, or if you are in South Florida, attend our Google Workshop on May 1st.
