Google Adwords: Gets a Makeover!
Today Google announced that it was going to finally overhaul it’s user experience for Google Adwords, and it looks b-e-a-utiful. Read it here.
I’ll be attempting to dissect the announcement, give you the most important takeaways, as well as explore what this actually means for you.
Google Adwords Redesign makes it easier to advertise in a mobile-first world
Adwords is becoming outdated
Of course, it can’t be a Google update without mentioning the hot topic of Mobile.
In the announcement they reminded us that we live in a multiple device world where we visit multiple sites, apps and videos. We are therefore seeing short bursts of digital activity which are targeting these micro-moments. As a result, our Paid Search strategies are smarter than ever in order to deliver users with helpful and relevant ads. This could be anything from showing store locations/phone numbers/product information, or even targeting the relevant user via Audience Lists.
Adwords isn’t just used to target a keyword with a simple text ad any more. You can utilise it to create everything from Shopping Campaigns to video media via YouTube.
But let’s face it, navigating Adwords to implement these complex campaigns can sometimes leave you feeling grrr.
So, Google has listened to us and will finally revamp the Adwords user experience for everyone…eventually.
Staggered rollout of the new interface
They say that this will be staggered roll out throughout 2016 for select advertisers, with the aim of everyone having the same experience by 2017. I assume that this will give them time to continue refining & optimising the UI before the full launch next year.
An important point to note is that you cannot request to have access to the new interface; Google will instead reach out to advertisers.
What will it look like?
Google gave us a sneek peek of what this might look like…
Expanded Image available here.
Source: Google Inside Adwords, 2016
Key Takeaways
A more “tailored” experience (“You want the data you care about at your fingertips”)
The update “tailors” the interface to the user depending on the activity they are carrying out. Therefore only relevant navigations are shown to the user in each view. An example of this can be found on searchengineland.com where they say that if the user is not running “video”, then Google won’t show you the “Video” tab. Similarly if you are running a Display campaign that doesn’t have keywords, then Google Adwords won’t show you the “Keywords” tab.
Only the interface is changing, not the offering (“Adwords should be more about the business, and less about our product”)
Ultimately the focus of this makeover is on how data is displayed rather than any campaign structures or settings (unlike Enhanced Campaigns). You’ll get an Overview dashboard at Campaign/Ad Group level which looks very much like some of the current offering we get in the Report section such as Line Graphs & Pie Charts. A bonus here is that you will be able to get a snapshot of Device data in this dashboard, plus more easily accessible data visualisation. The theme follows the Material Design that Google seems to be utilising for most of it’s products.
Help us do more with less time (“…you need simple, yet powerful tools”)
The new interface is built to make it easier & quicker to complete the important tasks e.g. managing campaigns & reporting, by having it all in one place with more “intuitive workflows”. In the sneak peek above, you’ll notice how easily accessible tabs such as Location, Ads & Extensions, Devices are now.
What does this mean for you?
The language throughout these blogs can give you a clue as to what Google are going to sell this year.
It will come as no surprise to anyone in the industry that this year it is Mobile (Shock, Horror!). The theme throughout the announcement is Mobile and it’s Ad Extensions (particularly Local). Google want us to continue driving more traffic to Google via Mobile. One way to do this is to make it easier for us to manage campaigns through a less cluttered and streamlined interface.
The new interface is built for Mobile, whereas the current interface makes it more difficult to manage.
Whether it’s Location Extensions or Mobile Bid Adjustments, it’s safe to say that it can be a nightmare navigating the Settings. By eliminating this friction, Google has given advertisers more freedom to easily manage these campaigns (Mobile, Ad Extensions and Location in particular). This then helps to drive more relevance to the user (allowing advertisers to answer the query better on Mobile), driving higher engagement and more revenue for Google. This is clearly a benefit though for advertisers, Google and it’s users.
Google have recognised that managing campaigns is only getting more complex, and it’s current interface only makes it more difficult.
Yes it will help to drive growth on Mobile, but it will also help to improve the decline Google has been seeing on Desktop. The streamlined interface will free up advertisers time which could mean Desktop & Tablet also benefit.
Overall the announced interface overhaul we are sure will eventually be embraced by everyone.
We are certainly excited at PPC hubbub!
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/siondanielroberts
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