Google rolled out the new Enhanced Campaign AdWords and as expected it met with a mixed response. There were some that totally castigated it while other cheered it. No matter what opinions you have about the new rollout, marketers will be forced to accept the good and bad features of it.
Google on its part has tried to explain the new campaign structure and its features. Their main contention is that users today access the net via various devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops and this change in user behavior calls for an enhanced campaign. Most features in the enhanced campaign AdWords gives marketers the ability to match customer context with their marketing objectives.
Let us discuss the new features
Call Extension Updates
Three types of extensions are now available that are aimed at generating calls:
- Call extension
- Call extension with call only
- Locally focused Location extension
Scheduling
For example you have a call center that is open between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday. You now have the ability to show your call extension during that period only.
Phone call conversions
In this feature you can use Google forwarding numbers and track phone conversions by specifying the duration the call lasts, in seconds. For example if a call lasts 60 seconds and you have made a selection of 50 seconds then this call will be considered as conversion.
Call only option (Mobile phones only)
Available to those marketers without a mobile site, and yet want to drive business via phone calls. In this only the phone number of the site will be displayed
Different phone numbers for different keywords
In this feature you can display different phone numbers for different keywords. You can set this at ad group or at the campaign level.
Reporting
Earlier call extension metrics were available only for tablet and desktop calls. From now on mobile data will also be included in the reports and also call extensions that use Google forwarding numbers. Only actually placed calls from mobiles will be included in the reports.
Description line to not have phone numbers
As call extensions is now allowed across all devices used to access the internet. Phone numbers will not be allowed in the description line. This seems sensible as phone numbers take up valuable space in an advertisement. And, also since call extension will generate call traffic and also track performance.
Free Google forwarding numbers
Earlier Google charged $1 per call in desktop and tablet campaigns. Now you pay nothing.
Sitelink extension updates
Once you migrate to the new enhanced campaign from the legacy campaign all sitelinks will have to be manually updated. However, for the time being both can be managed from the same place.
Create sitelinks at Ad group level
The option to create sitelinks at campaign level will still be available; however, the new update gives you the power to have several sets of varied sitelinks in one campaign. In other words you no longer need multiple campaigns to have a sitelink organization. For example if you have ad group sitelinks live and campaign sitelinks, your ad group extensions will eclipse campaign group extensions.
Earlier campaign group had a limitation of 11 sitelinks, now you have 20 sitelinks per ad group.
Individual Review
There is an improvement as enhanced campaign now allows sitelink management of each link. Earlier whole blocks of links passed through the approval process, now each link goes through the approval process.
Sitelink performance reporting
Performance of each link can be monitored on a granular level and reported on.
Scheduling
Sitelinks can be scheduled for days of the week and also for certain hours of the day.
Character limit reduced
Links can now have 25 characters as opposed to 35 in the earlier system. Brevity is the soul of the new system.
These are some of the features that will make the new enhanced campaign AdWords better than the one before. However, there are a few inefficiencies like:
The new system uses bid multipliers for mobile bids set at campaign level. This overlooks the fact that not all keywords perform uniformly and bids should be set at keyword level. Another alternative that could be used is to bunch similarly performing keywords in their own campaign and to set multipliers for them.
AdWords contends that desktop and tablet ecosystems are totally different. However, it would be nice to wait for the new ecosystem to evolve fully. But Google believes otherwise.
There are many noticeable differences and Google believes the differences will eventually narrow down in the future. AdWords is today more focused on user context as opposed to the device they use to access the internet. This means where users are looking for solutions is more important than how and on what devices they are seeking solutions; whether it is a desktop or a tablet. The best we can do as of now is, monitor the situation closely, and not lose sight of our marketing objectives while understanding how to achieve peak performance with the new changes in campaign architecture.
