Changes to Google AdWords

Google have announced that they have improved URL management in AdWords and will be rolling out this updated structure to all advertisers in July 2015.

The crux of the change is that with Upgraded URLs the landing page and tracking fields are seperate in AdWords which means you can update tracking information as per any adjustments to the campaigns without triggering a re-review of the entire destination URL. This saves on any downtime during the re-review so there's no interruption to your PPC campaign and your ad stats don't get reset.

To add more time saving, there's also Tracking templates which allow for scaling tracking updates across multiple URLs at the Account, Campaign or Ad Group level or if you want to manage URL tracking at a micro level it's possible to use tracking templates at the ad, keyword, or sitelink level.

The new structure makes tracking easier for AdWords ads and the upgraded URLs will be replacing Destination URLs with new fields.

If you don't use URL tracking then Google will be automatically upgrading your URLs in July by copying the current Destination URL to the new Final URL field for all ads and keywords. Reports will reflect these changes automatically so be sure to expect this.

If you do use URL tracking then Google's recommended action is to update your URLs using a help guide PRIOR TO 1 July. Otherwise, Google will automatically upgrade your URLs and the ValueTrack parameter will be removed. If you use a third-party campaign management service such as what BarkWeb provide, we suggest you work with your provider to upgrade your URL tracking.

Want to discuss AdWords? Give us a call on 01323 735800.