What you need to know

A few months ago, Google announced that they would be making changes to how AdWords accounts operate with the introduction of 'Enhanced Campaigns'. Since then, they have been encouraging users of the service to upgrade before the 22nd July deadline. After the deadline, Google will automatically upgrade any account not yet amended to Enhanced, using their pre-defined settings.

How are Enhanced Campaigns different?

The main change is that the separate advert delivery platforms – PC, tablet and mobile – will be managed within a single umbrella campaign, instead of through separate campaigns as happens now. This should simplify the setting up and management of campaigns as you will no longer have to create news for each of the platforms you want to use. This new structure will also enable Campaign targeting by geographic location, day and time.

 Will this affect my budgets?

No. The daily budget will remain the same so your spend will not increase. Having said that, you may see a difference in Campaign performance, as ads may now start showing on mobile for the first time. Previously, a separate campaign would have been created to target this platform. Before the introduction of Enhanced Campaigns, Mobile ads generally had a cheaper Cost Per Click (CPC). By incorporating this with other campaigns, it is possible that the CPC will increase, in line with the CPC for pc Search Ads. This is most likely to happen if AdWords customers allow Google to upgrade their accounts automatically as you will not then be able to set your own individual bids in the first instance (although this can of course be amended at any time). 

What do I need to do before 22nd July?

You have 2 options:

1. You can do nothing and Google will automatically upgrade your account for you in July.  This will mean that your ads will immediately start appearing across all devices, including web enabled mobile phones, using the same bids as for your current standard campaigns.
2. We can manage the upgrade for you.

This will enable you to take control of where your ads will appear and how much you are willing to pay for those ads. According to Kenshoo, mobile devices now account for over 20% of UK paid search traffic.

What if I missed the 22nd July deadline?

Don't panic! You can updated your AdWords settings and bids at any time.  If you are unsure how to proceed, or need assistance with deciding how best to manage your enhanced campaign, please give us a call and we will be happy to advise you.

Our Recommendation

We are recommending that our clients trial the mobile platform in the initial period to assess its impact on campaigns. To make this most effective we will manage the upgrade and ensure your spend is allocated correctly on the different platforms, displaying on mobile devices as standard. To ensure this works in the long run, once the upgrade has been running for 2-4 weeks, we will then carry out a performance review, making adjustments based on our findings.

We would be happy to manage this upgrade for you, followed by the subsequent 2-4 week performance review. In total, this would be 4 hours work, based on our normal charge rate to you.

We would also be more than happy to discuss these changes with you in more detail, as well as the additional features which include geographic and day/time targeting. More information about Enhanced Campaigns can also be found on the Google website.