Google Adwords to Google Ads – What is Actually Changing?
If you’re an avid user of Google Adwords, you may have heard that Google AdWords is changing to Google Ads. If you hadn’t heard… then you have now!
When you consider that Google introduced AdWords to us in the same year that S Club 7 told us to reach for the stars, and the Baha Men were asking “who let the dogs out?” (year 2000 in case music trivia isn’t your forte), it’s probably fair to say that a change was needed. The digital world that we live in has changed A LOT during these past 18 years. Because of this, Google wanted to create a more ‘streamlined’ approach towards advertising and sales. They have tried to achieve just that, with their 3 new/revamped platforms: Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform and Google Ad Manager.
But the main purpose of this post is to establish exactly;
What is changing when Google AdWords becomes Google Ads?
Well, from what we have been able to gather from Google’s publications on this… not very much at all actually.
If you look at the reason why Google are making changes, this will help you to understand why they have made the changes that they have made. As mentioned above, Google are responding to the advance in digital marketing. These days, you can advertise almost anywhere. There are so many more opportunities for advertisers, for example: apps (i.e. games or shopping apps), emails, the display network, Youtube and good ol’ traditional search. The digital world is an advertiser’s oyster. So, Google felt they needed to change their tactics and update their platform. Enter Smart Campaigns;
Smart Campaigns
Google Ads has been continuously called a ‘single entry point to all of Google’s features’. When they say this, they are referring to their new ‘Smart Campaigns’ in particular. These new campaigns are almost certainly the biggest and most relevant change.
What do Smart Campaigns involve?
Smart Campaigns involve a little bit of input from you and a lot of input from Google. You tell Google what it is you are going to be advertising and who your target audience is, then they take care of the rest. But we don’t mean that humans working for Google will be running your campaigns. No, the same Google machine that powers automated bidding strategies will be controlling your campaigns. The goal for your online advertising campaign will determine which automated bidding strategy is implemented. Furthermore, the machine will even create dynamic ads for your campaign, so that your ads can show anywhere in any form. And when we say anywhere, we mean anywhere; your ads will be eligible to show on every network (Search, Display, YouTube, Apps, Emails etc).
What Google will tell you
This is the perfect campaign for small businesses or startups that are completely new to online advertising and want fast results. Smart Campaigns will provide businesses with the ability to have an online advertising campaign live in a matter of minutes rather than a matter of weeks. These campaigns will ensure that your ads are seen by potential customers at every moment. Whether they are directly searching for your product, reading a blog on a local news site, looking at their emails or playing the new flappy bird craze, they can see your ad. The ads are written for you, the bidding is done for you and the targeting is done for you. This is the easy way to advertise online.
What we will tell you
Without intending to sound too pessimistic, it just sounds like a glorified Adwords Express. Once you press that button to go live, you will lose almost all control over your campaign. Much like Adwords Express, you are throwing your money into the Google web, for them to spend on themselves as they please. The result is very up-in-the-air. Obviously it is in their best interest to provide you with results, so that you keep running your campaign. But at the end of the day, no one (not even Google!) knows your business like you do. There is a good reason why AdWords is quite complicated and not easy to get started on – perfectly targeted online advertising campaigns aren’t easy to build and manage. But does that mean you should settle for the easy option and chuck your money into a machine and hope for the best?
Well, that’s your decision!
New Logo
One change that isn’t up for debate whatsoever, is that there will be a fresh logo.
This is the new logo for Google Ads;
A more comprehensive online advertising platform
Every single type and form of online Advertising that both Google and their partner sites offer will all be accessible from Google Ads.
If we’re being honest, we don’t really have this down as an enormous change anyway. Simply because the vast majority of businesses that had online advertising requirements, could achieve everything that they wanted to on Google AdWords anyway. Nonetheless, it has helped to make Google’s advertising services more streamlined, I suppose you could say.
Other changes?
At this moment in time, there doesn’t appear to be a great deal else that is going to change. It is worth noting however, that there are going to be more new campaign types (similar to Smart Campaigns) released by Google on the 10th of July in a live-stream which you can sign up for. Furthermore, Google AdWords isn’t officially replacing Google Ads until the 24th of July 2018. So, maybe we should reserve full judgement on the extent of the changes until those dates.
In the meantime, you can see for yourself what Google are saying about AdWords’ replacement and the Smart Campaigns.
Oh, and there are some other changes Google have announced as well. They have merged together DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 suite to create the Google Marketing Platform. Thirdly and finally, another platform merge, and this time it’s DoubleClick Publisher and DoubleClick Ad Exchange into Google Ad Manager.
Now you’re up to date
So that’s everything you need to know about the Google AdWords to Google Ads changes. Plus, everything that goes along with it. You’re up to speed!
