Just as the seasons are changing, Google Adwords is changing, too. This month, Google Adwords is rolling out some new and exciting changes. Below is a recap to get you up to speed.

Upgraded Campaigns for Search Network and Display

A big update comes in the way of forced, “upgraded” campaigns for Search Network and Display Select. Starting September 16th, Google will be upgrading all Search Network and Display campaigns to this new enhanced “Select” version. According to Google, the basic difference between the regular and the “Select” version is that when “compared with the existing “Search & Display Network” campaigns, “Search Network with Display Select” uses new methods to determine when and where your ads are likely to perform best on the Display Network, setting a higher bar for when to show them. That means your ads will be shown to a smaller number of potential customers who are most likely to be interested in the products and services you’re advertising.” Google claims that many customers who have upgraded have already seen higher Click-Through-Rates (CTRs) and lower Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPAs). Read more about the changes here, and how you can set up your campaigns in time for the upgrade. 

Google Announces Changes to Exact Match

Google has also announced that coming in late September, campaigns will now include close and variant matches, previously only “exact” keyword matches were offered. Currently, you can choose to opt out of variant matches, but that will no longer be the case after this change. For those who aren’t familiar, close variants include misspellings and other close iterations of your selected keyword or phrase. For most advertisers it shouldn’t be too big of a change but it’s still important because you’re losing some ability to control keyword targeting for your campaigns. It’s also good to know because you may start to see a larger influx of traffic coming from your exact match keywords. Additionally, because slight variations of words can have very different meanings and can signal different intent, advertisers may see a rise in marketing costs. To get your campaigns prepared, revisit your negative keyword list and see if things need to be added in order to maintain more search query control. Here’s additional background information and steps you can take to get your account ready for the change.

Google Introduces Website Call Conversions

One of our new favorite changes was announced back in mid August when Google unveiled a new conversion type that uses Google forwarding numbers to track calls generated from a website. In other words, Google can now track calls from users after they visited your website from an ad click and recognize it as a conversion. This is especially helpful for advertisers currently using the click to call extensions in their ads.

By simply adding a little bit of code to your website, Google will add a Google forwarding number to your site which will keep track of the calls. You can determine what’s considered a conversion by selecting how long the duration of the phone call must be in order to be considered a “conversion.” You’ll also now be able to use flexible bid strategies in conjunction with the call tracking. Check out Search Engine Land and the Adwords Blog to learn more.

There are many exciting things coming from Google Adwords that will ultimately expand and broaden advertisers’ overall marketing reach, while helping you keep better track of your ad spend and conversions. It’s important to stay on top of these new changes before they become automatic. Visit our SEM blog category to stay on top of the newest trends, as well as gain additional information.

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