Google AdWords Unveils Exciting New Features for Mobile Apps and Enterprise-Class Reporting & Management (Part 1)

Many advertisers were a little nervous when Google announced that they would be releasing some major changes to the AdWords platform on April 22, 2014. Earlier this morning, over a 170 search marketing experts attended the AdWords Performance Forum, where Jerry Dischler—Vice President of Product Management for AdWords—introduced more than 10 new features that will be launched in the coming months to Google AdWords.

“We’re excited to see how large and small advertisers around the world will put these new products to work, to grow their businesses and find new customers,” stated Dischler on the Google Inside AdWords blog.

Nearly 20,000 people tuned in to the “Step Inside Adwords” Livestream to hear the product announcements. Before introducing the new products, Dischler discussed the motivations that drive Google AdWords’ product development, stating that “it’s not really about mobile; it’s about consumers. And as consumers, what you really want to do is connect with the people and the things that matter the most [wherever you are] on any device.”

Building upon the success of enhanced campaigns, the new AdWords features will help advertisers use context to reach their customers in more effective ways—whether their customers are using the web, mobile web, or mobile apps. Other features will help advertisers manage their campaigns and measure performance more efficiently on a multi-screen world.

New AdWords features focus on mobile apps

For many years, Google has used Google search ads and the AdMob network to help businesses promote their apps and drive app downloads. Today, Dischler announced the next generation of features that are designed to help businesses increase the visibility of their apps, drive more app downloads, and increase customer engagement within those downloaded apps.

Users are targeted based on their existing apps. Businesses that want to promote app installs in the AdMob network are now able to reach people who are more likely to become customers based on the apps they use, their frequency of use, and the type of in-app purchases they make.

User re-engagement is increased in already-installed apps. According to the Google Inside AdWords blog, over 80% of downloaded apps are used only once and then deleted. (This statistic comes from a Digital Trends study that was conducted in 2013.) Using the principle of mobile app deep linking, Google AdWords has announced an app re-engagement campaign for both search and display, so that consumers can be taken directly into already-installed apps.

“For example, if someone has the HotelTonight app installed on their phone and searches for “hotels in San Francisco” on Google.com, they can go directly to the specific page in HotelTonight about SF hotels, instead of being taken to the app’s main landing page,” stated Dischler on the Google Inside AdWords blog.

Enhanced measurement of app engagement will soon be available via conversion tracking. AdWords will unveil new features that will allow businesses to measure conversions across the entire lifecycle of their apps—from user installation and re-engagement, to in-app purchases.

Businesses will get more impressions for app ads on YouTube. AdWords will soon enable app installs as an enhancement to the current TrueView offering on YouTube,

Google AdWords will continue to invest in Estimated Total Conversions

Google AdWords introduced Estimated Total Conversions for search ads in October 1, 2013, to help businesses measure the full value of their campaigns—including phone calls and conversions that have taken place across all devices. Businesses have successfully used Estimated Total Conversions to inform their bidding and budgeting decisions, and find new customers.

Based on current feedback and success, Dischler says that Google will continue to invest in Estimated Total Conversions. Google is also testing ways to measure the effectiveness of search ads at driving in-store sales using anonymized purchase data from retail partners. Aside from measuring mobile campaign ROI, Estimated Total Conversions will also measure cross-device conversions as well as mobile-initiated conversions that lead to in-store sales.

[Part 2 of this article] will discuss Google AdWord’s new management and reporting features.

What do you think of Google AdWord’s new mobile app enhancements? Will they drive more app downloads and increase user engagement with downloaded apps? Do you feel overwhelmed by these changes? Share your insights in our Comments section.

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