Back in November 2008, Google started testing a new user interface for their AdWords system. The new interface will now be rolled out to a limited number of UK advertisers on 10 February 2009.
The updates are supposed to make account organisation more intuitive and help users find the right tools on the right account screen. Navigating through accounts will be faster, editing keywords, ads, bids and placements will be easier and users will get more detailed statistics and in-context reports within the campaign management screens.
Some of the updated features are as follows:
- Easier account navigation
New tabs have been added in the main navigation bar providing direct access to AdWords Tools and Billing. Secondary navigation between active campaigns can be done via a menu on the left – paused and deleted campaigns are not represented on this tree.
- Easier Account Monitoring
Users can easily check on the performance of all the elements in a campaign by clicking on Keywords, Networks or Ads, thus displaying all the keywords, placements and ads in a single table. Graphs provide a quick overview of the performance of the segment being viewed. Users can then decide how much to bid on specific keywords or placements. - Details and Filters
Dynamic roll-ups give a broad view of the overall performance of a campaign within the same page. It is also possible to set up filters to display only certain ads or keywords by clicking on ‘Create Filter’ under ‘Tab Options’, thus focusing on selected parts of the account only. Detailed information about particular ads can be viewed by clicking ‘Show Query Report’ or ‘Automatic Placements’ on the ‘Networks’ tab. - Dynamic Keyword, Bid and Ad Updates
Users will now have more flexibility to expand accounts. They can create ads, add keywords and set bids in any order on the same tabs used to manage campaigns or ad groups. Users can also use a one-page creation process to build new ad groups. Fast, in-line editing by clicking on any bid or keyword enables users to make quick changes in the account.
- Networks and Placements
The old ‘Placements’ tab is now the ‘Networks’ tab. It summarizes the performance of ads on Google Search and Partner sites. Domain and URL level reports for content network placements are also visible here. Users also have the option to have ‘Managed placements’ or ‘Automatic Placements’.
Google is still working on certain updates, such as campaign settings, position preference, demographic bidding and certain specialised ad formats.
