API Update Rundown

AdWords API Features Update
What’s new, out of beta, and noteworthy

Marc Wandschneider, Google Inc.
<SPEAKER>, Google, Inc.

Latest Release Highlights
● Some new features
○ Offline conversions import & tracking
○ New reporting types and fields
○ Shared budget changes


Latest Release Highlights (cont’d)
● Other noteworthy changes:
○ Names mandatory on Campaigns and AdGroups
○ Can no longer toggle search network for NetworkSetting
○ Stats objects are no longer available via services


Latest Release Highlights (cont’d)
● Five features graduated from beta
○ Display criteria bid modifiers
○ Dynamic Search Ads
○ AdGroup level feeds (site links)
○ Flexible bidding strategies
○ Location bid modifiers


New Features


Offline Conversion Import
● Allows you to register conversions by hand
● Might have been manual conversion
● Maybe your conversion tracker works differently

● Can register conversions up to 90 days after the click
● Exact value is configurable

● Conversions can be used for
● Flexible bidding
● Conversion reporting (aka search funnels)


Offline Conversion Import (cont’d)
● Basic procedure
a. Register to receive GCLID with auto-tagging
b. Store incoming click ID as lead in your database
c. When conversion occurs, mark as converted in DB
d. Periodically run code to upload these conversions to API


Offline Conversion Import (cont’d)
● To Upload a conversion, two steps:
a. Create Import conversion type
■ via UI or ConversionTrackerService

b. Report (upload) the conversion


Create Import Conversion Type (Code)
UploadConversion uc = new UploadConversion();
uc.setCategory(ConversionTrackerCategory.SIGNUP);
uc.setName("Freemium signup");
uc.setViewthroughLookbackWindow(30);
uc.setCtcLookbackWindow(90);

ConversionTrackerService.mutate(ADD, uc);
// NOTE: wait 6 hours after creating before uploading.

Report Offline Conversion
OfflineConversionFeed feed = new OfflineConversionFeed();
feed.setConversionName("Freemium signup");
feed.setConversionTime(conversionTime);
feed.setGoogleClickId(gClid);
feed.setConversionValue(3.50);

// optional, > 0

OfflineConversionFeedService.mutate(ADD, feed);
// conversion can take up to 3 hours to be processed fully

Other Noteworthy Changes


Campaign and AdGroup Names
● Now mandatory field
● It’s up to you to guarantee unique
among your campaigns

● Not adding will cause an error
● (that’s it)


NetworkSetting and Search
● Display only campaigns have evolved over time
● Can now no longer toggle search for NetworkSetting
● Will throw TargetError.TARGET_ERROR

● Can still toggle display network
● Only affects you if you’re changing NetworkSetting for
existing campaigns

Stats Objects Going Away
● Many services (7) used to contain Stats objects
● i.e. AdGroupService ,CampaignService, MutateJobService

● No longer there, will return an error
● Use reporting instead to get statistics
● Reporting API is extremely easy to use
● You should already be using it!


Individual Campaign Budgets Are Back...
● As of v201309, it is now possible to create ‘individual’
(non-shared) budgets
● As of v201302, a boolean field was added to the
Budget object to support this: isExplicitlyShared
● The isExplicitlyShared value is now honoured
● Set isExplicitlyShared = false to create an
individual budget
● Default value: isExplicitlyShared = true


Why Create Individual Campaign Budgets?
● Individual budgets will not appear in the AdWords UI
‘Shared Library’
● They cannot be shared unless converted to a shared
budget by setting isExplicitlyShared = true
● Shared budgets cannot be converted to Individual
budgets
● Individual Budgets are automatically deleted when the
Campaign is deleted
○ BudgetService.mutate(REMOVE op) not required

Why Create Individual Campaign Budgets?
● Campaigns using Budget Optimizer or Campaign
Experiments cannot share budgets
● Individual budgets enforce this


Features graduated from beta


1. Display Criteria Bid Modifiers
●

BiddableAdGroupCriterion.bidModifier

!!

● For modifying bids for certain Display Network segments
● Can modify bids for specific placements / audiences

● RLSAs too!
● Won’t work for keywords or other criterion types


2. Dynamic Search Ads
● Ads that serve based on your sites’ content
● Don’t need to add headline, destination URL, or keywords
● You provide only descriptions, display URL

● Same ranking — performs same as other search ads
● Work within keyword-based campaigns
● Can provide DSAs as “catch-all” for non-matched keywords

● Can still use negative keywords, reporting, extensions


Dynamic Search Ads (cont’d)
● Create Campaigns and AdGroups as before
● Feel free to add keyword criteria
● For DSAs, you need three things:
● DomainInfoExtension
● One or more Webpage Criteria
● DynamicSearchAds



● Create Ad of type DynamicSearchAd
● Provide description1, description2, displayUrl
● One trick: If you provide url must use parameterised
value
● Can update, change status, etc


● url parameter, if provided, needs a parameter
● One of the following values:
● {unescapedlpurl} — Used at beginning, replaces entire URL
● {unescapedlpurl}?lang=en
● {escapedlpurl} — UR- encoded version, i.e. for trackers
● http://www.3rdpartytracker.com/?lp={escapedlpurl}
● {lpurlpath} — Only path and query part of landing page URL
● http://www.mygoodbusiness.com/tracking/{lpurlpath}
●

If you don’t provide url, {unescapedlpurl} used


DynamicSearchAd dsa = new DynamicSearchAd();
dsa.url = "{unescapedlpurl}?source=dsa";
dsa.displayUrl = "amazingcarrepairs.com";
dsa.description1 = "We'll take good care of your car";
dsa.description2 = "Wash and wax service included.";
AdGroupAd aga = new AdGroupAd(_adgroupid);
aga.ad = dsa;
AdGroupService.mutate(ADD, aga);


● Add criteria of type Webpage
● Can target by title, content, URL, etc.
● Can also add negative Webpage criteria
● Don’t serve against these pages, etc.


WebpageCondition cond = new WebpageCondition();
cond.operand = URL; // filter on URLs, equal to "CONTAINS"
cond.argument = "/grandcherokee";
WebpageParameter param = new WebpageParameter();
param.criterionName = "Jeep Grand Cherokee";
param.conditions = [ cond ];
Webpage wp = new Webpage(); // the criterion
wp.parameter = param;
// can now put in AdGroupCriterion object and ADD!

● Caveat:
● DSAs depend on a DomainInfoExtension
●

These are Campaign Ad Extensions

● These are NOT creatable via API
●

Must use UI

● Can create DSAs against existing DomainInfoExtension
● Can get stats & update fields on existing DSAs


3. AdGroup Level Feeds
● Can now use AdGroupFeedService
● Add site links to individual AdGroups
● (that’s about it, really)


4. Flexible Bidding Strategies
● Currently bidding strategies are per campaign
● You create a new object and pass that to new campaign

● Would be nice if we could create a pool of them
● Be able to use same configuration across campaigns
● Try out different strategies in different situations

● Flexible Bidding Strategies to the rescue
● Think “shared”

Flexible Bidding Strategies (cont’d)


● BiddingStrategyService is the pool
● Create a SharedBiddingStrategy object
● Contains biddingScheme as you’re used to
●

I.e. TargetSpendBiddingScheme

● For Campaign.biddingStrategyConfiguration
● You just use bidding strategy ID from the shared object


// 1. create the shared bidding
TargetSpendBiddingScheme tsbs =
tsbs.spendTarget = 250000000;
tsbs.bidCeiling = 2500000;

strategy.
new TargetSpendBiddingScheme();
// $250 a month
// max 2.50$ bid

SharedBiddingStrategy sbs = new SharedBiddingStrategy();
sbs.name = "Monthly targeted spend";
sbs.type = TARGET_SPEND;
sbs.biddingScheme = tsbs;
BiddingStrategyService.mutate(ADD, sbs); // extract result


// 2. add it to the campaign.
Campaign c = new Campaign();
// set up stuff on c
BiddingStrategyConfiguration bsc = new
BiddingStrategyConfiguration();
bsc.biddingStrategyId = sbs.id;
c.biddingStrategyConfiguration = bsc;

CampaignService.mutate(ADD, c);

5. Location Bid Modifiers
● Set different bids for
different locations
● All within the comfort of one
campaign


Location Bid Modifiers (cont’d)
// 1. normal location criterion.
LocationCriterion lc = new Location();
lc.id = 1002451; // Toronto, Ontario, Canada
lc.bidModifier = 1.0;
CampaignCriterion cc = new CampaignCriterion();
cc.campaignId = _campaignId;
cc.criterion = lc;
CampaignCriterionService.mutate(ADD, cc);


Location Bid Modifiers (cont’d)
// 2. let's bid more for successful suburb
LocationCriterion lc = new Location();
lc.id = 1002350;
// Mississauga, Ont, Can
CampaignCriterion cc = new CampaignCriterion();
cc.campaignId = _campaignId;
cc.criterion = lc;
cc.bidModifier = 1.5;
// bid 50% more for here
CampaignCriterionService.mutate(ADD, cc);


The Neglected
Don’t forget about these features


A Couple of Frequently Unused Features
● Negative Keywords
● Site Links (now via Feed Services)
● Implementing these will help with QS, CTR, relevance
● A simple way to help you serve more effectively


Negative Keywords
// Create keyword. We're creating ads for “Westminster dentist”.
Keyword keyword = new Keyword();
keyword.setText("reviews");
keyword.setMatchType(KeywordMatchType.BROAD);
// Create negative campaign criterion.
NegativeCampaignCriterion ncc = new NegativeCampaignCriterion();
ncc.setCampaignId(_campaignId);
ncc.setCriterion(keyword);
CampaignCriterionService.mutate(ADD, ncc);

Site Links
● Now part of Feed Services
● Separate talk later today


Helpful Links

Google Ads v201309 Blog Post - http://goo.gl/TvNQDx
v201309 Migration Guide - http://goo.gl/e4O7YZ

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