I (Finally) Tried The New AdWords

A year, give or take, after its initial rollout, (most of) my client’s accounts now have access to the new AdWords UI. Following a spirited debate with my inner creature of habit, I decided to give it a go (resting assured I could switch back to familiarity when feeling nostalgic unable to find something in the new layout). For anyone who’s yet to click the little blue banner in the lower righthand corner, here’s a rundown of what’s on the other side:

Overview page

At the account level, the overview page has a “Devices” module with data insights by device and a “Biggest changes” module showing the campaigns with the largest shifts period over period.

At the campaign and ad group levels, there’s a “Most-shown ads” module with impressions, clicks and CTR by ad and a “Day & hour” module displaying performance metrics by time (also available at the account level).

Enhanced charts

On the overview page, users can plot up to four data points on a single chart.

The charts on the campaign, ad group and keyword pages still allow for only two data points, but an expanded view option shows those data points in full screen (no more perpetual zooming to capture non-grainy screenshots).

3-dot menus

Previously found in the left navigation panel, access to the Shared Library now lives within the 3-dot menu in the upper righthand corner. This menu also houses links to the Keyword Planner and Ad Preview and Diagnosis tools.

The options to show different time increments on a chart and download reports also have new homes within additional 3-dot menus on the campaign, ad group and keyword pages. Via the dot menu below the chart on these pages, users can select whether paused and/or removed items are shown in the report.

Filters

Remember the drop-down menu organized by category? Forget about it, and now identify a filter by typing and using the arrow keys, and then apply a filter by pressing enter.

Once all the desired filters are applied, don’t worry about losing them when switching to another account because they (along with any specified segments) will remain intact. (Bear in mind this is not the case when switching between the keywords, negative keywords and search terms views.)

Ideally the above improvements would be accompanied by the ability to apply “or” filters and the option to “filter to selected” (features I’ve grown fond of in DoubleClick Search), but such functionalities don’t appear to be available.

According to the in-account guide, “The new experience is still in development, so some features are only available in the previous AdWords experience for now.” Fortunately, reverting back is easy – there’s an option to “Return to previous AdWords” in the 3-dot menu in the upper right. Among the features for which I’ve had to switch back are promotion and price extensions, but for the most part I’ve been able to find what I need. For those who haven’t already, I recommend taking the leap into the new AdWords.