Why It’s Essential to Upgrade your AdWords URLs

Out with the old and in with the new . . . upgraded URLs that is. At least that’s what Google AdWords has decided. But it’s only a URL, it can’t affect you too much, right? Not quite. The good news is you don’t really have to do much in anticipation of the change. The bad news being that choosing not to act will result in possibly leaving your ads with zero exposure. And we know, that is the last thing any AdWords user wants to happen.

To avoid having your ads disapproved and lose any traction your ads have, it is essential to upgrade your destination URLs. You may also be happy to learn that this isn’t a random requirement Google created to make your life harder. There are actual benefits to upgrading.

The benefits of the AdWords update includes:

• Less time managing and tracking information
• Faster load times
• Reduced crawl times
• Custom tracking parameters
• Reduced editorial review

What does a Google Upgraded URL mean?

As of July 2015, AdWords will automatically update destination URLs to final URLs. If you don’t use any tracking information (although you’re missing out on valuable insight) you won’t need to lift a finger to convert your ad URLs to fit the automatic update.  But if you’re a business that falls into the category that does use tracking, this update requires that an ad’s URL must match the domain of the landing page URL with the current tracking information separated from it. If your URL doesn’t fit the requirements, your ad will be disapproved.

Unfortunately, this means you must do a manual upgrade. But fortunately, this also means that with this new upgrade you won’t have to worry about losing tracking information or seeing your ad stats decrease when changing tracking parameters in the future.

The manual upgrade to your final URLs can take place in two ways.

• The basic update: This update allows you to create local tracking templates for each of your final URLs. By using the basic update option you can keep all your tracking data and it will not trigger a policy review. You can choose between using Adwords or AdWords Editor through the bulk upload tool to start the process of separating the tracking elements from the landing page URLs.

• The advanced update: This update allows you to manage shared tracking templates at the campaign, ad group, or account level. When choosing the advanced update option you have the chance to use ValueTrack and the custom parameters during the upgrade process. Although this will trigger an ad policy review, later on you can make changes to the shared tracking templates without stopping your ad from showing. It should be noted however, that this option will reset your ad performance data.

Are all Google Ad types Compatible with the Final URLs?

Unfortunately, all AdWords ads aren’t yet compatible with the final URLs. The ad formats that we are still waiting on to become compatible are:

• Gmail Sponsored Ads
• Lightbox
• AdWords for Video

This means that until they are compatible, these ad formats won’t be displayed.

How can you Upgrade to Google’s Final URL before it’s too Late?

Time is ticking away and July is approaching fast. In the time left, how are you supposed to understand the correct way to upgrade your destination URLs? Well, Google AdWords has thought about that and laid out a basic overview of the steps you must take to transition to the final URL.

But here at Biznet Digital, we understand it may not be that simple for you.  With less than a month before your ads get forcibly transitioned and possibly disapproved, you may be feeling pressured to complete the upgrade while trying to manage other responsibilities and deadlines.

For over 20 years, Biznet Digital has been providing turnkey technological and marketing solutions for businesses.  Our expert AdWords and PPC specialists understand the ins and outs of AdWord’s technology and are ready to provide a personalized solution that takes the weight off your shoulders. We understand that having your ads disapproved could mean a substantial loss of profit and visibility. Learn more about how Biznet can help you maximize your time and money by giving your AdWords account the attention it deserves.