Google AdWords Features I'd Like to See, #11

Continued. Share ideas for making your life easier

[netmeg]

(PS. Do we need a new thread soon? This one is getting rather large)

I tend to agree, but have always highly valued the grass-roots nature of these threads - i.e. that they have been started by members other than myself. I really like what that says.

(Cough) So if there are any volunteers out there... ;)

AWA

Ok, I'll jump in.

Maybe it's me, but it seems like I'm getting more and more of these boxes popping up warning about secure and non-secure items, particularly in the Campaign Settings area. I can't edit a lot of those things in the Editor, so it's *really* annoying to have to keep clicking out of that box. Google, UR DOIN IT WRONG.

Also, while I was going through yet again unchecking boxes for Automatic Match (hint hint) I seem to get tons and tons of pink boxes saying my changes had not taken effect. Seemed to happen more the faster I got in doing these edits.

More of these campaign level options NEED to be available in the next version of the AdWords Editor. *please*.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Got it, buckworks - thanks!

I'll check back again in another 2 to 3 hours. ;)

AWA

[netmeg]

'kay, when there are long reporting outages such as there were today, Google really needs to do better about notifying people what's going on. I'm not talking about here on WebmasterWorld, but at least on the Inside AdWords Blog or the group or heck, the Adwords console itself. Business doesn't STOP on weekends, even if Google does.

[Dlocks]

Second that. For example a 'current status' page would be more then welcome.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Hi netmeg and Dlocks,

I've been a part of a couple of conversations on that subject exactly, in the recent past - and will keep on it.

Thanks for the posts. :)

AWA

[netmeg]

'kay, thanks. People are also looking for answers on the searchwiki boxes that are appearing next to AdWords ads in some cases.

[Rehan]

AWA, at [webmasterworld.com...] I mentioned (in the Feb 8 post) a couple of minor bugs and they still exist today. You might want to include that in the feedback you send out, or direct it to whomever else would be more appropriate to address it.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Thanks Rehan - got 'em!

AWA

[Sujan]

Display of "low volume keyword" in Adwords Editor would be nice. If we have to live with low volume stuff, at least we could get info on it there too.

[Dlocks]

Today (friday in the evening in the EU) I received the notification about the change of the AdWords policy regarding the display URL.

The change will be implemented on monday. So zero office days advance notice.

Adwords support does not work in the weekend but advertisers must work in the weekend ;)

So my request is: please send changes to the AdWords policy that have a huge impact (like the URL policy change) one or two weeks before the change is implemented. Or did I miss an e-mail?

[edited by: Dlocks at 11:45 pm (utc) on Feb. 20, 2009]

[netmeg]

It's Thursday; time for this to come up to the top.

I'm doing tons of campaigns (hundreds!) with custom geo targets, and AdWords Editor doesn't support them. It needs to. It's taking me twice as long (at least) because I have to build the campaigns in AdWords Editor, upload them, than go online and set all the custom locations, and then I get errors if I try to download the account again, or if I leave it then I have to go through this all over again when I upload. !

Also, when dealing with local service businesses, who *really want to advertise with AdWords* - a lot of them target by county. I could spend a whole lot of time trying to carve out the exact parameters for five or ten counties, or Google could just let us target that way. A *ton* of stuff still gets done by county in this country.

Maybe it's just me (because I'm still having issues with my main Google account spontaneously and randomly making me log back in to Analytics when I go from one screen to another) but I've been having a boatload of trouble going to Analytics from *within* an AdWords account. Probably 60% of the time I've tried over the past couple of weeks, I just get a 404. Back button, try again - another 404. This happens from my MCC, regardless of which client account I'm in. It happens on multiple computers, browsers and connections. However, if I go in through the Analytics front door (NOT the tab in AdWords), no worries.

[netmeg]

I am also finding the Contact Support options to be very frustrating these days. I have an issue about the linking of an AdWords and an Analytics account. I go to the Help section, and the Contact section, and have to drill down through several questions about the nature of my issue only to be told to go look it up on the Google Analytics help files. IT'S NOT THERE. If the answer to this specific problem were in the help files or the faq or the Google Group, I would have found it and fixed it. But it's not. And it has as much to do with AdWords as it does with Analytics. But apparently I'm not supposed to contact Google with it, because the help/contact streams take me to a total dead end.

FAIL.

[netmeg]

This email about the AdWords/Analytics thing is turning out to be a nightmare. I have close to forty accounts I'm responsible for, not all of which are in my MCC, and I can't get a straight answer on what the deal is from anyone. AdWordsStephen tried, but he doesn't address my issues, his explanation isn't really helpful and everything is about as clear as mud.

The whole thing is being handled VERY poorly - no clear idea of what it means, no clear support, and very little notice. I've already spent several hours trying to track down what it means to my accounts, and am no further along than I started. I have a lot of other things to do, so I have to ignore it and move on. If I or my clients end up losing data, or the AdWords and Analytics accounts become unlinked, or whatever the heck doomsday scenario is supposed to happen, on which I STILL can't get a CLEAR AND EXPLICIT answer - I guess it just sucks to be us.

Way to treat your advertisers, Google. NOT.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

It's Thursday; time for this to come up to the top.

Indeed it is - and thanks for doing so, netmeg. It's been one of those weeks in which I have seemingly have not even been able to scratch the surface - and I have been scarce on WebmasterWorld as a result.

As usual, everything between my last post and this one has now been copy/pasted into the Advertiser Feedback Report, verbatim. It'll go out in about 3 to 5 hours depending on how lucky I am. ;)

So, still time for more.

This email about the AdWords/Analytics thing is turning out to be a nightmare [...] The whole thing is being handled VERY poorly [...] Way to treat your advertisers, Google. NOT.

This entire post was also sent, separately, to a number of colleagues here at AdWords shortly after it was posted. Yep, it's in the Report too.

And, for what it's worth, you have my apology netmeg. As strange as it might sound, I also truly thank you for never mincing words - whether your comments are very negative, as they are here - or very positive. You make a compelling case, either way.

Best,

AWA

[Sujan]

Here you go, a whole list of wishes:

- Add "Impression Share" on Adgroup and Keyword level
- Add Keyword ID in "Keyword Performance" report
- {match} for dynamic insertion of match type
- Printable invoices as PDF files for easier digital filing (not available for postpay with credit card yet)
- Change-History Reports in a processable format (+ via API)
- Downloadable Logfile of clickdata: timestamp, cpc, position of the ad etc.
- Add display of "low volume keyword" in Adwords Editor and as a report
- Remove the "only 5 scheduled reports" limit

- Jumplinks for MCC accounts:
If you are a 'normal' user you can use something like [1] to jump directly to this adgroup. But if you're an MCC user you can't use these links, because they don't tell Adwords in which account to jump. So perhaps you could add the possibility to include the customer ID in these links and then jump to the right account.
[1] [adwords.google.com...]

- Jan

[AdWordsAdvisor]

I am going to make a desperate effort to bring this thread back to the top of the page before netmeg does it this week - which requires my doing it a bit earlier than I usually do, heheh.

Sujan, thanks for your long list. :)

So - the Advertiser Feedack Report goes out in about 5 to 8 hours (depending on whether or not I can make myself any less busy with other stuff.) As usual, I will happily include anything posted here before that time.

Thanks in advance.

AWA

[netmeg]

Probably a pipe dream, but I ran into something this week when I was running some reports on fairly large account - would be great if AdWords could give us some kind of an *estimate* on how long a big report will take to finish. I had one that I was waiting around for for about half an hour.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Thanks netmeg - got it (and the one in the GA thread too.) ;)

Should you happen to have any other brainstorms (or if any other other WebmasterWorld member does) there are at least three hours before the report goes out. And probably four.

Thanks again.

AWA

[Sujan]

A recent but very serious one:
Fix Google AdsBot to not request URLs without replacing {keyword}

- Jan

[Green_Grass]

When I used to fill up some surveys from Google a while back. I got asked the question if ' I was interested in paying a part of my adWords spend with adSense earnings? ' I thought it was a good idea for a small advertiser who also had some adSense income. But it never got thru. most probably on account of the anti arbitrage feelings or connotations.

I have an adWords spend for my e comm site, and would love tp pay for it with some of my adSense earnings from my other sites, if it was possible. It would be a boon as it would cut out a lot of problems in spending (relatively large) amounts of money thru. Credit cards. My bank would stop bugging me every week and I would not have to give explanations to my income tax authorities every year..Yeah.. In India, I have to REPORT large Credit Card Spends to the Tax authorities.. Really bugging..and PITA.