Ok, so the problem is when you are creating a new ad group and build an extensive list of kw/kp based on research etc, and you go to click to estimate traffic. BAM. One of your kw/kp contained something needing you to request exception etc. You enter your request, then click to estimate again (or save) and viola. Dissapearing act to about 90% of your kw/kp list.
I have had this happen probably a dozen times over the past 2 months. I keep thinking, someone will have reported it and made it better by now. I know I have called with the suggestion before but doesn't look like it was taken seriously. Argh. Now I am getting into a habbit of copying my list of kw/kp before submitting due to the fear of lossing the product of all my research and having to do redundant digging.
Yes, it's happened to me since day 1. I always keep a record of my kws anyway, so I just retry. One of the few ways that I behave efficiently :)
It also happens when you have mismatched delimiters on a phrase or exact keyword match.
I'm also running into a situation recently where I'll get the message:
may violate our 'No Repetition' standardand being given no opportunity to request an exception or save the ad. I have to change my phrasing. Some times the repetition is legitimate as in "Pago Pago".
And yes, I've cleared my cache 100 times in that period.
So it doesn't get lost in the shuffle, I'll repeat your entreaty:
AWA, could you please send this issue up the line.
AdwordsAdvisor:
The worst thing that can happen in an online application is to loose the data you entered. Even if they can't be processed, please output them, Google. Then we can copy them to notepad, reedit and correct them.
- Jan
Even if they can't be processed, please output them, Google. Then we can copy them to notepad, reedit and correct them.
Sujan,
From my own programmning experience, I fear that's easier said than done. As a general rule, oftentimes the error is that an array subscript is out of range or of the wrong type and the data becomes inaccessible by the program. So the stuff is truly lost to the program making it impossible to output in any fashion.
Kind of like, if I could have kept or shown you the data, I wouldn't have generated the error in the first place :)
I think it behooves us to make our own backup of any extensive work before trusting it to any application. In fact you have to do that with AdWords. Haven't you run into the scenario where you entered a keyword list but tarried too long while thoughtfully compiling it? Then when you finally click "Save" you find that the inactivity timer doesn't track time spent entering in a text box and you are logged out. Then all is truly lost!
Even my forum postings are usually generated in Notepad before I paste them into the text box since it's not unprecedented for "Submit" to be followed by a "page cannot be displayed" message.
So as not to lose prior posters' requests to AWA, I'll pass these on:
AWA, could you please send this issue up the line.
AdwordsAdvisor:
The worst thing that can happen in an online application is to loose the data you entered. Even if they can't be processed, please output them, Google. Then we can copy them to notepad, reedit and correct them.
From my own programmning experience, I fear that's easier said than done. As a general rule, oftentimes the error is that an array subscript is out of range or of the wrong type and the data becomes inaccessible by the program. So the stuff is truly lost to the program making it impossible to output in any fashion.
That's absolutely right, it's almost impossible to save the usergenerated data that is just being entered, especially in a big application like adwords.
But: We're on web here and there are two sites - server and client. Wouldn't it be possible to save the data in a cookie? I think Google's service blogger.com does something like that. Just an idea...
But if it's not possible: Why not ask the user to copy his keyword list to clipboard or even do it automatically? Also, just an idea.
Perhaps one of them is interesting for the tech-team...
Wouldn't it be possible to save the data in a cookie?
That sounds like a plan! The cookie would have to be written before any activity back to the server since circumstances could cause an abort or lost connection before the server side has an opportunity to respond with a defensive error message. It could then be deleted upon a successful integration into the AdGroup.
If such cookies were found before the next user action, the user could be advised of the "unsaved" data, bring it up and either process it or allowed to abandon it. Then the cookie would be deleted/expired/flagged.
A surprising amount of sites don't go to the trouble of saving form data in a cookie for retrieval assuming an aborted POST. Awfully optimistic of them :)
It would be interesting to see if Google implements your idea.
patient2all
Not much space is that.
They could be stored compressed. Keywords, since there is likely to be a lot of redundancy of characters, should compress very well.
In the event, they're still over the 4k limit, they could link to each other with the last text in the "lead off" cookie being the id to the next cookie.
Another idea, we could locate their "TEMP" directory at least in Windows and store the file there. Then the cookie could simply point to the randomized name we gave the file in the Temp folder.
I like these kind of problems :)
patient2all
But: We're on web here and there are two sites - server and client. Wouldn't it be possible to save the data in a cookie? I think Google's service blogger.com does something like that. Just an idea...But if it's not possible: Why not ask the user to copy his keyword list to clipboard or even do it automatically? Also, just an idea.
Some interesting ideas have emerged here, which I'll happily pass on the appropriate teams.
I've always recommended creating extensive keyword lists outside of the AdWords interface, not least of all because it's easier to manipulate, sort, fine tune, etc. - plus it gives you a saved copy of all your hard work.
BTW, I've noticed over time that when advertisers are having UI glitches within AdWords that they can often be resolved by updating one's browser, it is an older version (or by trying another browser). Also clearing cache and cookies can help, as can refreshing your bookmarked login page - or even better, logging in from adwords.google.com.
I'm not on the phones as much as I used to be, but in the past I often talked to advertisers who never turned off their computers. They sometimes reported UI issues that were resolved by simply re-booting their machines.
Worth a shot, anyway. And, as I said, I'll forward the ideas/feedback from this thread. ;)
AWA
