Using AdWords API

Overview of AdWords API

Introduction to the AdWords API

The AdWords Application Programming Interface (API) allows developers to use applications that interact directly with the AdWords server. With these applications, advertisers can manage large accounts and campaigns more efficiently. It offers the same AdWords functionality that is available through our online interface; the difference is that the API gives developers and users more flexibility to create additional applications and tools to manage their AdWords accounts.

Troubleshooting and Best Practices for MCC

Troubleshooting Problems in MCC

There are a number of challenges you could run into -- nearly all of which have simple solutions. Here are a few more common ones:

Defining access for just certain groups of client accounts:

• Solution: Use sub-MCCs. By creating another MCC and linking it to the original, you can group specific accounts underneath that sub-MCC and grant someone access to that MCC only. learn more.

Managing Client Budgets in MCC

Overview of Manager Defined Spend (MDS)

Manager Defined Spend (MDS) is a simple way for My Client Center (MCC) account-users to control their managed accounts' budgets. If you decide to move some or all of your managed accounts to MDS, you'll be able to create and modify these accounts' budgets instantaneously via your MCC dashboard. Additionally, you'll be billed for these accounts via one Manager Order-level monthly invoice.

Assigning Managers, Roles and Permissions

Overview of MCC Manager Levels and Roles

Once you link a sub-level My Client Center (MCC) to your top-level MCC, you can manage the account in the same way that you currently manage individual AdWords accounts.

To access a managed MCC, sign in to your top-level MCC. From here, you can navigate to other MCCs by doing one of the following:

• Select the sub-level MCC from the "Jump to client" drop-down menu listed at the top of the page. Sub-level MCCs are denoted by asterisks.

Managing Accounts with My Client Center (MCC)

Introduction to My Client Center (MCC)

Overview of MCC

Your My Client Center account, also called a client manager account or MCC, is an umbrella account containing access to individual AdWords accounts and other client manager accounts. It acts as a shell account that links individual AdWords accounts in one location.

Benefits of using MCC

With My Client Center, you can access multiple AdWords accounts via the client manager account login -- no more logging in and out to switch between AdWords accounts.

Managing Multiple Accounts

Introduction to Managing Multiple Accounts

Key Concepts of Managing Multiple Accounts

AdWords makes managing multiple accounts easy. Our powerful tools can be especially helpful to large advertisers, agencies, third parties, enterprise organizations, and others who want to manage tens or hundreds of accounts in a simple, efficient, centralized way. We'll explain three tools in greater depth here: My Client Center (MCC), the AdWords Editor, and the AdWords Application Programming Interface (API).

Best Practices for Conversion Optimizer

Here are some best practices to help you get the most out of Conversion Optimizer.

Use the Conversion Optimizer on mature campaigns:
The Conversion Optimizer relies on historical conversion data in order to predict an accurate conversion rate, so the longer a campaign has used conversion tracking, the more data the Conversion Optimizer has available to improve your ROI. For this reason, it's best to modify existing campaigns rather than create a new one.

Troubleshooting for Conversion Optimizer

You may encounter some of the following problems or limitations when using Conversion Optimizer:

Can't enable Conversion Optimizer: The Conversion Optimizer relies on historical data collected through AdWords Conversion Tracking, so it isn't available for new campaigns, campaigns that just started using conversion tracking, or campaigns that have received fewer than 15 conversions in the last 30 days.

Actual cost-per-acquisition (CPA) exceeding maximum cost-per-acquisition (CPA): Your actual CPA depends on factors outside of Google's control

Optimizing for Greater Conversions

Introduction to Optimizing for Greater Conversions

Overview of Conversions and their Impact

In online advertising, a conversion occurs when a click on your ad leads directly to user behavior you deem valuable, such as a purchase, signup, page view, or lead. With conversion data, you can make smarter online advertising decisions, particularly about what ads and keywords you invest in, and you can better measure your overall return on investement (ROI) for your AdWords campaigns.

Basic Techniques for Website and Landing Page Optimization

Basic Strategies for Optimizing Websites and Landing Pages

Below, we've highlighted some strategies for improving landing pages on your site, as well as techniques that can be used to improve the performance of your site overall.

Improving landing pages
When selecting a destination/landing page for your ad, above all, make sure the page is one where users can find the product or service promised in your ad. Keep your original objectives (sales, leads, downloads) in mind.

Benefits of Optimizing Websites and Landing Pages

There are numerous benefits to optimizing website content:

• Increasing ROI on your advertising
• Teaching you about the likes and dislikes of your customers
• Trying out alternatives used by competitors
• Breaking down preconceptions about what works
• Convincing your team to try something bold or different

The most significant benefit, and goal, of optimizing websites is to keep users on your pages and improve your return on investment.

Optimizing Websites and Landing Pages

Introduction to Website and Landing Page Optimization

Through AdWords, you can tailor your ad text and keywords in order to maximize your clicks and drive users to your website. However, getting users to your pages is only part of what you need for a successful website. If your users reach your site, but leave right away, then you're not getting significant return on your investment. To attain a high-quality, highly effective website, you'll need to optimize your website content.

Campaign and Ad Group Optimization Best Practices

Best Practices for Optimizing Campaigns and Ad Groups

Here are a few important steps and strategies to consider for any account optimization:

1. Know your goals

Before anything else, you need to understand your advertising goals. What do you want to achieve with your ads and how will you know if you succeed? For example, does a particular campaign aim to generate sales, increase traffic to your website, or promote your company's brand? If you're focused on profits, for instance, you'll want to know how valuable a click is rather than just how many clicks you're getting.

Optimizing Ad Scheduling, Serving and Positions

Overview of Optimizing Ad Scheduling, Serving, and Positions

For more control over the display of your ads, AdWords offers some advanced optimization features. We've outlined a few features that can help you influence the situations below.

When your ads show
Ad scheduling lets you specify certain hours or days of the week when you want your ads to appear. For example, you might schedule your ads to run only on weekdays or from 3:00 until 6:00 p.m. daily.

Optimize for clicks and traffic

• See the effect of different keyword bids. You can optimize your keyword bids using the  Traffic Estimator tools. Enter a new maximum CPC amount into either tool to see how your keywords might perform at that bid amount.
• Increase the bids for valued keywords to improve your ad position. Because ads with higher positions tend to receive more clicks, you're likely to gain an increase in traffic.

Tools and Strategies for Optimizing Bids and Budgets

Evaluate your keywords' value

The bottom line for any ad or keyword is how much value it generates compared to its cost. To determine the profitability of a keyword, you can track the conversions from that keyword with Google's free conversion tracking tool or google analytics. With this conversion data, you'll know how profitable your keywords are with their current bids and can identify which keywords could be more successful with adjusted bids.

Optimizing Bids and Budgets

Overview of Optimizing Bids and Budgets

Your budget and maximum bids are tools to help you control costs while you work to get the most profit from your ads. It's important to use performance data to determine where your advertising spend will make the most impact. Then, test and analyze how you divide your spend to find the strategy that best helps you achieve your advertising goals.

Tools and Strategies for Optimizing Display Network Placements

Find relevant placements

Use the Placement Tool to select websites and other placements in the Display Network where you'd like your ad to appear. The tool appears when you create a new campaign or ad group starting with placements, or when you click the Add placements link on the Placements tab of an existing campaign.

For campaigns focused on branding or traffic, think of what type of websites your target audience might visit. For campaigns focused on ROI and conversions,

Optimizing Display Network Placements

Overview of Optimizing Display Network Placements

With managed placements, you choose individual websites within Google's Display Network where you'd like your ads to appear. To use managed placements most effectively, make sure the content of the placements is relevant to the ads in that ad group.

Here are some optimization strategies for managed placements:

• Use only relevant placements. The right placements will help you find potential customers interested in exactly what you're advertising.

Tools and Strategies for Optimizing Language and Location Targeting

It's important to set your ad targeting to reflect where and with whom you do business. Here are some ways to optimize your targeting.

Target the right language for your business

• Single language - Target the language in which your ad is written. For example, if your ad is written in English, target English-speaking users. Remember that Google won't translate your ad for you.
• Multiple languages - If you want to target more than one language, create a separate campaign for each language.