We complained and Google listened. As the Enhanced Campaign migration is underway, the Googs have responded to our concerns about existing in a world of all-device campaigns. One solution they are bringing to the table involves parameters in the Value Track tool.
Value Track is an AdWords keyword level URL-tagging feature that allows you to gain insights from all sorts of details collected during the process between impression and conversion. While there are a whole heap of options for this kind of tracking such as match type, specific creative, or placement, Google will now be offering some helpful changes as we make our way into Enhanced Campaign Land. For an introduction (or perhaps just a refresher) on how Value Track works, check out the Guide To URL Tracking In Google Analytics.
So what’s new? There are new parameter features through Value Track that will let you direct users to device-specific URLs at the keyword level AND also will allow you to measure your campaign performance by device at this level, too.
Landing Page Redirection
Now that we’re being shepherded into the world of enhanced campaigns, we understand that we’ll have to be very diligent about directing users to a landing page appropriate to their device.
Example: Say you’ve got a website dedicated to adorable baby animals and you have the keyword “monkeys.” If you’re interested in simply ensuring that clicks for “monkeys” redirect users to the device-appropriate landing page, your keyword level destination URL would look a little like this:
{ifmobile:m.adorablebabyanimals.com/monkeys}{ifnotmobile:www.adorablebabyanimals.com/monkeys}
This tag would keep mobile users on the most appropriate landing page for their devices, and desktop and tablet users on pages specific to their devices, too.
Tracking
Say you’re a big fan of Value Track performance tracking, you may want to include these parameters in your keyword destination URLS.
What exactly will the changes look like?
1) The current parameter {ifmobile:[value]} will change so that now it will insert the specified value into the URL ONLY if the user clicks from a mobile device.
2) A new parameter will be added {ifnotmobile:[value]}. Here the [value] will be replaced with text that will show up when a user clicks form a non-mobile source (desktop or tablet).
While most accounts are able to insert a “t” or “m” or “c” into the destination URL, there are some times when internal IDs need to be used instead, such as accounts that use third party tracking. This is where the previously mentioned “if” parameters come into play. If you use internal keyword IDs, you’ll simply include the parameter for the device.
Example: For your website dedicated to adorable baby animals, you have a LOT of traffic for the keyword “corgis.” You’ve assigned the internal keyword id for desktops and tablets as “df15” and for mobile “df16”. With the new parameters, you will then include these parameters for your keyword-level destination URL:
Example: www.adorablebabyanimals.com/corgis?kwid=[ifnotmobile:df15][ifmobile:df16]
In this case, one user on a desktop or tablet, who’s supposedly doing research for his first novel but can’t seem to steer away from those precious little pups, will be directed to www.adorablebabyanimals.com/corgis?kwid=df15
If they’ve clicked from their mobile device (which we suspect would happen while they’re waiting in line at the grocery store while the person in front of them argues with the cashier about the price of avocados), they would be directed to the landing page: www.adorablebabyanimals.com/corgis?kwid=df16
As we all learn to navigate the channels of the new Enhanced Campaign labyrinth, this is one nod from the powers that be that lets us know they hear our prayers for more device segmentation and specialization.
What are other features you’re hoping Google will bring about as Enhanced Campaigns come into full effect this summer? Have you gotten up the nerve to migrate a campaign or two? Let us know!
