A Sneak Peek at the New AdWords Interface

If you haven’t heard, Google AdWords is starting to roll out and test a brand new AdWords interface among advertisers big and small. We have spent some time with an early version of the new interface, and we’re excited about the new opportunities that it offers. While we don’t expect Google to roll out the new AdWords interface until 2018, we are here to get you started with some details and tips about what to expect and how you can look forward to using it to improve performance.

Some Major Changes

Among the major differences between the current AdWords UI and the new interface is the removal of the top navigational tabs for Campaigns, Ad Groups, Settings etc. These tabs are replaced in the new version with a left-hand navigation menu for everything from Campaigns and Ad Groups to Settings and Change History. Product designers believe that this configuration will make navigation easier.

The change of primary navigation from top to side is likely to be the largest difference between the old and new UIs. While the new navigation may take some getting used to, it should make it easier to quickly navigate between tabs or access parts of AdWords that currently require several clicks, like the Change Log.

Some Value-Adds

One of the most exciting new features of the new AdWords interface is improved data visualization. The Overview tab, as seen below, will make it easy to see and understand performance by device, day or hour.

Improved Time Period Navigation

A close second in terms of exciting features is the ability to toggle back and forth between date ranges without having to use a drop-down menu to input different time periods. Instead, you simply input a date range and hop back to previous similar ranges with the click of a button.

For example, if you are looking at this month’s data and you want to move back in time to last month, you currently are required to readjust the date ranges with a dropdown menu. With the new UI, you can click a single button to view the previous month instantly.

Advanced Bid Adjustments

Another new addition is the “Advanced Bid Adjustment” section that allows us to adjust bids for call extensions to ensure that this extension shows more often. It seems that Google plans to include other interactions in this tab as well, but these are not yet included in our Alpha version.

Advanced Bid Adjustments provide a fantastic opportunity to adjust bids and strategy based on interactions besides just conversions or clicks. Advertisers that do most of their business over the phone will find this particularly helpful, as they can make sure their call extensions show as frequently as possible. There are plenty of other exciting possibilities for additional Advanced Bid Adjustments, including for location extensions, click to message extensions, and even sitelinks.

We are already excited about these new features, and looking forward to seeing how AdWords continues to develop over the next year. We’ll keep you updated as the new UI continues to develop, and please feel free to reach out if we missed any big differences or if you have questions on the new AdWords interface.