Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) today announced the addition of three new features to AdWords Express intended to help small businesses reach a larger audience and better understand the impact of their ad campaigns on bottom line results. The new features are:
New Google Adwords Express Features
Ad Scheduling
Advertisers can now opt to run ads at specific times, a feature that was only available to AdWords‘ users previously.
“Ad scheduling is a simple way to make sure your ad only runs at times you choose (during your hours of operation, for example), so you reach your customers at exactly the right time,” said Kavi Goel, senior product manager, AdWords Express, in the announcement.
Advertisers can choose custom hours or link to their Google My Business account to run the ad automatically during business hours only.
Map Actions
Map Actions reveals how many customers who saw an AdWords Express ad go on to view the business listing on Google Maps.
Since more than one-third of visitors in the U.S. use online maps to locate businesses — and up to 50 percent go on to make a purchase the same day, according to Search Engine Watch — knowing this can have a bearing on advertising campaign budgets and schedules.
Verified Calls
According to Goel, Google is piloting a new way for advertisers to track phone calls from prospective customers who clicked “Call Now” on an AdWords Express ad via their mobile phones. Advertisers can see the time, length and location of each call along with overall trends in call volumes.
“Advertisers who opt into Verified Calls will also see detailed information about incoming calls, including the area codes and call duration,” Goel said. “We’ve already rolled this out to many AdWords Express advertisers, and hope to expand it to all users soon.”
AdWords Express is a simplified version of Google AdWords intended for businesses that want to get started quickly and that have limited time to manage their online advertising.
“For small businesses without a professional marketer on staff, AdWords Express can lighten the load — and over the last year, the number of businesses using AdWords Express has nearly doubled, with more signing up every day,” Goel said.
Small businesses that already advertise on AdWords Express can start using these features today, subject to Google’s scheduled rollout. Others can visit the AdWords Express website to learn more or begin their first campaign.
Image: Google
As a PPC professional I’m not a huge fan of AdWords Express, but these features are big improvements to the platform. Good on Google for making these improvements.
Paul Chaney
Robert, it steals a little of Google AdWords thunder, or so it appears. Anything that helps small businesses be more successful is welcome.
Aira Bongco
This is really interesting. I can remember the good old days when I manage my adwords in the old Google Dashboard. A lot has really changed and you can now access the dashboard through your smartphone.