Miranda MillerGoogle announced this week that their AdWords app for Android is now available globally. A limited rollout last month was oddly offered only to users in Canada (as a Canadian, I’m not complaining, but we’re usually not top of the heap for new tools and features from… well, anyone).
The Android app for AdWords gives advertisers the ability to manage their campaigns from mobile devices and is frankly long overdue, considering Google’s great emphasis on mobile. Advertisers have been learning new AdWords formats and extensions to better optimize for mobile but until now, lacked the ability to be truly mobile themselves.
What Does the AdWords Android App Do?
On opening, the app shows marketers an overview of clicks, costs and conversions at the account-level. Users can drill down into metrics segmented by ad group, day of week and device.
The new AdWords App for Android enables marketers to:
- View performance
- Pause or restart campaigns and ad groups
- Adjust budget and bids
- Apply opportunities (act on optimization suggestions from AdWords)
- Call a Google expert
AdWords also provides app users customized notifications, suggesting optimizations to improve campaign performance while on the go.
What Can You See & Do in the AdWords App?
On the home screen, with its account-level performance overview, you can scroll left or right to see all available metrics. Clicking on a metric highlights it and enables you to see different charts available for that metric.
If you want to see campaign, ad group, keywords or ads data, scroll down on the home screen to “See all.” There, you can customize your view by re-sorting performance data and changing or re-ordering the columns.
A calendar also allows you to adjust the date range. With a few clicks, you can also pause or enable campaigns or ad groups, adjust your budget or bids, or act on the recommendations AdWords makes for your account.
The Bad News: Search Marketers Overwhelmingly Use iPhones
No, there’s no iOS version available yet, but it’s in the works and will be released sometime this year. Considering Facebook just released their Ads Manager for iOS a couple of weeks ago, Google may be feeling inspired to get an AdWords app out for Apple users sooner rather than later.
This is a drag because search marketers overwhelmingly use iPhones. Here’s a snapshot of WordStream’s mobile traffic from the past couple of days:
iOS owns about half the market and Chrome is pretty weak. Since the WordStream audience is exactly the people that Google would be targeting with this app (search marketers and AdWords users) it’s a definite bummer.
How to Get the AdWords App for Android
Overall, the app interface is pretty straightforward and contains no surprises. Connecting your AdWords account to the app is simple: You’re given an option to sign in to your Google account when the app opens and can then simply choose the account you want to view. The app is also compatible with TalkBack screen reader on Android.
MCC users can view their client accounts. Keep in mind that AdWords Express has its own app and you should use that one to view AdWords Express accounts.
What’s missing? Billing, for one, is still only available on desktop. Google is calling this a “companion” to desktop AdWords; it’s not meant to replace desktop campaign management, but will definitely make it easier for smaller businesses and companies lacking dedicated account management to keep a closer eye on their accounts.
Some might not find it quite robust enough (it would be awesome to be able to create ads, wouldn’t it?), but it’s a great start. The bar is low here; most advertisers just want some kind of mobile access so they don’t feel stuck to their computer or lacking control over their campaigns. The Android App delivers on that front.
The Google AdWords App for Android is compatible with Android 4.0 or later and is available to download free from the Google Play store.
Images: Inside AdWords
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