Upgraded URLs

Topics

About upgraded URLs

Main benefits
New tracking values
Whats next?
Upgrade examples
Timeline
Resources
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About upgraded URL

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Upgraded URLs is a cleaner way to organize URL tracking

From: Destination URLs

From: Destination URL

Landing Page & Tracking info

To: Upgraded URLs

Final URL
Landing Page*

Tracking Template
Tracking info
* Final URLs cannot contain cross-domain redirects
http://tracker.com/redir?http://www.example.com

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Benefits of upgraded URLs

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Gain efficiency and more URL data with Upgraded URLs

Reduced crawling
load on your site

Less time spent

managing URL
tracking updates

Additional insights
on campaign
performance

Account Level
Tracking
Template

Which Remarketing List

triggered the click? {targetid}
Where was the user located
when they clicked on my ad?
{loc_physical_ms}

Final URL

Final URL

Final URL

Final URL

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Use Final URLs for reduced crawl on your site

Ad #1

Reduce how often Google has to

crawl your site by separating your
Final URL from your tracking info.
Ads with the same Final URL will
reduce crawling on site.

Ad #2
Final URL
Ad #3

Ad #4

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Consolidate shared tracking information in one place

From: Destination URLs

To: Upgraded URLs

Account

Account

Campaign

Campaign
Ad group #1

Ad group #1

Ad group #2

KW1
KW1

KW2

KW3

Use Shared Tracking Template at

the highest level for tracking info
that extends to the rest of the
hierarchy.

KW4

KW5

KW2

Available for:
account, campaign, ad group

Ad group #2

KW3

KW4

KW5

Main benefits: 1) You only need to

make updates in one place, and 2)
Edits to shared tracking template
will not retrigger policy review*

Important Note: Moving your tracking information to shared will trigger policy review and reset ad stat. However, after this
one time reset, any edits made to the shared tracking template will not retrigger policy reviews or reset stats.

Final URL

Tracking Info

{lpurl}

*As long as edits do not alter the landing page content & comply with our
policies, edits to shared tracking template does not impact ad serving

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Specify tracking structure for your ads, keywords, sitelinks

From: Destination URLs

To: Upgraded URLs

Account

Account

Campaign

Campaign

Ad group #1

Ad group #1

KW1

KW2

Sitelink 1

Use Local Tracking Template to

set unique tracking structure to
keywords, ads or sitelinks
Lowest level of tracking template
trumps those that are higher (i.e.
keyword level applies vs. account
level when both are set)

Sitelink 1
Sitelink 2

KW1

KW2
Sitelink 2

Any edits to the local tracking

template after the upgrade will
retrigger ad review and reset
performance stat.

Important Note: Moving your tracking information to shared will trigger policy review and reset ad stat. However, after this
one time reset, any edits made to the shared tracking template will not retrigger policy reviews or reset stats.

Final URL

Tracking Info

{lpurl}

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New tracking features

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Upgraded URLs offers access to new tracking information

New ValueTrack Parameters
Use new ValueTrack parameters to populate AdWords
assigned unique ids for entities that triggered the click

Custom Parameters for Upgraded URLs

Use Custom Parameters to append your own unique tracking
ids to entities that triggered the click
Source: New ValueTrack Parameters

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New ValueTrack Parameters

Use ValueTrack Parameters to append AdWords ids:
{campaignid}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for your campaign

{adgroupid}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for your ad group

{targetid}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for keyword, dynamic search ad,

remarketing list target, and shows all entities that triggered the ad.

{loc_interest_ms}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for geo-target of the location of the

users interest

{loc_physical_ms}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for geo-target of the users location

{feeditemid}

AdWords assigns globally unique id for the feed item id of the extension that
led to a click

Source: New ValueTrack Parameters

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Custom Parameters for Upgraded URLs

Use Custom Parameters to append your own ids:
{_mykwid}
{_kwid}
{_etc}

Assign your own unique id for your keywords

{_PromoType}
{_etc}

Assign your own unique id for ad groups, campaigns, etc running a

seasonal promo

Key things to remember: Custom Parameters are indicated by an underscore. i.e.

{_mykwid}. You can have up to 3 Custom Parameters per entity.

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Benefits

Automated*

Basic

Advanced

Ad performance statistics retained

N/A

No policy review triggered for ads

N/A

New ValueTrack and custom parameters can be added during the

upgrade process without policy review

N/A

During the Upgrade

Select Basic
Upgrade if
retaining your
performance stats
is the highest
priority during the
upgrade. Keep in
mind, future edits to
local tracking
template will
retrigger policy
review

Following the Upgrade

Future changes to your tracking templates won't reset your ad
performance data or interrupt your ad serving

N/A

Reduced website load when new ads or keywords are under

review

N/A

Centralized URL tracking management

N/A

*Auto-upgrade will copy & paste your entire destination URL into final URL field. Since your destination URL contains crossdomain redirect(s) your ads will stop serving post auto-migration. Upgrade your URLs via basic or advanced methods.

Select Advanced
Upgrade if you
want to add new
ValueTrack & take
advantage of
shared tracking
templates

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Basic Upgrade

Basic upgrade best practices

3 Rules to Avoid Retriggering Policy Review and Resetting Ad Stats:
1: Keep your Upgraded URLs identical to original Destination URL
Avoid: Adding new ValueTrack or Custom Parameters during the upgrade will be considered
as an edit and will retrigger policy review & reset ad stat

2: Keep Tracking Template at the same level as URL

Avoid: Moving a local tracking template from ad level to shared tracking template at a higher
level (ad group, campaign, account) will retrigger policy review & reset ad stats.

3: Use the Upgrade Tool, not the Ad Edit Menu

Avoid: Changing destination URL to Final URL from the
ad edit window will be considered as an edit and will
retrigger policy review & reset ad stat

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Advanced Upgrade

Advanced upgrade best practices

1.

Evaluate your destination URL for cross-domain redirect and tracking parameters
that can be used for your new tracking template

2.

Write a new tracking template using your updated parameters

3.

destination URL: http://tracker.com/redir?url=http://www.website.com&kwid=12345&ad={creative}

cross-domain: http://tracker.com/redir?
landing page URL (input into final URL): http://www.website.com
tracking parameters: &kwid=12345&ad={creative}

tracking template: http://tracker.com/redir?url={lpurl}&kwid={_kwid}&ad={creative}

{lpurl}: http://www.website.com
{_kiwd}: custom parameter
{creative}: ValueTrack parameter

Decide where to place the tracking template and any custom parameter values

tracking template: set at account, campaign or ad group levels

{_kiwd}: specify at keyword level
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Do not forget!

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What to do...
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There are 3 transition groups

Group 1:
Type:
Example URL:
Preferred upgrade:

No Tracking in URL at any level

http://www.eg.nl
Basic Bulk Upgrade or automated upgrade (in July)

Group 2:
Type:
Example URL:
Preferred upgrade:

Tracking parameters URL at keyword / ad group level

http://www.eg.nl?campaign={campaignid}&label={_label}
AdWords editor Bulksheet

Group 3:
Type:
Example URL:
Preferred upgrade:
Additional:

Cross domain trackings

http://tracker.redirect.com/redir?url=http://www.eg.com/example&ad={creative}
AdWords editor Bulksheet or API solution
Check upgrade with 3rd party partners! Do not use bulk tools
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Upgrade examples

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Group 1: No tracking in URL

Setup:

Preferred upgrade method(s): Basic Bulk upgrade

What will happen?
All destination URLs are transferred to the final URL field without triggering an ad review (including sitelinks)
Next steps:
No next steps - except when implementing tracking

Remember!
Keep upgraded URL identical to original destination URL
Always use an upgrade tool (as described in this slide)
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Group 2: Tracking parameters in URL

Setup:

Preferred upgrade method(s): Bulksheet

What will happen?

All destination URLs will transfer to the final URL field without triggering an ad review (including sitelinks)
All existing tracking parameters will be moved to the tracking template field (including sitelinks)

Remember!
Keep upgraded URL identical to original destination URL
Always use an upgrade tool (as described in this slide)
Keep the Tracking Template at the same level as URL

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Group 3 - Cross domain URL tracking

Example URL: http://tracker.redirect.com/redir?url=http://www.eg.com/example&ad={creative}
Action: Please contact your measurement partner.
Why?
Necessity to integrate the cross domain url in the tracking template.
Has been worked out with all major 3rd party vendors - they have been informed about the steps that
need to be taken.

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Timeline

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Key dates & next steps

February 2015
Upgraded URL &
Upgrade Tools available

AdWords Editor
v.11.1 will
support
Upgraded URLs no date yet

* Upgraded URLs for AdWords for Video, Displayspecific targeting, Dynamic Display Ads will be rolling
out in Q2 2015.

July 2015
Dest URL no longer
editable & auto-upgrade
starts

Actively work on upgrading

your URLs and
implementing tracking
templates where applicable.
Q2 - Q3 2015

Late Q3 2015
Auto-upgrade all dest
URLs to final URLs will
be complete

Ensure all your dest

URLs have been
upgraded to final URLs
Q3 2015

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Next steps

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Consolidate shared tracking information in one place

From: Destination URLs

To: Upgraded URLs

Account

Account

Campaign

Campaign
Ad group #1

Ad group #1

Ad group #2

KW1
KW1

KW2

KW3

Use Shared Tracking Template at

the highest level for tracking info
that extends to the rest of the
hierarchy.

KW4

KW5

KW2

Available for:
account, campaign, ad group

Ad group #2

KW3

KW4

KW5

Main benefits: 1) You only need to

make updates in one place, and 2)
Edits to shared tracking template
will not retrigger policy review*

Important Note: Moving your tracking information to shared will trigger policy review and reset ad stat. However, after this
one time reset, any edits made to the shared tracking template will not retrigger policy reviews or reset stats.

Final URL

Tracking Info

{lpurl}

*As long as edits do not alter the landing page content & comply with our
policies, edits to shared tracking template does not impact ad serving

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Resources
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Resources

- AdWords Help Center Upgraded URLs

- Full Upgraded URLs Implementation Guide

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Thank You!

Appendix

Group 1: No tracking in URL - Upgrade Path

Setup:

Preferred upgrade method(s): Basic Bulk upgrade

Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:

Go to the Adwords online - go to the Campaign or Ads tab

Select Edit > Upgrade Destination URLs
(Optional) - Preview changes
Select Make changes

What happened?
All destination URLs were transferred to the final URL field without triggering an ad review (including sitelinks)

Remember!
Keep upgraded URL identical to original destination URL
Always use an upgrade tool (as described in this slide)
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Group 2: Tracking parameters in URL - Upgrade Path

Setup:

Preferred upgrade method(s): Bulksheet

What will happen?

All destination URLs will transfer to the final URL field without triggering an ad review (including sitelinks)
All existing tracking parameters will be moved to the tracking template field (including sitelinks)

Remember!
Keep upgraded URL identical to original destination URL
Always use an upgrade tool (as described in this slide)
Keep the Tracking Template at the same level as URL

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Group 2: Tracking parameters in URL - Upgrade Path

Step 1:
Step 2:

In AdWords, select the Ads or Keywords tab

Select Download, under advanced editing, check the box Columns - Include ID and action columns

Step 3:

Open the .csv file. Change the following fields in the corresponding columns:
Action:
Add the word SET
Final URL:
Add the destination URL without any of the tracking parameters (nothing after ?)
Tracking template: Add {lpurl} and the tracking parameter (everything from the ? in the destination URL)

Step 4:
Step 5:
Step 6:

Save the file. In the editor - go to the Ads or Keywords tab, select Edit and Upload spreadsheet
Select Choose File and select Upload and preview
Check the overview for errors, if all looks good press Apply changes

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Group 3: Cross domain tracking - Upgrade Path

Setup:

Preferred upgrade method(s): Bulksheet or API

What will happen?

Please contact your measurement partner for upgrade details

Remember!
Keep upgraded URL identical to original destination URL
Always use an upgrade tool (as described in this slide)
Keep the Tracking Template at the same level as URL

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Other campaign types - DSA campaigns

Currently, dynamic search ads have destination URLs which really serve as tracking templates. With upgraded URLs,
you dont need to supply a final URL since this is dynamically generated from your website. You can set the tracking
template and custom parameters at higher levels (e.g., campaign, ad group).
If you want to set them at a lower level, there are two options.

To set a dynamic search ads tracking

template or custom params
Edit the Ad URL options:

To set a dynamic ad targets tracking template

or custom params
On the Auto targets tab, click Columns to add
tracking template and custom parameters, hover
over the fields in the table, and click the pencil icon.

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Other campaign types - PLA / Shopping

Currently, product targets have destination URLs which really serve as tracking templates. With upgraded URLs,
you dont need to supply a final URL since this continues to come from your Google Merchant Center feed.

To set the campaigns tracking template and custom params

Well be phasing out the Tracking URL for dynamic links and recommend setting the campaign tracking
template using Campaign URL options.

To set the ad groups tracking template and custom params

On the Ad groups tab, clicks Columns to add tracking template and custom parameters, then hover over
the fields in the table, and click the pencil icon to edit.

To set a product groups tracking template or custom params

On the Auto targets tab, click Columns to add tracking template and custom parameters, hover over
the fields in the table, and click the pencil icon to edit.

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Other campaign types - PLA / Shopping

Details on Shopping Compatibility Timeline:
For accounts with Upgraded URLs enabled:
1.
Dynamic tracking field will no longer appear in the UI
2.
If the dynamic tracking field was filled in, this content will now show in the tracking template (note:
until advertiser clicks edit > save, this URL will not be considered upgraded; this is to allow
advertiser to ensure compatibility with any 3rd party tool).
3.
If edits are made in the UI, this action will clear the legacy field and copy to tracking template
(note: this action will be considered as an upgrade)
4.
API is the only way to make edits to the legacy field

Starting July 1, 2015:

Dynamic tracking URLs will be moved to the tracking templates

API will no longer have access to edit the legacy fields

Legacy fields will stop serving

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Other campaign types - AdWords for video

TrueView campaigns running in AdWords for video campaigns will be upgraded automatically and no
action is required.
Main differences:

With the launch of upgraded URLs, there will now be three URL fields during TrueView in-stream ad
creation & editing.

Display URL: Visible URL in your TrueView in-stream ad. Must have same domain as Final URL.

Final URL: The final URL represents the actual landing page for your TrueView in-stream. The final
URL must be what the user sees in the browser bar after clicking on your ad.

(optional) Tracking template: You can use the tracking template to specify tracking parameters
or redirects for your ads. AdWords for video will use this template to assemble the actual
destination URL to associate with the ad impression.

Unlike traditional Search and Display campaigns, TrueView in-stream ads do not offer
tracking templates at the campaign or targeting group level. Tracking URLs are only
available at the ad level.

Further, tracking templates created at the account level in AdWords do not apply to
TrueView campaigns in AdWords for video.

Advertisers can now also leverage custom parameters.

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Other campaign types - Mobile App Ads

Mobile App Ads
To Follow asap!

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