Google Ads Developer Blog: May 2017

Automating website claims using the Content API for Shopping

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Starting today, you can use the Accounts.claimwebsite method to claim the configured website for Merchant Center accounts. This means that you are no longer required to manually claim the website using the Merchant Center, but you can instead automate this part of account creation as well. As before, the website that you are attempting to claim must first be verified, either manually or using the Google Site Verification API.If the call is successful, then you will receive an empty response with HTTP status code 200. If it is not, then you will receive an error response explaining why the claim attempt failed.Note: If another Merchant Center has already claimed the website you are attempting to claim, you cannot use the API to overwrite their claim with your own. Instead, please follow the manual process instead.In addition, there is a new websiteClaimed field in the resource representation returned by Accountstatuses. This field contains true if the associated account has successfully claimed its website.If you have any questions or feedback about using the Content API to claim websites or any other questions about the Content API for Shopping, please let us know on the forum.

- Stevie Strickland, Content API for Shopping Team

Announcing v201705 of the AdWords API

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Today we're announcing the release of AdWords API v201705. Here are the highlights:

Campaign groups and performance targets. Several new services have been added to allow you to define and monitor performance targets for groups of campaigns. The new performance targets guide can help you get started.

Historical Quality Score. The new set of historical Quality Score fields in the KEYWORDS_PERFORMANCE_REPORT allow you to see changes to Quality Score over time.

Call bid adjustments. The AdWords API now supports bid adjustments for call interactions via the new CampaignBidModifierService. Check out the updated bidding guide for more information.

Promotion extensions. Promotion extensions are now supported in extension setting services and feed services.

Dynamic Search Ads. Page feeds in the AdWords API now allow you greater control over the web pages you are targeting in your Dynamic Search Ads campaigns, and validations based on the new SEARCH_DYNAMIC_ADS ad group type help ensure your Dynamic Search Ads campaigns are configured properly. In addition, the new ExpandedDynamicSearchAd provides the benefits of ExpandedTextAd for your DSAs. Check out the updated guide and the recent blog post on DSA validation rules for more details.

Campaign criteria report. The new CAMPAIGN_CRITERIA_REPORT provides an efficient, lightweight mechanism for retrieving all campaign-level criteria in your account without issuing multiple CampaignCriterion get or query requests.

If you're using v201607 of the AdWords API, please note that it will be sunset on June 27, 2017. We encourage you to skip v201609 and v201702 and migrate straight to v201705. If you're using v201609, be aware it's now marked deprecated and will be sunset on October 2, 2017. As with every new version of the AdWords API, please carefully review all changes in the release notes and the v201705 migration guide. The updated client libraries and code examples will be published within the next 48 hours. If you have any questions or need help with migration, please post on the forum or the Ads Developers Plus Page.

- Josh Radcliff on behalf of the AdWords API Team

Validation rules for the new dynamic ad group type in Search campaigns

Friday, May 26, 2017

Update: Clarified AdGroupType values introduced in v201705.
Update 06/22/2017: Clarified information in last paragraph.

Starting this week, users of the new AdWords interface will be able to create dynamic search ads (DSA) through the new dynamic ad group type in Search campaigns with Dynamic Search Ad settings. This has some consequences in the AdWords API as described below.

How does this impact the AdWords API?
If your managed accounts are eligible for the new AdWords interface, be aware that if users create dynamic ad groups in the interface, AdGroupType values for the dynamic ad groups will be returned as SEARCH_DYNAMIC_ADS in v201705 and UNKNOWN for earlier API versions. Here are the rules applied to the dynamic ad group type:

Only DynamicSearchAds are allowed to be created in a dynamic ad group.
A Keyword cannot be added as a BiddableAdGroupCriterion. Attempting to do so will result in an OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_AD_GROUP_TYPE. It can be added as a NegativeAdGroupCriterion though.

As described in this guide, to create dynamic search ads in the AdWords API, some settings and criteria are required, such as WebPage and DynamicSearchAdsSetting. These settings can still be added and modified in the dynamic ad group type.

What should you do?
If your application manages accounts that have access to the new AdWords interface, or if you have ad groups with type SEARCH_DYNAMIC_ADS for v201705 and UNKNOWN for earlier versions, ensure that you properly handle these cases by:

Adding only DynamicSearchAds to dynamic ad groups.
Avoiding the use of a Keyword as a BiddableAdGroupCriterion in dynamic ad groups.

In addition, for v201705, you cannot add features related to Dynamic Search Ads to ad groups with AdGroupType of SEARCH_STANDARD. Examples of Dynamic Search Ad features include the Webpage criterion and ExpandedDynamicSearchAds. However, for the earlier versions, ad groups with AdGroupType of SEARCH_STANDARD are not affected by this change. You can still continue adding expanded text ads, dynamic search ads, call ads, and various criterion types to them.

As always, if you have any questions, please post on the forum.

- Thanet Praneenararat, AdWords API Team

Introducing Ads Data Hub: Next generation insights and reporting

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Mobile has fundamentally changed how we live our lives. With our devices never more than an arm’s length away, people can find, watch or buy anything at anytime. That’s why earlier this year we shared that we’re developing a new, cloud-based measurement solution for YouTube, designed for a mobile world. Today, we’re announcing the beta for this solution, Ads Data Hub, to help advertisers get more detailed insights from their campaigns across screens while also protecting user privacy.

We are also announcing that Ads Data Hub is a solution not just for YouTube, but a tool that offers access to more data and helps unlock actionable insights across Google ad platforms, including the Google Display Network and DoubleClick. And with Ads Data Hub now in beta, we’re expanding who can use it.

Built on infrastructure from Google Cloud, including BigQuery, Ads Data Hub gives advertisers or their preferred measurement partners access to detailed, impression-level data about their media campaigns across devices in a secure, privacy-safe environment. Data from other sources, such as a CRM system or marketing database, can be incorporated as well. With this full view, advertisers or their partners can analyze the data and draw out insights specific to their business.

For example, if an e-commerce retailer wants to understand what the path to conversion looks like, they can bring additional online data about their customers into BigQuery, and Ads Data Hub will enable them to combine that data with their ads data so they can see what a typical journey is from first encountering a user until conversion.

Consistent with our commitment to privacy, no user-level data can be removed from the secure Cloud environment. Impression-level data is only accessible for the purposes of analysis and generating insights. In the future, advertisers will be able to act on the insights they get from Ads Data Hub and buy media with greater precision.

As an early alpha partner, Omnicom Media Group helped to define the solution and has seen significant value from both the amount of data available through Ads Data Hub and the broad set of analyses and custom queries that are possible.

"With the complexity of today's consumer journeys, we are seeing that marketers are looking to solve harder business challenges than ever before. Through our partnership with Google and our use of Ads Data Hub, we will be able to answer a broader range of questions and expand our analytical services." - Slavi Samardzija, Global CEO, Annalect, An Omnicom Media Group Company

With the shift to mobile, consumer behavior has changed for good. Marketers need tools to help them make sense of this new world, and Ads Data Hub is a key step forward.

Posted By: Geoff Samek, Senior Product Manager, Ads Data and Privacy

Announcing v201705 of the DFP API

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Today we’re pleased to announce the v201705 release of the DFP API. This release updates the ReportService to be at parity with the Ad Exchange Seller REST API.

Additionally, v201705 adds support for creating ImageOverlayCreatives and new Partner companies.

For a full list of API changes in v201705, see the release notes.

With each new release comes a new deprecation. If you're using v201608 or earlier, it's time to look into upgrading. Also remember that v201605 will be sunset at the end of May 2017.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line on the DFP API forums or the Ads Developer Google+ page.

- Chris Seeley, DFP API Team

Google I/O: New Ways to Put Users at the Center of Your Apps and Payments

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

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Enabling users to pay with Google

Starting today, our suite of payment solutions will be expanding. The Google Payment API enables merchants and developers to turbocharge checkout conversion by offering your users an easy way to pay with credit and debit cards saved to their Google Account. Users will have multiple Google payment options at their fingertips, like a credit or a debit card previously saved via Android Pay, a payment card used to transact on the Play Store or a form of payment stored via Chrome. And they'll be able to use these saved payment options in third-party apps and mobile sites, as well as on Google Assistant when they are on-the-go.

Paying with Google for Panera Bread on Google Assistant

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Earn more from your apps with the brand new AdMob

AdMob has paid over $3.5 billion dollars in ads revenue to developersAdMob Simpler to use: We've applied Material Design to all aspects of the AdMob look and feel to deliver an easy-to-use and intuitive experience across the entire platform—on mobile and desktop. You'll get more done in less time. Below you can see how easy it is to pick an app that you're monitoring, check out its key metrics and then quickly take action to fine-tune its performance.

Redesigned AdMob experience

Deeper insights: We've also integrated Google Analytics for Firebase into the core of the redesigned AdMob so you have quick access to the metrics that matter most for your business. Once you link your AdMob and Firebase accounts, you'll have access to detailed ad revenue data and user insights like time spent in the app and in-app purchases—all in one place.

Google Analytics for Firebase dashboard in AdMob

Know your user, find your user with Universal App Campaigns

Google's app innovations have delivered over 5 billion installs from ads and we are now helping developers drive over 3 billion in-app events per quarterUniversal App Campaigns

Engage users in key moments of discovery with new UAC placements in Google Play

Android reaches more than 2 billion active devices every month, with Google Play available in 190+ countries around the world. It's the place users come to discover new apps and games. Beyond searching for apps to try, users are increasingly browsing the Play store and finding recommendations for new apps.

To help those users discover more of your apps, we are introducing new ad placements on the home and app listing pages in the Google Play Store. These new placements, available exclusively through UAC, help you reach users in "discovery mode" as they swipe, tap and scroll in search of their next favorite app.

New ad placements reach users browsing in Google Play

Discover more of your best users with new bidding options in UAC

Some users are more valuable to your business than others, like the players who level-up in your game or the loyal travelers who book several flights a month. That's why we're expanding Smart Bidding strategies in UAC to help you acquire more of these high-value users. Using Smart Bidding, you can tailor bids for your unique business goals - target cost per acquisition (tCPA) or target return on ad spend (tROAS). UAC delivers the right users based on your objectives: installs, events and, coming soon, value. This update starts rolling out to iOS and Android developers and advertisers in the coming months.

Introducing App Attribution Partners, a new measurement program

Many developers rely on third-party measurement providers to measure the impact of ads and gain valuable insights about how users engage with your app. To help you take action on these insights in a faster and more seamless way, we are introducing App Attribution Partners, a new program designed to integrate data from 7 global companies right into AdWords.

Welcome to adjust, Adways, AppsFlyer, Apsalar, CyberZ, Kochava and TUNE... we're thrilled to have them onboard!

AdWords' integration with these partners ensures that you have consistent, reliable and more granular data where you review app metrics. Now you can take action with confidence and stay on top of your business performance.

Posted by Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior Vice President, Ads and Commerce

AdWords - Improvements for Enhanced CPC

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Update: this change will go live in June 2017.

In June 2017, AdWords will begin gradually altering the specifics of the Enhanced CPC bidding strategy. If you're not familiar with the Enhanced CPC (ECPC) bidding strategy, it works by adjusting the bids for clicks that seem more likely to lead to a conversion. Clicks that seem unlikely to convert will get lower bids, while those more likely to convert will have the bid increased.

Currently, the strategy does not increase bids by more than 30% after bid modifiers are applied. Starting in June, this bid cap will be eliminated over time in order to get more clicks that are likely to convert. On Search and Display, the goal of the strategy will be to help you get more conversions while maintaining the same cost-per-acquisition (CPA) as you get with manual bidding. On Shopping, the goal of the strategy remains to help you get more conversions while maintaining the same cost as you get with manual bidding. The strategy will still respect your manual bids by trying to keep the average CPC below the max you set, which is done in the CpcBid.

This change will allow our system more flexibility to improve performance, and we will be monitoring the effects closely to make adjustments as necessary to continue to fine tune ECPC.

If you are an API user, there is no action required on your part for this change to take effect. The setup in the API works the same as before, so you can use your existing version to make any changes you may want to your account as a result of this change in functionality.

If you have any questions about this change or other API features, please post on the forum.

- Mike Cloonan, AdWords API Team

Announcing v2.8 of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API

Monday, May 8, 2017

Today we're releasing v2.8 of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API. Highlights of this release include:

Support for VAST 4.0 and Universal Ad IDs.
Campaign and placement-level ad blocking settings.
Offline conversion edit capabilities.

Details of these and all other changes are covered in our release notes.

Deprecation and sunset reminder

In accordance with our deprecation schedule, this release marks the beginning of the deprecation period for v2.7, which will sunset on November 30th, 2017. After this date, any requests made against v2.7 will begin returning errors.

As a final reminder, API version 2.6 will be sunset on May 31st, 2017. To avoid an interruption in service, all users are required to migrate to a newer version before the sunset date.

Learn More

As with every new version of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API, we encourage you to carefully review all changes in the release notes. For those of you looking to get going right away, updated client libraries are now available. If you're just starting out, the Get Started guide is a great reference to help you get up and running quickly.

Give it a try and let us know if you have any questions!

- Jonathon Imperiosi, DCM API Team

Support for new extension types in AdWords scripts

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

We're excited to announce support for additional extension types in AdWords scripts starting today. The newly supported extension types are:

Message extensions, supported at the campaign and ad group level. These allow mobile users to send a text to your business directly from the ad.
Structured snippet extensions, supported at the campaign and ad group level. These allow you to highlight specific aspects of your products.

In addition, we're adding support for account level sitelink extensions, which were already supported at the campaign and ad group levels.

You can see all the technical details for how to implement these over on our AdWordsApp.Extensions documentation, or you can check out some example code using these extension types on our examples page.

If you have any questions about these changes or AdWords scripts in general, you can post them on our developer forum.

- Mike Cloonan, AdWords API Team

Upcoming QPS limits on calls to the Content API for Shopping

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Starting on May 15, 2017, we will enforce new queries-per-second (QPS) limits on calls to the Content API for Shopping. This change will help with maintaining stability and uninterrupted access to all users of the API. Currently, almost all existing users already conform to the new QPS limits we will enforce, so unless you are directly contacted by us, you should not see any changes.

The new QPS limits will be in addition to the existing per-minute and per-day quotas on method calls. However, these limits will be enforced per Google API Console project, unlike the method call quotas which are enforced on individual Merchant Center accounts. Another difference is that the QPS limit will be for individual HTTP requests, not for individual method calls, so a single HTTP request to the custombatch method will count as a single call against the QPS limit. This is an additional reason to use custombatch methods if you plan on making many calls to a single service within a short time period. Once these limits are in force, they will be documented along with the other published limits for the Content API for Shopping.

If you have any questions or feedback about the QPS limits or other questions about the Content API for Shopping, please let us know on the forum.

- Stevie Strickland, Content API for Shopping Team

Ads Developer Blog

Automating website claims using the Content API for Shopping

Announcing v201705 of the AdWords API

Validation rules for the new dynamic ad group type in Search campaigns

Introducing Ads Data Hub: Next generation insights and reporting

Announcing v201705 of the DFP API

Google I/O: New Ways to Put Users at the Center of Your Apps and Payments

AdWords - Improvements for Enhanced CPC

Announcing v2.8 of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API

Support for new extension types in AdWords scripts

Upcoming QPS limits on calls to the Content API for Shopping

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