Google Ads recently initiated a voluntary change to a new layout for accounts. Currently, you can choose which layout you wish to use – the old (current) layout or the new and improved one. However, don’t be complacent. We all know it’s only a matter of time before Google forces us to use the new layout. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the new layout and see if we can figure out where everything is at.
The very first thing you will notice is that everything is located in a sidebar menu on the left. There is no more top-of-the-page navigation. You’ll also see a more colorful overview as soon as you log into an account. Overall, it’s a much cleaner user interface (UI) than the old/current account display layout. But your first question will be, “Where’s my sh*t?!”. Trust me, it’s all still there. Let’s take a quick walk-through.
When you first go into the account, you’ll notice that you are in the Campaigns section, looking at the campaign overview. This is your default “home” for your Google Ads account. Within the Campaigns section, you’ll notice drop-down selectors for filters, campaigns, and ad groups at the top. Here you can adjust what you’re seeing and zero in on the results you want to examine based on these three drop-down options.
Under the Overview section in the sidebar menu, you’ll see sections for Recommendations, Insights and Reports, Campaigns, Assets, Audience Keywords & Content, and Change History. If you’re like me, you’ll probably end up spending most of your time in the Insights and Reports section. This is where you’ll be gathering most of the data you want (although the Overview can be very useful) and creating the client reports you need. Of these sub-sections, the Report Editor and Dashboards sections are of particular interest. You can use the Report Editor to edit the default reports or to create a new one of your own. The same goes for the Dashboards. There is a default dashboard that comes straight out of the box with the new layout. You can also create your own, which is what I have found to be most useful for client distribution.
Next, let’s take a look at the Campaigns section. You’ll notice sub-sections for Campaigns, Ad Groups, Ads, and Experiments. These should be self-explanatory as they all have counterparts in the current/old layout. Out of all of these, however, the Experiments are the most interesting to me. It is here that you can custom-create ad variations and check the click and impression results of your new, experimental ads. This is a great tool to use for discovering how slight variations in the verbiage of your ads can impact the CTR.
The final two sub-sections under Campaigns are Assets and Audience, Keywords, and Content. Assets are simply the various parts of the ads you’ve constructed in your advertising setup. This will allow you to track impressions, clicks, and cost for all of the assets you’ve put into you campaign. It’s pretty straightforward from that standpoint. Audience, Keywords, and Content is another meaty section with great sub-sections and data you can sift through. This is where you will find your audience breakdown, the location of where the ads are being shown and clicked on, etc. It’s a great section to browse through when you’re looking at your Google Ads data.
The next main section on the left sidebar menu is Goals. This is where you can set up and edit the goals for your campaigns. Some of these will come directly from the ad campaign itself, but custom goals can be set up as well. There’s a place for everything from lead form submission and phone calls to contact and directions. This is where you’ll really get down to the nitty-gritty and set up the parameters that you’re looking for if you’re running a lead or goal-driven campaign.
Next up is the Tools section. This one should look very familiar, as it basically mirrors the Tools section from the current/old UI layout. This has everything from Keyword and Performance planners to Google Tag info and Budgets and Bidding. If you can’t find what you are looking for to set up your campaign in the other areas of the menu, it’s most likely here under one of the nested menus you will find.
Lastly, there are sections for Billing and Administration. Billing’s purpose is obvious and you can go in and adjust your billing information at any time. The administration section is where you can go in and change your preferences and account settings. Both of these tools are usually used during the setup of a new Google Ads account and won’t be needed from that point forward – unless there are some account-specific change that need to be made.
So that’s it for our peek into the new Google Ads Layout. You’ll find that it’s not as intimidating as it looks at first glance. Most of the features found in the current/old layout are still there, just re-arranged and all contained within a left sidebar menu. I would encourage you to take the leap and start using the new layout today. It’s here to stay and before long it will be the default view, so you might as well jump right in!