Google Ads Upgraded URLs

Earlier this year Google Ads introduced a new feature to help improve the way you can create and update the landing page URLs on your ads – called Upgraded URLs.

Since the release this new Google Ads feature has been optional, and you could continue to use the old Destination URL format. However, on the 1st July Google Ads are going to migrate all URLs to their new format called a Final URL. If you use additional tracking parameters, such as Calltracks URL Tagging, we recommend making changes yourself to ensure Google’s migration doesn’t cause unexpected issues.

 

Old method using Destination URLs

Before this was introduced, when you created or updated one of your ads you always entered a Destination URL. This URL would contain:

1) Landing page URL, for example: www.calltracks.com/
2) Any relevant tracking parameters you wanted to add, for example wnd_traffic_source=google&wnd_campaign_medium=cpc&wnd_campaign_name=Call_Tracking

If you use both options above this would give a longer URL that you would enter in the Destination URL field. Using the above example, this would look as follows:

Both options above this would give a longer URL that you would enter in the Destination URL field

With the longer destination URL, if you made any changes (for example to one of the tracking parameters), Google wouldn’t know whether this makes a change to the actual landing page or just the tracking parameter. As you may have experienced, and probably found frustrating, this currently causes Ads to re-submit your ad and re-set your statistics. You have to then wait for Google to approve your ad once more.

 

New Upgraded URLs

With the new Upgraded URLs when you edit your tracking parameters for existing ads your statistics won’t re-set and you won’t lose your quality score. You can also edit the landing page without needing to amend the tracking variables.

Unsurprisingly, these new Upgraded URLs are made up of two parts, but now the actual landing page and the tracking parameters get entered into separate fields, rather than combined together. To give you an example of how this will work:

1) When creating a new advert select Final URL (Recommended) next to Landing Page
2) In the URL box put your actual landing page (minus any tracking parameters), for example: www.calltracks.com/
3) In the tracking template box start with {lpurl}?. The final URL above will be copied here when the ad shows.
4) Enter the other tracking parameters after this so it would look as follows:

{lpurl}?wnd_traffic_source=google&wnd_campaign_medium=cpc&wnd_campaign_name=Call_Tracking

 

If you haven’t already tried this new feature in Google Ads you can start upgrading your adverts now. However, please note that depending how you chose to upgrade, you may re-set your statistics. The tracking template can be defined at Account, Campaign, Ad Group, Ad or Keyword level.

The tracking template can be defined at Account, Campaign, Ad Group, Ad or Keyword level

Migration Notes

Calltracks WND tags do not classify as re-directs and do not classify as a “3rd party click tracker”. On Google’s guide below, standard Calltracks WND tags fall into Group 2 – You use website analytics with tracking parameters

Read the full Google Ads Upgraded URLs migration guide or alternatively watch their video below:

In the meantime we would be interested to know your thoughts or questions on the new feature Google Ads have rolled out? Are there any additional parameters you would like introduced to your Calltracks account?