Author Archives: Nick Macrae

Reminder: Migrate to AdWords Upgraded URLs in DoubleClick Search by July 1, 2015

Support for AdWords Upgraded URLs for all DoubleClick Search customers globally is now available. If you haven’t done so already, you must upgrade your URLs via the DoubleClick Search migration tool by July 1, 2015 to prevent any interruptions in managing your campaigns.

Pre-migration steps
Before upgrading URLs, review the migration checklist below. This is important to ensure tracking and campaign management capabilities.

After you complete the above steps, you're ready to migrate and complete a few post-migration tasks, described below.

Migrate by July 1, 2015
Once ready to migrate, refer to our Help Center to learn more about launching the migration directly from DoubleClick Search.
Migrations should be completed by July 1, 2015 to prevent issues with managing your keywords, ads, and sitelinks. As of July 1, 2015, AdWords will no longer allow the creation of new keywords, ads, sitelinks, or editing landing pages for accounts that haven't been migrated. These actions will result in trafficking errors when attempting to change the landing page and when trying to create new keywords, ads, or sitelinks.

If you’re unable to migrate your account before July 1, 2015, you will be able to do so after the deadline. Any errors due to updating landing pages you see in DoubleClick Search will be resolved and changes will be pushed to AdWords during the migration.

Post-migration steps
Once you’ve migrated to AdWords Upgraded URLs, you can use custom parameters to replace {copy} parameters in sitelinks (if applicable). Learn how.

If using DoubleClick Search placeholder keywords to track unsupported objects, see these instructions for further steps.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact your Account Manager, Ads Solutions Consultant, or email Customer Support via [email protected].


Posted by the DoubleClick Search team

HP improves performance and lowers costs by switching SEM platforms

Today we're shining a light on the SEM platform capabilities that played a role in HP's decision to switch from an incumbent platform to DoubleClick Search. 

Paid search is core to HP's digital marketing programs. Strategically, it’s critical for the company to have a strong line of sight across all marketing disciplines, including search. It also wants to efficiently respond in real time to marketing opportunities across the globe. HP and its agency Optimedia recently saw an opportunity to optimize performance from improved real-time and cross-channel capabilities by switching SEM platforms.

Having experienced mixed results with other automated bidding platforms in the past, Maren Wesley, VP of Global Search, and the rest of the Optimedia team were initially skeptical of the results possible with DoubleClick Search. "We were looking for proof that the performance for all areas of the program would improve with DoubleClick Search," said Wesley.

In partnership with DoubleClick, the teams deployed a 2-phase test to compare campaign performance between DoubleClick Search and the incumbent SEM platform, which the teams had been using for several years.

At the end of phase 1, DoubleClick Search bid strategies had reduced costs by 23% and increased revenue by 16%, resulting in a 33% improvement in cost per order dollar (CPOD) versus the incumbent platform.

At the end of phase 2, DoubleClick Search bid strategies had reduced costs by 18% and maintained revenue at high levels, resulting in a 17% improvement in CPOD versus the incumbent platform.

The strong results the teams saw from their SEM platform comparison led them to fully migrate to DoubleClick Search as the platform of choice, and as a proven way to realize their real-time and cross-channel goals. Jay Dark, Director of Search and Global Marketing at HP says, "The positive results allowed us to make the decision to switch to DoubleClick Search and because of that decision, we are doing a global rollout across both our B2B and B2C businesses."

For all the details behind HP and Optimedia's SEM platform evaluation, download the full DoubleClick Search case study (PDF).

You can catch up on our real-time series by reading about how real-time helps on big launch days, how to use real-time data to optimize your search ads and Shopping Campaigns, and our initial research on what the real-time gap means for search marketers.


Posted by Nick Macrae, Product Marketing Manager, DoubleClick Search

AdWords Upgraded URLs in DoubleClick Search

We’re excited to announce that support for migrating to AdWords Upgraded URLs for all DoubleClick Search customers globally is launching this week.

Customers should review our migration guide, which details the steps you should take to prepare and migrate your accounts to AdWords Upgraded URLs in advance of the July 1, 2015 AdWords deadline.

The steps required for migration depend on whether your landing page URLs in DoubleClick Search already meet the AdWords definition of a final URL. For most DoubleClick Search customers, you’ll simply need to review and approve to migrate, but some of you will need to make changes to your existing URLs before you can migrate to Upgraded URLs. To help you prepare, we’ve added expanded functionality to URL templates in DoubleClick Search.

Using DoubleClick Search URL templates to prepare for Upgraded URLs
DoubleClick Search URL templates are now even more powerful with support for lower level URL templates at the campaign, ad group, keyword, ad, and sitelink level. In addition, DoubleClick Search URL templates work seamlessly with AdWords Upgraded URLs, so there’s no extra work required for migration once they’re setup.

For customers who use additional redirect URLs, you’ll need to specify landing page URLs at the keyword level. You can then use DoubleClick Search URL templates to specify redirect URLs, giving you flexibility to customize your redirect URL structure to meet your needs.

Example: Keyword URLs before and after migration
Here's an example of the URLs associated with a keyword before and after you migrate:

For additional details on how to take advantage of DoubleClick Search URL templates to prepare for your migration to AdWords Upgraded URLs, please read our Help Center article.

Migrating your accounts
Once you’re ready, you’ll be able to migrate from the DoubleClick Search UI (one account at a time), or from a bulksheet (many accounts at a time), at a time that suits you. You’ll have complete control as to how and when you migrate, so long as it’s completed by the AdWords deadline. In addition, we’ve taken care to ensure that your historical data can be preserved, meaning you can pick up right where you left off.

Please review our Help Center for full details about migrating to AdWords Upgraded URLs in DoubleClick Search, and how to launch and confirm the migration. If you require assistance as you prepare for this process, contact your DoubleClick Search representative.

Posted by
Amit Varia, Product Manager, DoubleClick Search
Nick Macrae, Product Marketing Manager, DoubleClick Search

Introducing app install ads in DoubleClick Search

In today’s constantly connected world, people are moving seamlessly between screens, sites and apps. To be effective, marketers must connect consumers with relevant content in the moments they are looking.

To this end, we are happy to announce that starting today, DoubleClick Search will support AdWords app install search ads that run on Google.com (and soon on the Google Play Store, which reaches more than 1 billion users in more than 190 countries). With this release, DoubleClick Search allows you to incorporate app distribution into your search marketing campaigns across Android and iOS, enabling you to drive sales, grow loyalty, and maximize lifetime value with your customers.

To support this, we are launching a new, simple campaign set-up flow that’s tailored for mobile app promotion, to help advertisers create, target, measure and optimize their campaigns. Here’s what it includes:


  • Campaign and ad creation
    • Create AdWords mobile app install campaigns for search ads directly in DoubleClick Search, including bulksheet support
    • Develop app install ads in DoubleClick Search using your app URL and your app icon in the Google Play and Apple App Stores
  • Targeting
    • Add keywords to target users looking for apps like yours on Google.com and Google Play1
    • Show ads on phones and tablets (you can optionally exclude tablets), only to users who do not currently have your app installed
  • Conversion tracking across mobile platforms
    • Measure success with tracking that works on both Android and iOS
    • Utilize simple, “SDK-less” conversion tracking on Android that doesn't require modifying your app
    • Use Floodlight activities for conversion tracking on iOS (coming soon)
  • Bid optimization
    • Maximize the total number of app installs with automated bidding
    • Bid based on your unique objectives, on a CPC or CPA basis
To learn more about “Mobile app installs” campaigns, visit our Help Center and read the best practices for driving app installs.

Posted by
Bashar Kachachi, Senior Product Manager, DoubleClick Search
Nick Macrae, Product Marketing Manager, DoubleClick Search
1Support for Search ads on Google Play will be available at launch in AdWords.