By their nature, business owners are usually very busy people who are constantly on the go. For small business owners who handle advertising and marketing on their own, this sometimes means they don’t have time to fine tune their campaigns for maximum effectiveness. SBOs facing this challenge should be pleased to hear that Google has launched a free AdWords Express tool for Android and iOS devices.
Adwords Express, as the name implies, is a simplified version of Adwords that is quicker and easier to use. The new app, which is now available on Google Play and iTunes (sorry Windows Mobile), which means business owners can create ads, modify settings and track results without having to be at their desktop. Users are also be able to connect their AdWords to their Google Analytics and see the data on the app.
“Small businesses know the importance of being online, but running that first ad can be overwhelming,” wrote Xuefu Wang, an Engineering Director at Google, in a blog post announcing the app. “Google introduced AdWords Express to help small businesses start advertising online easily, without the need for daily management. Fast-forward nearly three years to today, and businesses around the world are seeing success with AdWords Express.
Marketed to small businesses that may not have a website yet or the wherewithal to create advanced ads, AdWords Express is like its big brother except campaign management is automatically handled by Google, the geographic targeting options are limited, there are only standard reporting tools and marketers can’t use video or image ads.
Introducing a mobile app is a good move for Google as they try to increase adoption of the AdWords Express format. According to a study from NSBA, about 74 percent of small business owners use mobile devices to help manage their business.
Besides the introduction of the app itself, Google has made a few tweaks to make AdWords Express even more useful.
“AdWords Express has added more control where it counts for defining your target audience,” Wang explained. “Now advertisers can choose exactly where to promote their business — in their zip code, city, state or others around the country (currently in English-speaking countries). When customers search from their phone, they can get driving directions, call your business, or visit your website in one tap.”
According to Ben Woods of The Next Web, there has also been adjustments to the ‘way in which keywords work to reduce the number of unwanted searches.’
For business owners who haven’t used AdWords before AdWords Express is a good way to get started. The new app and additional features make a good thing even better. For more reasons why business owners should embrace Google for marketing, read this article on our site.
If you want to see the app in action, watch this video from Google highlighting features of the app and how it works.