Although hardly a dinosaur, even by Google’s standards, the oldies but goodies still lose their legs. So it goes for Google AdWords Keyword Finder, which the company announced will be retired in favor of a new keyword tool.
In a July 1 post to blog site Search Engine Watch, blogger Jennifer Slegg observes that Google AdWords Keyword Finder users are being herded to Google’s new tool, Google Keyword Planner, which was rolled out May 20. Keyword Finder, as Slegg points out, is an amalgam of Keyword Tool and Google Traffic Estimator. The combination allows Google’s pay per click ad buyers to find suggested keywords and at the same time get traffic estimates for those keywords. However, the new tool is lacking some of the data now supplied by the old Keyword Finder.
Slegg notes, for instance, that ad share statistics, local search shares and search share columns have yet to be integrated into Keyword Planner, although Google said that such data will be added in the future.
Google AdWord Keyword Finder has been the go-to tool for many an Internet marketer since its introduction. Its popularity was not only due to the riches of data it provided, but to its accessibility. Keyword Finder has been free and accessible to anyone who wanted to research keywords or create keyword lists. Keyword Planner will also be free, but the user must have an AdWords account to access it.
Upon the launch of Keyword Planner, Google announced that the Keyword Tool and the standalone traffic estimator would be put out to pasture in 60 days. If the schedule holds, they will be accessible for less than two weeks.
On the subject of AdWords, Slegg blogged on Search Engine Watch that Google also revealed a series of changes to the platform, with a new Display Benchmarks tool, AdWords Editor updates, and flexible bid strategies for enhanced campaigns. Her May 28 post explained updates to Google maps advertising that ensure ads show up on the maps. Additionally, wrote Slegg, users of AdWords Editor will have enhanced capability when setting bid adjustments and mobile bid adjustments, use CSV import to upgrade campaigns in bulk, and have access to new Value Track parameters. Additionally, new flexible bidding options in AdWords will allow advertisers to target specific keywords for special bidding strategies while leaving other keywords to previously established campaigns.
References:
Slegg, Jennifer. “With Death of AdWords Keyword Near, Google Pushes Users to Keyword Planner“, SearchEngineWatch. 7/1/13.
Slegg, Jennifer. “4 Google AdWords Updates You Might Have Missed“, SearchEngineWatch. 5/28/13.
