Google is prompting Search marketers to update their management platform, with the older version of Search Ads 360 to be retired early next year.
Google launched an updated version of Search Ads 360 last Febuary, which includes a range of additional measurement and management tools to improve your Search advertising process. And now, Google has announced that the legacy version of the app is going away, which will require users to take action to continue managing their Search campaigns.
As per Google:
“Most advertisers can now schedule their upgrades to the new Search Ads 360. Access to the previous Search Ads 360 is expected to remain available until early next year. Please note that support for some features may be gradually reduced in the previous Search Ads 360 throughout 2023 as we prepare to shut down that product next year.”
As you can see in this example, Google is now prompting advertisers with a recommended date for them to switch over to the updated Search Ads experience. Google says that users can choose an alternative switch-over date, up till January 2024, with the older version of Search Ads 360 set to be shut down for good between February and April 2024.
To be clear, you don’t have to have Search Ads 360 to run a Search ads campaign, with the app more designed to help those that are running a range of Search campaigns, across multiple platforms. You can run a basic Google Search Ads campaign via the relevant search engines, but for agencies, and those managing multiple campaigns, Search Ads 360 provides a viable management platform.
The new Search Ads 360 also offers support for additional functionality:
“For example, the new Search Ads 360 offers access to Google Ads features like auction insights and Discovery ads. We also heard your requests and added Floodlight measurement support on even more Google campaign types like Performance Max, a single campaign type to help you reach your ideal customer at scale. And we’ve added Microsoft Ads features like age and gender bid adjustments and final mobile URLs.”
There’s also Templates, an automated campaign builder option, while Google’s also built in a range of new insight tools, along with improved billing processes, giving you more management controls.
If you’re running a lot of Search campaigns, it’s likely worth exploring your options, and considering whether you should upgrade to the new version of the app. Of course, Search Ads in general could also be disrupted by the rise of generative AI, but that’s still likely a way off being a significant enough shift to de-prioritize search ads.
Google says that, in the next few months, all Search Ads 360 users will receive a notification of when they're eligible to upgrade. Current 360 users can check if they’re already eligible via the Experience Hub.
