Google Ads Editor: The Ultimate Guide

In pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, time is always an issue. There are a lot of things to take care of, so you don’t want to waste time waiting for slow-loading web pages or meddling with tedious, repetitive tasks. With the Google Ads Editor tool, you can optimize your time, which is good news for your sanity, and your bottom line. Let’s get started.

What is Google Ads Editor?

Google Ads Editor is a free, downloadable application you can use to manage Google Ads campaigns. When you enable Google Ads Editor, you can download multiple Ads accounts, make changes offline, and then upload your changes to Google Ads.

Doing this is a fantastic way to save time, as you can make bulk changes to your Ads accounts. This strategy is especially beneficial if you have accounts with multiple campaigns and a lot of keywords and ads. Here are some of the best ways to use Google Ads Editor:

• Use bulk editing tools to make numerous changes quickly.
• Manage, edit, and view multiple accounts at the same time.
• Export and import files to share proposals or make changes to an account.
• View statistics for all your campaigns or a subset of your campaigns.
• Search and replace text across ad groups or campaigns.
• Undo and redo multiple changes while editing your campaigns.
• Make changes in the draft before uploading them to your account.
• Keep working even when you’re offline.

How to use Google Ads Editor

So, let’s see how you can get started with Google Ads Editor. In the screenshots below, you can see an overview of the Google Ads Editor interface:

Toolbar

You’ll find the toolbar is at the top of the Google Ads Editor screen. Use the buttons to:

• Open or add a new account
• Download recent changes
• Check or post changes to Google Ads
• View account statistics

 

Tree View

The tree view — or account tree — is a feature that enables you to view and make edits at the account, campaign, or ad group level. Select the arrow next to the respective account or campaign name to expand or collapse the submenus.

Type list

Select items in the type list to assess data in an account, campaign, or ad group. For example, you could select a specific campaign in the tree view, then choose Keywords in the type list to view all the keywords for that campaign.

Data view

You can use the data view to look at the contents of your account, campaign, or ad group. This content will vary depending on what you select in the tree view and type list.

Edit Panel

After choosing a row in the data view, you will be able to edit it in the Edit Panel. You can also type directly into the selected row.

 

 

How Google Ads Editor Helps You Manage Your PPC Account

So, now that you have the basics down let’s see how you can use Google Ads Editor to improve your PPC account management. Here are some key features that you should experiment with soon:

Cross-account management

Use this to work on all your Ads accounts in a single window. With this feature, you can add the same set of keywords to campaigns in multiple accounts, update campaign settings for your entire company, and quickly download data reports for a custom selection of accounts.

 

Share negative keyword lists

This relatively new feature allows advertisers to share their negative keywords list across multiple accounts with a simple application in the Editor tool’s shared library. You can learn more about how negative keywords filter out irrelevant clicks and save your budget in our blog, Effective Use of Negative Keywords in Google Ads Campaigns.

 

Condensed edit pane

If you have large groups of empty fields, such as custom parameters or video IDs, it can be a headache to wade through them looking for specific information. Save yourself the hassle by using the edit pane to hide all empty fields.

 

Searchable errors

You can use Google Ads Editor to search for specific errors across all your PPC accounts and campaigns. Now, whenever you see an item marked with a particular error, you can quickly find all other instances of that same problem.

 

Image names

When you upload new images to your Google Ads account, it is good practice to adopt a logical naming construct, so that you can easily identify what an image is from looking at the name. You can view the names of your image files using Google Ads Editor.

 

Support for new campaign types

You can use the Editor tool to create and edit App campaigns for targeted audience engagement and discovery.

Search functionality

The search function in Google Ads Editor enables quick searches through your account to pinpoint campaigns and adjust settings effectively and efficiently.

 

Image picker

The new image picker feature facilitates fast browsing and selection of images on your computer. Warnings and error checks will be issued in the thumbnail, before selecting images, which should streamline bulk image uploading.

 

Built-in custom rules apply to more campaigns

With custom rules, you can devise reminders to optimize your ad extensions, fix broken links, or remove poor-performing ads. These custom rules also keep you updated with best practices before you post any changes.

 

Add Extensions

Google Ads Editor offers the following ad extensions, which you can add from the Type List panel:

• Sitelinks
• Callout Extensions
• Structured Snippet Extensions
• Call Extensions
• Message Extensions
• Location Extensions
• Price Extensions
• App Extensions
• Promotion Extensions

You can find more detail about benefit of using Google Ads extensions.

Finding duplicate keywords

Imagine you add a bunch of keywords to an ad group, or perhaps you’ve moved some keywords between ad groups. With the Find duplicate keywords feature, you can identify any duplicate keywords in the same ad group, campaign, or account. This insight makes sure that you don’t bid against yourself!

 

Video campaigns are easier to manage

You can use Google Ads Editor to create and manage TrueView video campaigns. TrueView video ads are an interactive way to engage prospective new customers on YouTube and Google’s wider network.

Some of the editing options for video campaigns include:

• Add a call-to-action (CTA)
• Add headline fields
• Create bumper ads and ad groups in standard Video campaigns
• Manage promoted video ads

 

 

View recommended daily budgets

It’s important to manage your PPC budget, as you don’t want to overspend, especially if you aren’t generating enough impressions, clicks, and conversions.

With the editor, you can set a Recommended budget column up in your campaign view. This idea is best used sooner rather than later if you have a limited budget for any campaign, as it will help you stay in control. You can export the report to a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets.

 

Edit Location from Edit panel

On the right side of the interface, you can edit your target location. It’s a good idea to refine your geo-targeting so that you don’t serve ads to people in the wrong areas, or show ads to irrelevant users.

 

Dark Mode

Activate Dark Mode by selecting the moon icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the interface. You can revert to the light mode by selecting the sun icon.

 

IP Exclusions

You can use the editor to tackle click fraud, as it allows you to exclude specific IP addresses. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select the campaign
2. From the Type List menu, select IP address Exclusions.
3. Add the IP address you wish to exclude. You can also edit previously excluded IP addresses.

 

 

Download Search Term Report

The latest version of Google Ads Editor makes it easy to view and download reports for your search terms, paving the way for easy analysis and valuable insights. You can identify the terms that trigger your ads, and then optimize your keywords lists and negative keywords list to attract the most relevant traffic.

Utilize Labels

If you use labels correctly, they improve organization and smooth navigation throughout your Ads dashboard, making it easy for anyone to work in your Google Ads account. You can create and edit labels in the shared library of Google Ads Editor.

 

Advanced Text Changes

Advanced text changes allow you to skip the process of creating an Excel doc, uploading it to Editor, and then deleting or pausing the old content. Now, you can navigate to Edit in the menu bar. Then you can edit the text in multiple ways from the drop-down menu.

Replace – Find text and then replace it with new text.

Append – Add additional text at the beginning or end of existing items. For example, you could add additional parameters to multiple final URLs by appending the text to the end of any final URL that you select.

Change Capitalization – Change the capitalization of selected text to title case, sentence case, or lower-case. This feature is great for editing headlines in long articles.

Changes Bids – Change bids within the editor, much like within the interface. You can increase or decrease bids and also set limits.

Change URLs – Edit a selection of URLs. You can completely change the URLs, append text to the end of the URL or remove specific URL parameters.

 

Hide Empty Types

On the left-hand side of the interface, you can see the manageable aspects of each campaign, such as images, ad groups, keywords, videos, etc. You can simplify the view by selecting Hide empty types.

 

What are the Advantages of Google Ads Editor?

As you now know, Google Ads Editor has a vast array of features. This diverse functionality makes it a powerful addition to the arsenal of any PPC professional. Here are XY benefits of Google Ads Editor in PPC advertising:

Make Multiple Changes at Once

You can use Google Ads Editor to make multiple changes to Campaigns, Ad Groups, and Keywords all at the same time. Doing this saves a great amount of time, especially when doing things like adding new ad groups and keywords. When you have campaigns with hundreds of keywords, it could take hours to enter them one at a time. Now, you can do it in a few minutes.

Copy or Move Items

You can copy and paste large sets of ad groups or keywords into different campaigns or even different accounts. This is a massive help if you have multiple campaigns for geo-targeting different areas, as you need only build the campaign once, then copy and paste within the tree view.

Export and Import Account Information

You can export information at every level, and share it with other people working on the account. This feature speeds up analysis and decision-making.

Make Changes to Your Google Ads Account Offline

As Google Ads Editor does not require an internet connection, you can make changes even when you don’t have a connection. Whether it’s during a long commute or in an area with poor coverage, it’s easy to make changes, which you can then sync with your account when you are connected again.

CSV Uploads/Downloads

Excel allows more flexibility, so if you want, you can make your changes in that format, then upload CSV files into Google Ads Editor later. To do this, navigate to Account in the menu bar. You have the choice to import your CSV or export your entire Ads account to a CSV.

 

Wrap Up

The Google Ads Editor tool offers PPC advertisers a rich selection of useful functions to improve their Ads accounts. You can manage multiple accounts and campaigns with ease, making wholesale changes that will drive better results across the board.

By taking a proactive approach to improving your account management, you’re more likely to hit your goals sooner. If you want some help in defining your PPC goals, check out The Guide to Setting Advertising Goals and Objectives for Search Network Campaigns.