Google AdWords API - Part I

Earlier this week, I attended an event at Google. Out of the several 10 min product overviews, I was most excited about the Google AdWords API. A high level summary is that a user can programmatically schedule AdWords campaigns based on customer demand. What that means is that if your site is seeing high demand for a particular item over the weekend, you don't have to constantly monitor your AdWords account - preset logic can reallocate a campaign or make changes on the fly.

I found this particularly interesting, because after constantly looking, I was never able to find a reliable AdWords app for my iPhone. When I managed a large budget ($10k / month) AdWords account, I was constantly monitoring our Analytics traffic on the go and on weekends (when we had a lot of purchases) via poorly designed apps that were not customizable. Then, if I noticed something and wanted to make a change, I'd have to find a laptop or desktop (I did not have a tablet at the time) to make the change, because there was no way to make changes to AdWords on the fly. It was a major hassle, and I was honestly shocked that there wasn't an easier way to do this.

The Google AdWords API is intended to make this easier, and it does - if you are a developer or have a large budget dedicated to creating customized solutions. But this does not include most people, especially the small businesses that make up the long tail of Google's business.

At the event, I spoke with the Google AdWords Developer Advocate (he's a Google employee who works with developers to implement the API correctly and efficiently). I asked him if he knew of a product like the one I was seeking, and he didn't know one off the top of his head. After talking with him more, it sounds like Google has high standards for implementation of the Google AdWords API (and even more so for one that would be used by third parties) - but that it would be possible to create such an app.

I believe that AdWords can and should have a programmatic component to it, adjusting for the ebb and flow of traffic that sometimes changes while we aren't looking. With that in mind, I plan to spend the rest of my blog posts detailing my experience with the AdWords API. I will be using the test version of the API with PHP, and I'll outline my experience in these blog posts. I look forward to sharing what I learn.