When it comes to AdWords, there are definitely many features that we all can enjoy. Among these features, for sure we have a couple of favorite ones we like to utilize. It is quite common among PPC practitioners to pick favorites among reports and features because we also have our personal preferences in developing and managing our campaigns. This is a good thing most of the time, but it is not without disadvantages. When we focus on our favorite features, it will make us prone to getting stuck in our chosen features because we neglect to explore the other features of AdWords. This also means that we will fail to maximize the utilization of important features just because we are not so familiar with them.

Are you underutilizing some AdWords features without knowing it? Every PPC practitioner is different and can face different situations, but generally, there are three AdWords features that are not usually paid attention to. We will discuss this in detail so that you will know why you should be paying more attention to these features.

1. Ad variationsSeveral months ago, Google announced the release of Ad Variations for a better AdWords experience. This is a great feature because it allows everyone to test ad variations across text ads, which means that you can test out the changes made to your headlines, descriptions or display paths. Once the results are significant statistically, Google will then share the result of your test. This new feature may sound too simple that you pay little to no attention to it. However, what you need to realize is that the amount of time it saves you can be a game-changer in terms of PPC. Especially when the account you manage is pretty huge, it will be quite a challenge to keep up with the testing of the ad copies, since it needs to be done continuously. With this update on Ad variation, Google had simplified the process – we just have to make use of this feature.Now that this feature is available, we can easily develop consistent strings of ad variation tests. We no longer have an excuse not to do so! If you think your business is kind of lagging behind in terms of search, you REALLY have to utilize ad variations so that you can increase ad relevance and click-through rate significantly.If you have been continuously testing the changes you’ve made in your ad copy in order to achieve a performance boost, you may not want to pursue extensive testing. However, if you consider what ad variations can do for you, you’d see that it could have a huge impact on your campaign. For the record, Google says that some advertisers managed to set up ad variations for more than a million ads in less than a minute. Isn’t that mind-blowing?
2. Gmail Ads
   As an advertiser or a business owner, it is really easy to become hesitant when it comes to testing new ads on new placements and channels. It is quite understandable. As for Gmail ads, it requires navigation to the Promotions tab, which is why adoption of this channel is pretty slow. However, Google intends to allow retargeting as well as dynamic retargeting for Gmail Ads, which makes this an ad placement opportunity that is difficult to ignore.Especially for businesses which rely on multiple touch points in creating leads and making sales, retargeting is very important. We really have to let go of our ad placement biases and make it a thing of the past so we can move forward along with Google’s many updates.There are many reasons why you should go for Gmail ads. These ads are usually engaging, not to mention attractive. When you put it together with intelligent retargeting, it can be an unforgettable experience for your users. Unforgettable – because users won’t be able to forget your brand literally because your brand is showing up everywhere. You can also have more amazing results when your retargeting campaign is broad and ties well to your email workflow.

   Of course, in the past, some business owners also had several problems with Gmail ads, which is why not everyone embraces this idea. Gmail ads were mainly more difficult to setup, definitely not intuitive, unlike other ad placement options. However, Google is focusing now on making Gmail a friendlier option for advertisers, so it would be easier to utilize. We should take notice of this. After all, users can have a very different experience with Gmail ads compared to those on other channels. Gmail ads do not feel invasive for the users, so it has its own edge over other ad placement options.

3. ExperimentsWhen you are an advertiser or a business owner working with AdWords, for sure you have gone through at least one experiment. Creating and running one experiment might be enough for some, but why limit yourself to one when you can have many? When it comes to advertisements, there is always something new you can try and even if there’s nothing new, you can always test out certain strategies that you have not tried yet.Experiments are always great because each one can be made while focusing on just one purpose and it’s an advertising stint that usually gets wrapped up quickly. For marketers and business owners who want to expand their businesses, there will always be things to test. Having at least one experiment running at all times will improve the performance of your business – just make sure it’s not just one life-long experiment you’re doing but a series of short-term ones.

When it comes to AdWords, just like any business venture, it would not hurt if you check out the features that you have not tried yet. For AdWords, you should make an effort not only to check them out but to actually implement the features. It would also be a great idea to maximize the use of each feature when you utilize them. This way, you’d be able to discover more ways that work efficiently for your advertising campaigns.