PPC: Tablet Targeting Strategies

Google Adwords recently launched a new feature that allows you to target tablet devices separately from PCs and mobile phones (or opt out of serving ads to them). This may seem like a minor update, but it has major implications for paid search advertisers, as tablet use continues to skyrocket.

Whether you decide to leverage this new targeting option, or opt-out of ad serving on tablets depends on the nature your product, target market and budget.

• Consider the demographics of tablet users - they tend to skew to male, 35-44, higher than average income, early adopters of technology. If your product is not typically purchased by this demographic, it may be most efficient to block ad serving on tablet PCs.
• Think about tablet usage - do you sell digital goods that can be consumed on a tablet? Do you offer an iPad app for your ecommerce site that you can create a custom campaign for?
• Does your digital product not work with tablet computers? (e.g. desktop software direct downloads) A good idea to prevent your ads from appearing to tablet users.
• Is your site Flash-heavy? Flash is currently not supported on the iPad, and has limited support from Android and others. Google will detect Flash or other rendering problems at the domain level and will not serve your ads on mobile devices with full browsers. If you want to target tablets, it’s best to look into providing mobile versions of your site with device detection/redirection.
• Are you on a tight budget? It’s better to save your clicks for the web for the sake of simplicity and efficiency of analysis

How to change device platform settings in Google Adwords

1. Sign in to your AdWords account.
2. On the Campaigns tab, on either the left side or in the center of the screen, click the name of the campaign you want to change.
3. Select the Settings tab.
4. In the "Networks and devices" section, click "Edit" next to "Devices."
5. Select "Let me choose..."
6. Check or uncheck the box next to "Tablets with full browsers."
7. Click "Save" when you've made your selection.

Source: Google Adwords Help

Getting Granular

If you want to target iPad specifically, navigate to Settings Tab > Tablets with full browsers > Target only selected operating systems > iOS. What about other devices like BlackBerry Playbook? Hold tight, Google’s workin’ on it.

Looking for help with ecommerce? Contact the Elastic Path consulting team at consulting@elasticpath.com to learn how our ecommerce strategy and conversion optimization services can improve your business results.