Are you ready for Google's Parallel Tracking Rollout?

A big change is coming on 30 October: Parallel Tracking.

When AdWords (now Google Ads) was first launched it used what is called "linear redirect tracking". When an ad is clicked Google loads several components such as the Google Ads click tracker, the tracking URL and often some other tracking URLs before the customer gets to your landing page. In other words, the customer goes through one or more redirects after they click your ad.

While most users don’t even notice this happening, Google says that the delays of "hundreds of milliseconds" actually has a negative impact on campaign performance.

Parallel tracking, on the other hand, sends customers directly from your ad to your intended URL while click measurement happens in the background in a parallel process (customers are not sent to the tracking URL first as was happening with linear redirect tracking)

Google explains it best with this diagram:

Reference: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7544674?hl=en

Why migrate?

Aside from the fact that Google will require you to migrate, Parallel Tracking is expected to speed up landing page load times by separating the tracking parameters from the landing page URL. With users able to reach and engage with your landing pages more quickly, it can result in improved bounce rates, increased conversions and a reduction in wasted ad spend.

As Google has said many times before; speed matters! Even a second of delay in mobile page load can decrease conversions by up to 20%.

Next Steps

Please get in touch with us to discuss how this affects your AdWords campaigns and what costs may be involved to ensure your business is Google Parallel Tracking compliant.