Yahoo! Search Marketing > Yahoo! Search Marketing Help > Sponsored Search > Managing Your Account
Importing Campaigns
Import Your Third-party Campaigns
- How It Works
- Import Campaigns Scenarios and Considerations
- Additional Considerations When Importing Campaigns
Import Campaigns Using the Downloadable Template
Import Your Third-party Campaigns (such as Google AdWords)
The Import Campaigns feature makes it easier for you to import your Google AdWords campaign data to Yahoo! Search Marketing. The tool allows you to import your AdWords campaigns, insights and know-how to your Yahoo! account. The following outlines the basic work flow for converting your Google AdWords campaign data to Yahoo! Search Marketing through your Yahoo! Search Marketing account interface.
To use Google’s AdWords Editor (http://www.google.com/intl/en/adwordseditor/index.html) to export your Google campaign as a CSV file, you can:
Log into your Yahoo! Search Marketing account and click “Import campaigns” to start the process of importing your Google campaign data. The resulting page provides you with the ability to click the “Browse” button and select the Google CSV file you want to import.
The import process gives you the following options:
- Choose handling for duplicate campaigns.
- Import your Excluded/Negative Keywords by checking the ‘Include Excluded/Negative Keywords’ option.
- Import your campaign budget settings by checking the ‘Include Campaign Budget’ option.
- Convert certain data fields from your selected Google CSV file to a Yahoo! bulk upload sheet, and also automatically import the converted Yahoo! bulk upload sheet to your Yahoo! Search Marketing account. Note: Clicking the ‘Create a Converted File‘ link converts your Google CSV file to a Yahoo! bulk upload sheet file, but does not automatically import your converted Yahoo! bulk upload sheet to your Yahoo! Search Marketing account.
Once the import process is complete, you can click the ‘Summary’ link to get feedback on the conversion process. The Summary page gives a summary of Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords and Ads that were successfully imported and Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords and Ads that were not successfully imported. You can view the Feedback file or the Error file to get detailed information about the status of the conversion process.
Note:
- The ‘Error’ file contains only components that were not converted and the errors encountered. Since the file is in the Yahoo! bulk upload sheet format, the file can be uploaded after fixing the errors.
- The ‘Feedback’ file contains both the errors for components that were not converted and also assumptions and warnings for components that were converted.
Import Campaigns Scenarios and Considerations
Various options are available to you while importing your Google AdWords campaign data. Certain options and workflows for different scenarios encountered when importing campaigns follow:
For duplicate campaigns, you have the following options:
- Create a new campaign - This option imports duplicate campaigns as new campaigns into your Yahoo! Search Marketing account and does not make any change to the existing Yahoo! campaign. For example, if your campaign data for a particular campaign is similar in your Yahoo! account and your Google account, and you make a change to your Google campaign, you can retain the existing campaign in your Yahoo! account by creating a new campaign. Selecting the "Create a new campaign" option allows you to import your Google CSV file and your Google AdWords campaign data as a new campaign with a name you select, and without impacting your existing Yahoo! Search Marketing campaign.
- Merge campaign data - Selecting this option will merge duplicate campaigns from your Google CSV file and your Yahoo! Search Marketing account. You may find this option useful if the existing Yahoo! Search Marketing campaign has been performing well, but requires updates that have been made to the third-party campaign. This option also preserves the historical data associated with the keyword, ads, etc. in the existing Yahoo! Search Marketing account.
- Overwrite an existing campaign - This option deletes your existing Yahoo! campaign and imports your duplicate Google campaign in its place. You should use this option only when you are sure that you want to delete your Yahoo! campaign and start over in Yahoo!’s system with your Google campaign data.
- Ignore duplicate campaign(s) - This option ignores campaigns in the third-party file that already exist in your Yahoo! Search Marketing account. This option may be used when you want to import only new campaigns from your Google CSV file to your Yahoo! Search Marketing account.
Handling Custom Keyword tracking URLS from Google CSV file
Custom keyword URLS in your Google AdWords campaign data are not automatically converted and imported to Yahoo! In order to ensure that correct custom keyword URLS are used, you may do the following:
- Import your Google CSV file by clicking the ‘Create a Converted File’ link instead of clicking the ‘Import File’ button. This will convert your Google data and create a Yahoo! bulk upload sheet without updating your Yahoo! Search Marketing campaign.
- Download and edit the converted Yahoo! bulk upload sheet and add appropriate custom keyword url to the ‘Keyword Custom URL’ column.
- Save the Yahoo! bulk sheet.
- Import the Yahoo! bulk sheet to update the Yahoo! Search Marketing campaigns.
Using ‘Include Excluded/Negative Keywords’ option during import
- If the option ‘Include Excluded/Negative Keywords’ is selected while importing a third-party file, then Negative Keywords in your third-party file are imported as Excluded Words in Yahoo!.
- The limits for Excluded Words at the Account and Ad Group level is 500. You can take advantage of this and import your Ad Group level Negative Keywords from your Google CSV file into Yahoo! Search Marketing. If you have Negative Keywords at the Ad Group level in your Google CSV file, then you may select the option to include Excluded/Negative Keywords while importing your third-party campaign data.
- If you manage your Excluded Words in Yahoo! independently of your third-party campaigns, then you may not want to import Negative Keywords from those third-party campaigns.
- Note that Yahoo! does not support Excluded Words at the campaign level. Therefore, if your Google CSV file has Negative Keywords at the campaign level, they will not be imported and these rows will be flagged as errors.
- If necessary, you can choose to place these campaign level Negative Keywords in your Google CSV file as Excluded Words either at the Yahoo! account or ad group levels. Negative Exact Match Keywords from your Google CSV files are also not imported and these are reported as errors in the ‘Error’ file.
Handling Campaign Names
If you have a different naming convention for your Yahoo! and Google campaigns, and want to update your Yahoo! campaigns, then you should appropriately update the campaign names in your Google CSV file before importing the third-party file to Yahoo!.
- For example, if you have the following campaign structure in the Google CSV file and Yahoo! account:and you update your Google campaign, you should change the campaign names in the Google CSV file from “Campaign_G” to “Campaign_Y” before importing the Google AdWords campaign data. For ease of import, we would suggest using identical names across your third-party and Yahoo! campaigns.
Handling Destination URLs
If you want to have a different Destination URL for the same ad in their Google CSV file and Yahoo! campaigns, then you should make sure to update Destination URLs for the ads in your Google CSV file before importing them to Yahoo!.
- For example, you might have the following Destination URL for an ad in its Google AdWords campaign: http://www.electronics-planet.com/index.asp?FROM=google. If you want to change the Destination URL for the same ad in Yahoo! to: http://www.electronics-planet.com/index.asp?FROM=yahoo, then you should either make the change to the Google CSV file before importing the file or change the Destination URL of the imported ad once it’s in Yahoo!. Changing the Destination URL in your third-party file may be easier than editing each ad in Yahoo! once the import is done.
Additional Considerations When Importing Campaigns
The following are some of the Yahoo! specific rules applied in converting third-party campaigns (such as Google AdWords) to Yahoo! Search Marketing formats:
Keywords
- Exact match type keywords in Google CSV file are imported as Standard match type in Yahoo!
- Phrase and Broad match type keywords in Google CSV file are imported as Advanced match type in Yahoo!
- Multiple keywords in an Ad Group in Google CSV file may be treated as duplicates in Yahoo!. When this happens, the keyword with the highest bid is imported to Yahoo! and the other keywords are reported as errors in the error file.
- Negative keywords in your Google CSV file are imported as Excluded Words in Yahoo! Since Yahoo! does not support Excluded Words at the campaign level, Negative keywords at the campaign level in your Google CSV file are not imported to Yahoo! and are flagged as error(s). If necessary, you can choose to place these Negative Keywords as Excluded Words at the Yahoo! account or Ad Group levels.
- Phrase and Broad match type Negative keywords in Google CSV file are imported as Excluded keywords in Yahoo! Exact match type Negative keywords in Google CSV file are not imported to Yahoo!
Network Distribution
- If you adopt Network Distribution and create (and manage) two identical campaigns targeted at the Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Partner networks, you may have to import your Google campaign multiple times, each time with the appropriate campaign name.
Bidding
- Some of the keywords that are imported might be inactive because the bid in your Google CSV file is lower than the minimum bid required in Yahoo! to activate that keyword.
- Note that when you import the Google CSV file to Yahoo!, the Google bids are imported. Since each paid search network can have a different competitive landscape, you may have to monitor and adjust those bids in your Yahoo! accounts for optimal performance.
Importing Campaigns Using the Downloadable Template
The Import subtab below the Campaigns tab, as well as the "Import Campaigns" button allows you to upload a file to create, edit or delete multiple campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads at once. We also provide you with a downloadable template file in which to insert your selected campaign information. You can download the template in XML format in an Excel 2003 spreadsheet or you may download the template in CSV format. After you complete the template file, you can upload the information into your account.
Using bulk import allows you to:
- Save time editing the bids, URLs, ad text, and settings for your campaigns.
- Create entirely new campaigns from a file that you upload.
- Import your campaign information to a spreadsheet for reference and archival purposes. With the spreadsheet, you can:
- Update only the columns you select by choosing ‘update: yes’ or ‘update: no’ options from the top row.
- Select column options from cell dropdowns for columns with specific entry options (this feature is only available in the .XML format).
- View tool-tips displaying help text beside each cell in the header row with descriptions of the cell and possible value entries (this feature is only available in the .XML format).
- View an ‘in-sheet’ error message if your spreadsheet cannot be validated and requires change (this feature is only available in the .XML format).
View additional information about bulk importing your campaigns, including common errors, tips and tricks.
Large Downloads
Some programs supporting CSV formats may limit the amount of rows in your spreadsheet. If you have a large Yahoo! Search Marketing account, your template file may exceed this limit. In order to view your full account download you can:
- Use the latest import template in .XML format for Microsoft 2003 so the additional campaign information for each campaign past Microsoft Excel 2003’s 65,536 row limitation is automatically displayed onto multiple tabs at the bottom of your spreadsheet.
- Use a third party text editor, such as TextPad®, to view additional rows if you are using an older import template (see note below) or downloading your campaigns in .CSV format.
Instructions for placing an oversized bulksheet file onto multiple tabs follow:
Note: You must have Textpad®, a third-party text editor, installed to complete the process below. For more information and to download this program, visit http://www.textpad.com/download/index.html.
To place an oversized download file onto multiple tabs in your spreadsheet program:
- Open a blank workbook.
- Download the campaign(s) of your choice by clicking the “Download Campaign” button and saving the file(s) to your desktop.
- Unzip/extract the saved file(s) to your desktop.
- Right click the unzipped spreadsheet file and select “Textpad”.
- Wait for the file to open up in Textpad® completely.
- Press Ctrl+Q, L on your keyboard to turn on the line number feature in Textpad®.
- Starting from the top of the file, scroll all the way down until you reach Row 50,000.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Home on your keyboard to select the first 50,000 rows of the file.
- Press Ctrl+X to cut the rows, then paste them in the first tab of the blank workbook.
- Repeat Steps 7 to 9 as needed, pasting no more than 50,000 rows on a new tab each time.
- Save the file with a new name.
Note: Older template files may still be used to import your campaign data; however, newer template features and data columns will not display in older templates.
Import Campaign Spreadsheet
The columns that appear in the template file are explained in the chart below:
| Column # | Column Name | Definition |
| A | Campaign Name | The unique name that you create to identify a campaign. This column must be filled out for every row in the spreadsheet. |
| B | Ad Group Name | The unique name that you create to identify an ad group. This column must be filled out for every row in the spreadsheet, except for the Campaign rows. |
| C | Component Type | A component type can be a campaign, ad group, ad, keyword, account excluded word, or ad group excluded word. Complete this column to indicate the component type for a particular row. |
| D | Component Status | Indicates the status of the component type entered in a particular row. When a component status is enclosed in square brackets, one of its parent component types has a deleted status. For example, a keyword row with status indicated as [On] means the keyword’s ad group or campaign is deleted. This column must be filled out for every row in the spreadsheet, except for rows with the component type specified as an ad group’ excluded word. |
| E | Display Status | A brief description that shows whether or not a component (Campaign, Ad Group, Keyword, or Ad) are active, as described in the Statuses topic. If the primary reason that a component is not active is because its "parent" entity is not serving, the parent status appears before the component status, and the parent and component statuses are enclosed by [] and () respectively. For instance, a keyword may be inactive primarily because its parent Ad Group is inactive. Do not edit this value. |
| F | Keyword | The keyword you are creating, editing or deleting. This column must be filled out for each row in the spreadsheet with the component type specified as “keyword.” |
| G | Keyword Alt Text | Alternate text defined for a keyword, which allows you to reword the keyword to better fit within the sentence structure of the title or description when using the Keyword Insertion feature for Sponsored Search and Content Match. This column must be filled out for each row in the spreadsheet with the component type specified as “keyword.” |
| H | Keyword Custom URL | Custom URL specified for a Sponsored Search keyword. This column may be filled out for rows where the component type is specified as “keyword.” |
| I | Sponsored Search Bid (USD) |
This column is used when campaign optimization is OFF and will be blank if optimization is ON. The values include Default and {BID VALUE}.
Default means that the default bid is in use. {BID VALUE} is the custom bid you specified. Please do not use "$" or "{" in the template file. Example: 1.35 This column may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as either “ad group” or “keyword.” |
| J | Sponsored Search Bid Limit (USD) |
This column is used when campaign optimization is ON and will be blank if optimization is OFF. The values include Default and {BID LIMIT VALUE}.
Default means the keyword is using the default bid limit. {BID LIMIT VALUE} is the custom bid limit you specified. Please do not use "$" or "{" in the template file. Example: 1.35 The campaign bid limit will not appear in this column. This column may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as either “ad group” or “keyword.” |
| K | Sponsored Search Min Bid (USD) | Displays the Sponsored Search minimum bid for your keyword. |
| L | Sponsored Search Status | Indicates whether Sponsored Search is on or off. This field may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as either “campaign” or “ad group.” |
| M | Match Type |
Indicates whether the standard match type or advanced match type for Sponsored Search is on. Advanced means the advanced match type. Standard means the standard match type. This column may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as “campaign,” “ad group,” or “keyword.” |
| N | Content Match Bid (USD) |
This column is used when campaign optimization is OFF and will be blank if optimization is ON. The values include Default, {BID VALUE}.
Default means the default bid is in use. {BID VALUE} is the custom bid you specified. Please do not use "$" or "{" in the template file. Example: 1.35 This column may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as “ad group.” |
| O | Content Match Bid Limit (USD) |
This column is used when campaign optimization is ON and will be blank if optimization is OFF. The values include Default and {BID LIMIT VALUE}.
Default means the ad group is using the default bid limit. {BID LIMIT VALUE} is the custom bid limit you specified. Please do not use "$" or "{" in the template file. Example: 1.35 The campaign bid limit will not appear in this column. This column may be filled out for rows with the component type specified as “ad group.” |
| P | Content Match Min Bid (USD) | Displays the Content Match minimum bid for your ad group. |
| Q | Content Match Status | Indicates whether Content Match is On or Off. This field may be used in rows with the component type specified as either “campaign” or “ad group.” |
| R | Ad Name | Unique name that identifies an ad, for use in rows with the component type specified as “ad.” |
| S | Ad Title | Title that appears in the ad. Maximum length is 40 characters. This field may be filled out for rows with component type specified as “ad.” |
| T | Ad Short Description | Short description of the ad used in certain ad formats. Maximum length is 70 characters. This field may be used for rows with the component type specified as “ad.” |
| U | Ad Long Description | Long description of the ad used in certain ad formats. Maximum length is 190 characters. This field may be used for rows with the component type specified as “ad.” |
| V | Ad Display URL | The Display URL designated to appear with the ad, instead of the destination URL. Maximum length is 250 characters. This field may be used for rows with the component type specified as “ad.” |
| W | Ad Destination URL | The Destination URL is the landing page that is displayed when the ad is clicked. Maximum length is 1024 characters. This field may be used for rows with the component type specified as “ad.” |
| X | Watch List | A list of campaigns, ad groups, and keywords that may be of particular interest to you. The Watch List can be viewed from the Dashboard page. Values include On and Off. |
| Y | Campaign ID | A number that uniquely identifies a campaign. Please do not edit this value, as it is used when editing an existing campaign, ad group, ad or keyword. |
| Z | Campaign Daily Spending Limit | Manages the amount set for each campaign; however, your Account Daily Spending Limit overrides any budget settings at the campaign level. |
| AA | Campaign Start Date | The first date that a campaign is scheduled to run, formatted depending on your market (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY). |
| AB | Campaign End Date | The last date that a campaign is scheduled to run, formatted depending on your market (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY). |
| AC | Ad Group ID | A number that uniquely identifies an ad group, included in rows with the component type specified as “ad group” and its associated ad and keyword rows. This column must be filled out for every row except those with the component type specified as “campaign.” Please do not edit this value. |
| AD | Ad Group: Optimize Ad Display | Indicates whether Optimize Ad Display is On or Off. |
| AE | Ad ID | A number that uniquely identifies an ad, for use when editing or deleting rows with the component type specified as “ad.” Please do not edit this value. |
| AF | Keyword ID | A number that uniquely identifies a keyword, used when editing or deleting rows with the component type specified as “keyword.” Please do not edit this value. |
| AG | Checksum | Internal value used to determine whether a row has been updated. Please do not edit this value. |
| AH | Error Message | This column may contain a system message returned in the Feedback File after an import is processed. Please do not edit this value. |
Learn more about importing campaigns
Next: Creating and Working with Campaigns – The Campaign Details Page
