Semantics: Google AdWords To Replace “Delete” With “Remove” In Most Instances

It’s always seemed odd that choosing to “Delete” a campaign, for example, in AdWords doesn’t actually mean the campaign will be vaporized as if it never existed. It’s not possible to truly delete a campaign from an account — that historical data remains available in perpetuity. That’s good for historical records, but can be confusing for those new to AdWords.

In a semantic move that has been a long time coming, Google is replacing “Delete” in AdWords with “Remove” in most cases. The change will go into effect in roughly two weeks.

It’s subtle, but makes sense. As Google writes in a blog post announcing the move, “This change is designed to help advertisers better understand that removed objects are still available for future reference. For example, you can report on a removed campaign’s historical performance.”

It’s not clear if there was anything specific that triggered the change after 10+ years.

Advertisers that use Excel macros or scripts on downloaded reports from AdWords should update them by July 21 to avoid errors.

Attend SMX Advanced for expert-only tactics from leading authorities on SEO, paid search, mobile, social media and more. They will tackle master-level topics you won't hear discussed anywhere else. Don't miss this once a year opportunity to meet them and learn what they know! Early bird rates expire this Saturday­ register today!

About The Author

Ginny Marvin

As Third Door Media's paid media reporter, Ginny Marvin writes about paid online marketing topics including paid search, paid social, display and retargeting for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She provides search marketing and demand generation advice for ecommerce companies and can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

(Some images used under license from Shutterstock.com.)