AdWords Application Programming Interface (API)?

AdWords Application Programming Interface (API)

The Google AdWords Application Programming Interface (API) is designed for developers representing large, tech-savvy advertisers and third parties. This includes agencies, search engine marketers (SEMs), and other online marketing professionals who manage multiple client accounts or large campaigns.

The Google AdWords API lets developers build applications that interact directly with the Google AdWords server. With these applications, advertisers and third parties can more efficiently and creatively manage their large or complex AdWords accounts and campaigns.

How you can use the API

Because implementing the AdWords API takes technical know-how and programming skills, best results can be achieved by advertisers who employ software developers.

The API is flexible and functional -- you can use it to build an application that meets your needs. Using the API, you can:

Automatically generate keywords, ad text, landing pages, and custom reports.

Integrate AdWords data with your inventory system to manage campaigns based on stock.

Develop additional tools and applications to help you manage accounts.

And you can even develop in the language of your choice. The AdWords API SOAP interface is supported by all popular programming languages, including Java, PHP, Python, .NET, Perl, and Ruby.

Getting started with the API

Signing up is easy. All you need is an active AdWords account. Once you've registered as a developer, you can access the AdWords API Center to manage your token and budget settings. Your developer token is a unique combination of letters, numbers, and characters that identifies your AdWords API activity. It's your key to talking to the AdWords server and your clients' AdWords accounts.