Direct Commander is a tool for contextual advertising specialists who work with dozens of campaigns and hundreds of ads. Like any tool, it has its pros and cons.
Advantages of Yandex Direct Commander
- Bulk editing of ads. Direct Commander overseas chinese in canada data is designed specifically for working with large volumes of data. It allows you to make changes to many campaigns, ad groups, ads and keywords at once .
- Offline editing. You can use Commander even with an unstable connection. The main thing is to download the data to the device at the beginning of the work, and after completion, upload it to the server. An internet connection is not required for intermediate stages .
- Accelerated loading. The program handles large amounts of data faster than the web interface .
- Advanced filtering and search capabilities. In Commander, you can find the campaigns and ads you need by various criteria: both standard (for example, by search query or bid size) and custom (for example, by a word in a specific ad field).
Disadvantages of Yandex Direct Commander
- Installation requirement To work with Commander, you need to install it on your computer or laptop. If you are setting up ads from different devices, you will need to install the program on all of them .
- Complexity for beginners . Commander’s interface and functionality may seem complex to an inexperienced user .
- Dependency on local data . There is no automatic synchronization in Commander, data must be downloaded from the server and uploaded back manually. If you do not upload edits to the server, you can lose the changes you made .
- Potential synchronization issues : If you make changes to the program and the web version of Direct at the same time, some data may not be saved.
To start working in Direct Commander install the program on your computer or laptop. Below we will tell you how to do this.
There are two versions of Commander: for Windows and macOS devices. You can download the program directly from the link or from the Direct web account. To do this, select the “Tools” → “Commander” tab in the menu on the left.
Then click the button with the name of the operating system installed on your device. The download will begin.
Main features of Direct Commander
In essence, Commander is an alternative there are many paid to the web interface of the Yandex Direct advertising account, created for working with large volumes of data. In the program, you can create and massively edit campaigns and ads, and simultaneously make changes to several objects.
Search and replace
To select campaigns or ads to edit at once, use the search and replace tool. It is available in the campaigns, ad groups, ads, and display conditions tabs.
Click on the magnifying glass icon. The search and replace window will open. Enter the old text you want to find and the new phrase to replace it with. Note that you can not only replace the phrase, but also supplement it by adding a new fragment to the beginning or end of the old one.
You can make changes to your campaigns without searching for fragments. To do this, click the arrow next to the word “Search”. A drop-down list will open. Select “All values”, and then specify the fields and objects you want to change.
For example, you can add the same negative keywords or UTM tags to several campaigns.
Massive changes in the “Inspector”
The Inspector area is located to the right egypt data of the work areas. Here, too, you can simultaneously make changes to different objects.
To do this, select the objects you want to edit at the same time. In the Inspector, you will see fields with settings.
If a parameter is the same for all selected objects, the corresponding value will be indicated in the field. It can be edited. Then the new value will be applied to all selected objects.
If the parameters differ, the field will say “Different values”. They can also be edited – then all old values in the selected objects will be replaced with the new one.
Search data by complex criteria
In Direct Commander, you can create complex criteria for searching data using the DCQL language. The query is entered in the search bar below the work area.
The query must start with the = sign and consist of three parts: Field, Operator, Value. As you start typing the query, tooltips will appear.
Create a campaign in Commander
Direct Commander allows you not only to edit in bulk, but also to create campaigns, send them for moderation, start and stop them. We will tell you in more detail how to do this.
To create a campaign, click “Add” and select the type: single performance campaign, mobile app advertising, or media campaign.
In the “Inspector”, specify the settings. For example, if you selected a single performance campaign, you need to fill in the fields:
How to create ads in Direct Commander
Select the desired group and go to the “Ads” tab in any workspace. and graphic, graphic or product.
On your device and run it
At this point, you can select the folder on your local drive where you want to install the program. Accept the terms of the user agreement and wait for the installation to complete.To work in the program, you need to log in via a Yandex account connected to Direct. Enter your login and then click “Log in via browser”.The system will open a browser where you need to allow authorization. After that, a confirmation code will appear on the screen. Enter it in the Direct Commander window and click “Login”. After a few seconds, you will see the program window. There is no data in it yet.To download data from the Yandex Direct advertising account, click the “Get” button in the upper left part of the screen.
Loading data in Commander is done in stages. First, get a list of campaigns.Then select the campaigns you want and import their content. At this stage, you can choose what data you want to receive: basic, all, or just statistics and prices. The more information you upload, the longer the process will take.
The Commander interface has two workspaces: the main one on the left and the additional one in the middle. They display the contents of campaigns, groups, ads, and display conditions.If you select a parent object in the main workspace, the additional one will display the child objects. For example, if the “Campaigns” tab is open in the main workspace, then in the additional one you will see the following tabs: “Groups”, “Ads”, “Phrases”, “Retargeting and Interests”.
You can work in both the main and additional areas. The contents of the tabs with the same name will be the same. If you don’t need the additional work area, you can collapse it by clicking on the cross in the upper right part.To the right of the work areas in Commander is the “Inspector”. It allows you to make changes to several objects at once. How to do this and what other options Commander has, we will tell you below.