By now, it’s evident that multi-screen consumption is the way of the future; mobile and tablet devices are becoming consumers’ first screens, so the content that is developed needs to work seamlessly across these screens. There are already more end-users in HTML5-compatible environments than there are in Flash-compatible environments, and HTML5 ad spend is expected to overtake Flash spend within the next two years. (1) But until recently, advertisers didn't have the tools they needed to easily develop content fit for today's cross-screen experiences.

 “Unlocking the HTML5 Opportunity: What’s the Holdup?” 
To shine a light on the issues, we commissioned a research study with Illuminas to uncover the barriers that agencies face when buying on and developing for mobile platforms. We found that advertisers expect the amount of mobile and tablet work they do to increase by 41% over the next 12 months, and over 67% of respondents believe that it’s important to design specifically for mobile campaigns.

 However, even though the amount of mobile and tablet work is expected to increase, cross-screen creative can be difficult to adopt. In our white paper, “Unlocking the HTML5 Opportunity: What’s the Holdup?” we present four main challenges that agencies face when approaching mobile advertising. One key challenge is that there are too many choices to make when developing for mobile -- too many platforms, browsers, and devices to build for, and no tools that simplify the development process.

 Build once, run anywhere 
We’re working hard to solve this development challenge by offering agencies powerful yet easy-to-use tools for HTML5 production. In this vein, we announced DoubleClick Studio Layouts for HTML5 back in August, which lets you create HTML5 ads in minutes, and last week we announced Ready Creatives in AdWords, which creates HTML5 ads for you in seconds.

 Today, we’re excited to announce the public beta of Google Web Designer, a new professional-quality design tool that makes HTML5 creative accessible to everyone from the designer to the dabbler.

 Google Web Designer enables you to:
  1. Create animated HTML5 creative, with a robust, yet intuitive set of design tools. 
  2. View and edit the code behind your designs and see your edits reflected back on the stage automatically. 
  3. Build ad creatives seamlessly for DoubleClick and AdMob, or publish them to any generic environment you choose. 
  4. Receive updates to the product automatically, without having to re-download the application.
  5. Access all of this entirely for free.

Watch the Demo: A quick glimpse of Google Web Designer

 Ready to give it a spin? 
  • Download Google Web Designer. 
  • Read through our getting started guide. 
  • Send us feedback! We need your input to make this tool even better, so share your ideas with us in our user forum or on our Google+ page. We’re working hard over the next couple quarters to add new features and improvements to make the product an even more robust offering. 
HTML5 is a universal language for building beautiful, engaging content that can run across desktops, smartphones, and tablets. We think that Google Web Designer will be the key to making HTML5 accessible to people throughout the industry, getting us closer to the goal of “build once, run anywhere.”

Posted by Sean Kranzberg, Engineering Manager, Google Web Designer 
(1) StatCounter, Top 12 Browser Versions in North America, February 2012 to August 2013