Q&A - Should I use both Google Analytics and AdWords Conversion Tracker?
October 14, 2008
Yes! Please! I often survey attendees of an AdWords Seminar, and a common theme often emerges.
- Most of the audience uses Google Analytics.
- Most of the audience does not use the AdWords conversion tracker.
They are different tools that should be used differently.
AdWords Conversion Tracking
The AdWords conversion tracker just tracks conversions. You can define a conversion in many different ways (sale, lead form, page view) etc. You can define different conversions within the same account. Once you’ve enabled conversion tracking, you can run reports to see performance statistics by keyword, ad group, campaign, ad copy, landing page, content sites, etc by different conversion types (what keywords lead to contacts vs. shopping cart checkouts).
AdWords conversion tracking passes that stats back to your AdWords account so you can easily access all you conversion information cross referenced with your AdWords data within the single AdWords reporting interface. This is a huge timesaver.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an analytics system. It will give you more information than you need to know about your site and visitors. You can easily define goals (conversions) within your analytics account. Google Analytics will tell you about visitors to your site that came from other sources than AdWords. You can view browser, screen resolution, referring site info, and your AdWords account within Analytics (as well as hundreds of other data points).
Like AdWords conversion tracking, analytics should be used to make decisions. Whenever you decide to implement analytics, the first question you should ask is ‘What information do I need to know to get my job done well?’. You can ask that of the design, marketing, and other departments within your organization. Then look for an analytics solution that fits your needs.
For most small businesses, Google Analytics will fit that need. If you need to make real time decisions, then it will not meet your needs.
However, it is much more difficult to extract data such as what content sites are sending you converting traffic from your Analytics account. From within the AdWords conversion tracker – it’s easy. From Analytics – incredibly difficult.
Use Both Google Analytics and the AdWords Conversion Tracker
Assuming you’re willing to use Google Analytics, and it gives you the data you need to perform your job – then you should use them both. Since these two tools perform different functions, you need a tool for each function. Neither are difficult to install, and the data can be invaluable for increase your website’s effectiveness.
AdWords Conversion Tracking Resources:
- Video: Setting up conversion tracking (watch this first)
- Setting up AdWords conversion tracker FAQs
- PDF guide to setting up AdWords conversion tracking
- Troubleshooting conversion tracking
Two Words about the Google Local Business Referral - Content & Awareness
August 7, 2007
The Google Local Business Referral program has been commented about heavily in the last 24 hours.
I’ve known about this program for a while, and being heavily involved in local search, I think it’s being severely misunderstood. It’s not about a sales force - it’s about local business content and customer awareness.
One of the challenges about local search is up-to-date accurate content.
I was asked at Search Engine Strategies San Jose last year: “What do you think the tipping point is for local search?”. Some of the answers were around having 1 million listings, others were about how many advertisers Google had, my answer was, and remains the same:
The tipping point of local search is all about the quantity and integrity of data. The day I can go to a local search engine and receive information that’s as accurate, as fast, and more useful than opening the Yellow Pages, is the day local search will have truly arrived.
Google is targeting college students with this initiative, not sales reps.
The second challenge in online advertising is customer awareness.
If you ask the companies why they are not advertising on the web, the most common answer is ‘We don’t trust it’. However, trust is usually a cover for some other issue. If you follow-up that question with ‘Why don’t you trust it?’. The most common answer is:
We don’t understand it.
It’s not about trust, it’s not about awareness and understanding.
If you look at the typical buying cycle - the very first stage is awareness.
In fact, I believe so much in the fact that awareness plays a critical role in online advertising, that I’m speaking at an RHD Seminar, ‘Introduction to the Web‘ seminar this Thursday (which Yahoo is attending and giving a fun Swag Quiz Presentation afterwards); and then following it with another Awareness Seminar in Vegas later this year.
Collect the Content - Raise the Awareness - Local Search will Arrive
Consumers still have challenges with local search. Often numbers are outdated, the listings are inaccurate, or the listings don’t exist for a business.
To layer on top of that the difficulty for a business to actually give their information to every local search engine. Business’s don’t know, and don’t have the time to submit a Google, Yahoo, Superpages, Yelp, Truelocal, Local.com, Switchboard, etc, etc listing.
There is a reason why programs such as Register Local exist. Register Local is a single point of data distribution for local businesses. Submit it once - view it everywhere.
Local search will arrive someday. However, it will take feet-on-the-street sales reps, content collection programs, and awareness raising for both businesses and consumers for that day to arrive.
Local Business Ads to be syndicated to Maps API Sites
August 2, 2007
These third-party websites use the Google Maps API, which allows them to embed customizable Google Maps within their site. Google technology will only display your clients’ ads when they’re related to the surrounding content of the webpage. As with all content targeted ads, your clients pay only when someone clicks through to the website.
From a Google newsletter.
It’s not clear if you have Local Business Ads if you will choose to syndicate these ads to Google mashups, or if they will be syndicated if that campaign has the ‘content network’ turned on.
It is clear that Google is pushing LBAs and trying to find more inventory for them (which I applaud), such as showing LBAs on Google Earth.
I hope that you can have the option to syndicate LBAs to maps mashup API sites without showing them on the general content network. That would give the advertisers more control, while receiving primarily local based inventory.
Google Upgrades Local Business Center
June 22, 2007
There are a few people in the industry who I’ve not really had a chance to talk to, and amazingly, Matt is one of them. We’ve been at the same conferences several times, yet never quite hooked up for some good conversation.
Matt has a fantastic article on the upgrades to the LBC. And since he beat me to writing about it, I’ll just let you follow the link to LBC Upgrade.
He’s also a Search Engine Land columnist (like myself) and wrote a nice piece today about the Top 20 Don’ts in SEO.
What the colors mean in Google Local Traffic View
February 28, 2007
Google recently caught up with other local search engines by showing traffic on local.google.com .
Here’s the key to what the colors mean:
- Green: more than 50 miles per hour
- Yellow: 25 - 50 miles per hour
- Red: less than 25 miles per hour
- Gray: no data available
Google Maps Now Showing Subway Icons
February 11, 2007
Google maps has recently started showing subway stops on maps. It seems much more prominent to see these icons on the directions page than on the general maps page.
However, if you were traveling to Chicago, this map would be quite confusing.
First off, several of those metros don’t connect. While the pins mark the stations, Chicago has several different trains that run downtown (named ‘the el’) and one often has to switch trains (and know where to transfer) to find a destination.
The second aspect is that mapping software doesn’t seem to take under ground vs above ground into determining directions. I will admit that the above is probably a trick query, it’s for Intelligentsia Coffee’s Pedway location (the pedway is an underground walkway that connects several parts of downtown Chicago. There’s no way to drive to this location, but you’d never know it from the map’s directions.
Overall, it’s probably a precursor of things to come. It would be very useful to be able to use a search engine’s mapping site to find public transportation directions. New York and Chicago can be difficult cities to navigate by car. It’s often faster and easier (once one understands the systems) to use public transportation. However, easy access to that information can sometimes be difficult.
Transitchicago.com is useful for finding door to door public transportation directions. However, if you’re trying to find a restaurant, read reviews, see what’s close, and then want directions to that restaurant, a search engine is the more logical choice to find that information.
Hopefully, we can look forward to finding public transportation directions on maps.google.com sometime in the near future. It would be an extremely useful tool.
Hijacking Google Local Listings
February 8, 2007
SEO Roundtable has a post on hijacking Google Local Listings.
Hijacking local business listings isn’t new news, I wrote about hijacking Yahoo Local listings in December 2005.
This is the first case where I’ve heard of Google Listings being hijacked; however.
The search engines need to do a better job of letting local businesses control their data.
Google Earth now showing Local Business Ads
February 2, 2007
Google AdWords Local Business Ads have been a great source of inventory for those wishing to reach a local audience. They are primary shown on maps.google.com (formerly local.google.com).
Recently, Google has begun to show those ads on Google Earth 4.0Â (recently released).
Here’s a screenshot of maps.google.com for “Utica, NY hotel”. Note the custom Best Western Icon in the map itself.
As one can see, there’s a custom Best Western Icon in both the ad and on the map. This feature has also been added to Google Earth. Here’s a screenshot of Google Earth for the same query.
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The biggest problem facing local companies is good inventory. It was common a year and a half ago for many properties to give preference to national companies (highest bidders) on local properties. Over time, the engines are starting to give some preference to local based companies on local properties.
The Google Earth expansion of additional inventory for local businesses is welcome. We all knew that Google was going to add advertising to Earth eventually. At least when the advertising has arrived, its relevant to the search result.
R.H. Donnelley acquires LocalLaunch
September 8, 2006
First, let me thank everyone who has called, IMed, emailed, posted, and sent SMS congratulations. It’s very much appreciated.
If the above sentence doesn’t make sense, the press release can be found here: http://www.locallaunch.com/rhd-locallaunch.aspx
There seem to be a few concerns about my role in the internet marketing community, and I wanted to clarify at once.
1. I am retaining my co-moderator status at WebmasterWorld of both the Google AdWords and Local Search Forums.
2. I will continue to speak (and attend) industry events. The next time I will be speaking is September 28th at SES Local in Denver.
3. I will definitely be in Vegas for Pubcon.
4. I will continue to update the blog (however often that may be).
There’s discussion about the acquisition at WebmasterWorld, and I’m sure Greg Sterling will have a more comprehensive post about the subject soon.
Use Day Parting to Increase Your Business
August 14, 2006
Show your ad when people are more likely to buy (eCommerce)
Show your ad when your office is actually open (for small businesses)
Generate new businesses only when you want more business
Stop wasting your internet marketing dollars by showing your ad 24/7. Is your businesses open 24/7? If yes, then by all means show your ad 24/7. However, are there times of the day or week when businesses is slower than normal? Are you a business with regular 9-6 hours, but late Thursday night and Friday afternoon the phone just stops ringing? There is a solution…
Time sensitive offers.
Google AdWords
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