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Setting up a Google Analytics (GA) account correctly is imperative in order to view and analyze your website activity. By a correct setup, I don’t just mean adding the GA code to all pages of your website. You must configure the code and the settings correctly so you are receiving accurate information. Here are the steps to take to ensure your GA data is correct.

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Many sites utilize a search feature in order to help visitors find what they are looking for.  Especially with larger sites, visitors don’t want to take the time to manually navigate to the information they seek, but would rather use search to arrive at the most appropriate listings faster.  Here is an example of a site search box:

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How do you determine that your website is successful?  Maybe you expect to see a certain number of leads every month or entice a certain number of visitors to view a specific demo.  Whatever your goals, it is imperative that you track results — whether or not your goals are being attained.

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Because up to 11 pay-per-click (PPC) text ads might show on any given search query, it is imperative that you do whatever you can to make your ad stand out.  Yes, you want to make sure the users’ search terms actually appear in the ad and that you have a strong call to action, but every PPC campaign manager thinks this way.  You need to dig deeper in your messaging in order to turn the impression into a click.  The three themes outlined below are ways to make your ads stand out in order to increase your overall click-thru-rate (CTR).

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Search Query Performance reports for pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns are extremely valuable for finding new and negative keywords, but another helpful indicator of search terms can be found within Google Analytics (GA).  Two filters work in conjunction with each other to override your PPC keywords and grab the exact terms that users are typing in when clicking your ads.  So what’s the big deal?  Don’t Search Query Performance reports tell me this information anyway?  Yes, but these override filters tell you what happens post-click and, as I always say, PPC cannot be done in a vacuum.  You need to analyze the whole process from search query to conversion.

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I talk a lot about the importance of PPC campaign metrics such as CPA (cost per acquisition) and conversion rate (percentage of clicks that turn into conversions), but at the heart of these metrics is the actual conversion.  As defined by Google:

“A conversion occurs when a click on your ad leads directly to user behavior you deem valuable.”

This user behavior may be a purchase, a whitepaper download, or a page view in an important area of your site.  As with your other marketing media, PPC is a channel that needs to be tracked.

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Google AdWords is an amazing advertising platform but, like most things, there is always room for improvement.  I will take a look at various AdWords features and voice my concerns while explaining why improvements are necessary.  As a precursor, I have spoken with my Google representative about my concerns and she has assured me that they are being taken into consideration.

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Recently there has been talk of a new metric within the PPC industry: conversions per impression.  I first read about this metric from Chris Crompton of Search Engine Land.

In my view, this metric represents the overall effectiveness of your PPC campaign.  The click-through rate (CTR) measures how relevant your ads are to user search queries. The conversion rate tells you the percentage of visitors who complete your predefined goals once the ads are clicked. These are important metrics, but it may be time to consider conversions per impression (CPI) as well.  Let’s take this example:

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The Google AdWords Content Network has come a long way in the last year.  Before some necessary enhancements were implemented I was wary of the Content Network and believed it to be a waste of money.  Though I still have concerns, the Content Network now has the ability to be much more targeted and provide conversions.

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Google AdWords has recently added three new features to the paid platform. Two of the features are still in beta and only available to select advertisers, but all three help to bring better targeted ads to users. John A. Lee of The Clix Marketing PPC Blog does a good job of explaining these new features.

The new feature I am going to discuss is Ad Sitelinks.  Similar to the sitelinks you see in an organic listing, the paid Sitelinks allow four additional links to show within your ad.  Take the example below:

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