**by Sami Carroll**
Previously, I covered the basic steps involved in setting up a Google
Analytics
<http://searchengineland.com/how-to-use-google-analytics-to-improve-ppc-performance-part-i-29511>
account. In this column, I'll focus on four GA reports to help you
better manage your PPC campaigns.
If you are like most search marketers, you've often wished for more
insight into your campaigns than what AdWords alone can provide. You
may also be looking for a one-stop place to analyze all of your PPC
data from all engines and campaigns. Recent upgrades and enhancements
to Google Analytics make both possible.
Google Analytics offers tons of fancy charts and graphs that can be
intimidating to even the most seasoned search marketers. To turn that
stream of data into useful and actionable information, you must create
reports that give you the information you need when you need it.
This month, I will discuss how to create and use four fundamental GA
reports to help you manage your campaigns. These are:
Goals > Funnel Visualization
Custom Reporting
Traffic Sources > Search Engines
Content >Top Content Report
A quick recap from part one
<http://searchengineland.com/how-to-use-google-analytics-to-improve-ppc-performance-part-i-29511>
: Any of the reports reviewed here can be added to your Dashboard.
They can also be set up as recurring reports under the Email>Schedule
tab. How you view the data varies as well, whether as a table,
percentage, performance, comparison, pivot or detail. Lastly, you can
deliver finished reports in Excel, or PDF, XML, TSV or CSV based on
your preference.
Now let's take a look at the four fundamental reports that will help
you manage your campaigns.
Goals > funnel visualization
Setting up goals is vital to understanding PPC performance. The
Goal>Funnel Visualization report will show you a visual representation
of a goal funnel based on the steps that you defined for the goal.
Much like a real funnel, this report can also show you where the
leaks are in your website's steps to goal completion.
I use this report to identify key reasons prospects don't take the
desired online actions. This is a great way to identify steps in the
�path to conversion� that need to be improved. For example, if the
report indicates that the vast majority of prospects are bailing
before completing a registration form, then perhaps your form is too
long or onerous based on the perceived value of what is received in
exchange for personal contact information.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4237732153/>
Custom reporting
Custom reports can be set up for information that you need daily or
monthly. If you find that you are running multiple reports and then
combining into one report, this might be a good solution for you. The
user-friendly interface makes setting up these reports pretty easy,
but you will want to use the Preview Report feature to make sure that
you are capturing what you intended prior to saving the report.
One custom report that I use weekly is a single view report of
revenue by source/medium. With one click, I can easily review and
compare how each campaign, ad group and keyword is performing in terms
of revenue generation. This type of insight is critically important if
you need to better focus a limited PPC budget or improve overall ROI.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4237732175/>
Traffic sources > search engines
This report breaks down the site traffic by source (e.g.
total/paid/non-paid), site usage, goal conversion or ecommerce. This
report will give you information on where your site traffic is coming
from, and which sources/mediums are trending up or down. You can also
look at month over last very easily.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4238506950/>
Content >top content report
This report shows which pages or sections are the most popular on
your website. Pages with fewer visits can be better optimized and
landing page efforts can be evaluated. Once you click through on to
the page that you want to view, take a look at the Analysis features.
Navigation and Entrance data can be displayed and is particularly
helpful in analyzing user behavior.
I primarily use this report to identify landing page opportunities,
opportunities for improvement in content, navigation and for text ad
optimization. As you might suspect, this is a great report for SEO as
well.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4238506974/>
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4237732241/>
PPC & Google Analytics: a symbiotic relationship
There is no doubt that using Google Analytics for all of your PPC
needs makes sense. The cross-engine compatibility, user-friendly
interface, robust Help section and an unlimited number of ways to
pivot information makes PPC management a breeze.
Please be sure to review Part One
<http://searchengineland.com/how-to-use-google-analytics-to-improve-ppc-performance-part-i-29511>
of this article to insure that you are starting off on the right
foot with Google Analytics. Of particular importance are making sure
that GA has been properly installed
<http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55480>
on the website pages that you are tracking. Also, that you have
properly used the GA URL Builder
<http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?answer=55518>
, or compatible application to build your keywords for the other
engines.
Most importantly, have fun and remember to always test and refine.
The more you use Google Analytics, the more you will learn to love it!
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the author, and not
necessarily Search Engine Land.
Sami Carroll <http://searchengineland.com/author/sami-carroll/>
is an Account Director at SmartSearch Marketing
<http://www.smartsearchmarketing.com>
, a Boulder, Colorado-based search engine marketing agency. Sami has
extensive experience in comprehensive marketing analysis across all
online marketing media, including paid search, affiliate programs,
organic optimization and email marketing for both B2C and B2B clients.
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