Learn how to keyword-control your ads
When you are using Google Analytics to track your visitors and AdWords campaigns you can check the keywords that triggered your ads by clicking on ‘Traffic sources’ > ‘Keywords’ > Show: ‘paid’. But you will only see those keywords that are in your adgroup and NOT the real, exact keywords that the user typed in and triggered your ads.
Several people have found solutions (which all started with a post from GA Experts) to show the exact keywords that triggered your ads, that either work with filters or with javascript. Knowing the real keywords visitors are using can help you in several ways:
- find terms to add to your negative keyword list.
- expand your original keyword list.
- discover and add new adgroups.
- find ways to optimize your ad and landing page copy
But the problem is that the details in the screenshots or descriptions I found vary. I have experimented around a bit and can now give you the exact settings that will make this work. Others say that this solution doesn’t work anymore … well guess what? It still does!
The Real Google Analytics Data Exposed …
Before you start check that Analytics is connected to your Adwords campaigns and Auto-tagging be turned on (find it in: Account preferences: edit tracking). Now we are going to add a new profile (you do not want to overwrite any core data, so a new profile keeps everything intact) in Google Analytics.
1. Create a new Analytics Profile
Select Add a Profile for an existing domain, select which domain, and enter any name for the profile you choose. For example: ‘Real Keyword Data’.
2. Create the first filter
Important: create the two filters in the order given here, otherwise it will not work! Now locate your newly created profile and click Edit under the Settings column. Then click Add Filter.
Just copy and paste the following settings, to avoid typing mistakes:
Field A -> Extract A: Referral: (\?|&)(q|p)=([^&]*)
Field B -> Extract B: Campaign Medium: (cpc|ppc)
Output To -> Constructor: Custom Field 1: $A3
Be sure to copy all other settings as seen in the screenshot.
Click ‘Finish’.
You should now be back on the profile settings page where you can see this first filter has been applied to your detailed analytics profile.
3. Create the second filter
Locate your new profile again and click Edit under the Settings column. Then click Add Filter.
Just copy and paste the following settings, to avoid typing mistakes:
Field A -> Extract A: Custom Field 1: (.*)
Field B -> Extract B: Campaign Term: (.*)
Output To -> Constructor: Campaign Term: $B1 ($A1)
Be sure to copy all other settings as seen in the screenshot.
Click ‘Finish’.
It may take several minutes, but then you can start digging. In your new Analytics Profile Report go to Traffic Sources -> AdWords -> Keyword Positions or to Traffic Sources ->Keywords and you will see your normal keyword list and in parentheses the exact term that triggered your ads!
This is powerful stuff. And it makes you wonder why this isn’t normally available in GA (well, of course we know why not, Google would lose a lot of clicks). Let me know if it worked for you too …