What is the difference between Analytics and AdWords Conversion Tracking?

Google AdWords Conversion Tracking works within your Google AdWords account to let you see exactly which keyword from a specific ad group in a campaign resulted in a sale. Based on the number of sales and cost of clicks for a particular keyword, it will tell you what the cost per conversion is for that particular keyword. The data gathered through Google AdWords Conversion Tracking will help you to run a more effective Google AdWords campaign. (Please note: Google AdWords Conversion Tracking will not work on PPC accounts with Yahoo, MSN, or any other search network). Google Analytics tracks traffic from all online sources, and provides even more robust data.

This includes: reporting on pageviews, time on site, bounce rate, visitor demographics, visitor loyalty, referring sources, mobile use, ecommerce sales figures and much more. The data presented in Google Analytics will provide you with the critical information needed to help you position and manage your business more effectively.

I can see my conversion rate in my Marketing Media admin area. Why do I need Google AdWords Conversion Tracking?

The conversion rate in your Admin Area will show you which ROI tracking links have resulted in conversions. The limitation, however, is that the default report does not provide the specifics of which keyword led to that conversion. For example, if you have 200 keywords in your Google AdWords campaign, you have no way of knowing which of those keywords are costing you money and which are actually making you money. This is where Conversion Tracking steps in.

Will all of my sales be counted by the Google AdWords Conversion Tracking code?

No form of conversion tracking can guarantee perfect accuracy, but a low level of error is considered acceptable so long as its effects are marginal in scope. If you offer PayPal as a payment option on your site, your actual order totals may not match the orders being counted through your Google AdWords Conversion Tracking code. Orders submitted through PayPal and Google Wallet take customers away from your site to complete their purchase. This means that unless the customer clicks the link provided by those companies after their order is complete return to your site, it is impossible for the order to be counted via your Google AdWords Conversion Tracking code. The reason this happens is because only information collected on your Marketing MediacOrderFinished.asp page is submitted to Google. Thus, any order information on a PayPal or Google Wallet “order completed” page will not be reported in your conversion tracking.

What kind of ongoing account maintenance will I get?

Both Google Analytics setup and Google AdWords Conversion Tracking setup services have a one-time implementation fee and do not include any ongoing support, maintenance or troubleshooting.

Is Google AdWords Conversion Tracking instant?

Once Google AdWords Conversion Tracking is set up it will take about one day for it to start reporting data. It’s important to remember that only orders coming in when the customer clicked on your ad(s) after the conversion tracking was setup will be counted. For example, if we set up your conversion tracking on the 15th of the month, only customers that clicked on your ad after the 15th of the month and then bought will be reported in your Google AdWords Conversion Tracking statistics. Any customers that clicked on your ad prior to the 15th and then bought will not be counted (unless they also clicked on the ad after the 15th as well). This means that over time your conversion tracking will become more accurate after the first few weeks. (Note: you can see when a customer clicked on your ad by going into the order and looking at the referral history.)

Why is my conversion rate in Google Analytics different than my conversion rate in AdWords?

The conversion rate reported in Google Analytics reflects the percentage of sales that resulted from all of your visitors, whereas the conversion rate reported in Google AdWords reflects the percentage of sales that resulted solely from the paid clicks generated throughGoogle AdWords.

Can I set up multiple Google AdWords accounts and link them to the Google Analytics profile you are creating for me?

No, only one Google AdWords account may be linked to a Google Analytics account. If you previously linked your Google Analytics account to a Google AdWords account and now want to link that same Google Analytics account to a new Google AdWords account, you’ll have to unlink the first Google AdWords account first.