Tracking keywords from Adwords

Is there a way to capture what keywords trigger the Adwords when click-thru

[burntan]

When visitors search a keywords from Google and my Adwords displayed, if the visitor click on my Adwords ads... is there anyway to pass this keywords information to my site so that I can capture the convertion rate by keywords?

[larryn]

burntan,

Unlike Yahoo/Overture, Google does not automatically provide tracking URLs. The best way to capture keywords is to supply them yourself in the target URL; so instead of

http://www.example.com/page.html

you would add the keywords like this

http://www.example.com/page.html?ref=google&keywords=this+is+the+keyword

.

Then you just need to make sure your analytics software knows what to do with that query field.

Hope this helps,

Larry

[edited by: engine at 5:19 pm (utc) on April 29, 2005]
[edit reason] examplified [/edit]

[cgrantski]

Actually Google does have that service, or so their reps have told me, but they're implementing it in a kind of spotty way, geographically.

[larryn]

cgrantski,

Thats interesting, as last month at SES in NYC, they claimed the only way was to manually implement tracking URLs. In fact, someone asked about using the field trick that you can use in the Ad Headline ({Keyword:Default}) in the URL and the Google rep said its not supported, and if it worked that way not by design.

Have you any more info on you lead?

Thanks,

Larry

[cgrantski]

That's interesting is right! I'm sure your information is more current. Mine is from a Google rep conversation (phone) last fall, and I've been assuming that the reason I'm not seeing it is that it just hasn't reached my geographic area.

[burntan]

burntan,
Unlike Yahoo/Overture, Google does not automatically provide tracking URLs. The best way to capture keywords is to supply them yourself in the target URL; so instead of http://www.example.com/page.html you would add the keywords like this http://www.example.com/page.html?ref=google&keywords=this+is+the+keyword.

Then you just need to make sure your analytics software knows what to do with that query field.

Hope this helps,

Larry

But how do I change the destination URL dynamically in Adwords ads setting? Are you suggesting that I setting one keywords per campaign?

[edited by: engine at 5:18 pm (utc) on April 29, 2005]
[edit reason] examplified [/edit]

[larryn]

burntan,

I'm suggesting one URL per keyword - yes that means you have to do some work in the Adwords interface, but thats the price of tracking.

So for example:
My Campaign

keyword1 -> www.example.com/index.html?kw=keyword1
keyword2 -> www.example.com/index.html?kw=keyword2
keyword3 -> www.example.com/index.html?kw=keyword3

Also, one URL per keyword is a really good thing if you are going to create keyword specific landing pages, which is a key to better conversions. But thats a topic for another forum...

Larry

[edited by: engine at 5:20 pm (utc) on April 29, 2005]
[edit reason] examplified [/edit]

[corbing]

Maybe I'm not understanding your question, but to automatically pass the keywords, you can add:

&keyword={keyword}

to your destination URL. Yes, you have to modify it for each ad, but it would seem to solve your problem.

[larryn]

corbing,

According to a Google representative at a conference I went to last month, using {Keyword} outside of the ad copy is 'unsupported'. So it might work, but that might change in the future. Of course, it might change for the better.

Larry

[Receptional]

According to a Google representative at a conference I went to last month, using {Keyword} outside of the ad copy is 'unsupported'. So it might work, but that might change in the future. Of course, it might change for the better.

Is anyone here doing this in practice outside the text (i.e. as in www.example.com?source=adwords&keyphrase={Keyword}?

If so, can they let us know if it seems to work consistently?

[corbing]

I had no idea that this wasn't officially supported. We changed all of our ads to use a format like:

www.some-site.com?source=google&keyword={Keyword}

We've been using it since sometime in January or February. Works great.

[burntan]

I had no idea that this wasn't officially supported. We changed all of our ads to use a format like:
www.some-site.com?source=google&keyword={Keyword}

We've been using it since sometime in January or February. Works great.

Yes, if this is working then it solved my problem.
Thanks!