tracking conversions on CPC campaigns.

[esllou]

I use the amember script for the subscription section of my site which tells me a person's IP number - which I then use to help track where these people have arrived from. I use adsense ads on content sites, adwords on google and other search sites, plus forum links, sites off my main site, etc, etc.

I also have a text box on my sign-up form which allows the new members themselves to tell me how they found us but, as people who have tried this themselves will tell you, 80% of this info is useless and will usually be something like "on the internet" (oh really!? you don't say...) or downright dishonest ("yahoo search engine" when my logs show clearly they clicked an adsense ad on site X)

Now my problem is that a large proportion, probably 40%, seem untraceable. I get log entries like this:

69.140.168.179 - - [02/Nov/2005:18:47:52 -0500] "GET /style.css HTTP/1.1" 200 2398 "http://www.mysite.com/" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.23; Mac_PowerPC)"
69.140.168.179 - - [02/Nov/2005:18:47:52 -0500] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 33091 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.23; Mac_PowerPC)" 

with zero indication where this person has come from. Are these type-ins? There seem to be too many for that.

What do other people do for more accurately tracking conversions and cpc campaigns?

I am considering entering into a person to person communication with each and every person immediately after sign up to find out where these other people are arriving from but I fear I will just get the same "on the net" or "Search engine" responses that my text box on the sign-up form is getting.

is there a better way? and why are my log files being so unhelpful in so many cases?

[Receptional]

[webmasterworld.com...]

Many of these have conversion tracking. The trick is that you have control over the CPC landing page URL - so adding?source=google&keyword=keyword to every CPC advert pretty much changes your log data. match the IP number to the entry page URL and you are there.