I have had Conversion tracker on all of my accounts for a while now measuring my purchase page for conversions.
Recently I set up my own basic tracking program measuring click throughs and bookings using cookies and tracking codes in the URL's.
After looking at my account over a month im seeing 2 sets of results. Adwords is showing me more conversions than my own program is.
I was contemplating that maybe some customers had cookies disabled therefore my program wouldnt track these conversions......but Google uses the exact same process with cookies as my program does.
So which stats do I trust? How reliable is Adwords Conversion Tracker. Does Google track conversions another way (as well as using cookies)that I dont?
Any comments?
This is a really difficult question to answer without knowing quite a bit about how you're setting cookies and associate sales.
1. Are they both 1st or 3rd party cookies (Gs are 3rd party).
2. Is your cookie set based on referrer detect, a URL code, etc - how does your system know to set a cookie based on the visit from AdWords?
3. Can someone access your conversion page multiple times? (i.e. a link to a download page where they could get there from multiple computers as the URL is saved in an email?)
4. Does your system associate the sale to the click date or the conversion date when they don't happen on the same day? (this is a big one for throwing a wrench into QCing conversions).
5. How does your system handle someone who converts twice within 30 days?
FYI - these are generally the numbers I generally see from Google (and they're all underreported vs overreported):
In markets where webmasters/savvy interent users are the primary target, Google conversions are commonly off 20-30%.
In b2b markets that have a good IT department (i.e. the IT staff is running spam software, corporate firewalls, etc) the numbers are usually off 10-30%.
In b2c markets where you're targeting 'joe user' the numbers are usually less than 10% off.
Are they both 1st or 3rd party cookies
The cookies we use are 1st party cookies
Is your cookie set based on referrer detect, a URL code, etc - how does your system know to set a cookie based on the visit from AdWords?
Not based on referrer detect, we assign unique tracking codes in the URL for each AD.
Can someone access your conversion page multiple times? (i.e. a link to a download page where they could get there from multiple computers as the URL is saved in an email?)
Conversion/booking page can only be accessed when a conversion is made (conversion page is a pop-up)
Does your system associate the sale to the click date or the conversion date when they don't happen on the same day?
our cookies are indefinate so I can see the date the booking is made even if it was 2 weeks later
How does your system handle someone who converts twice within 30 days?
Every new click on one of our ADs with a tracking URL overides the old cookie so this isnt a problem
I reckon your figures are correct for b2c the numbers are bordering 10% off, not a big problem really its just curiosity getting the better of me.
Thanks eWhisper
I have narrowed it down to the main reasons we see this 10-15% discrepency.
1.) Google uses Javascript so when users have Javascript turned off it wont track conversions.
2.) People delete their cookies often! I found a source online stating
A recent Jupiter analysis indicates that 10% of internet users delete cookies daily, and nearly 40% delete at least monthly.
3.) Google's cookies expire after 30 days, and in my business people can return long after 30 days to complete a purchase.
I reckon taking these factors into the equation it pretty much explains the 10-15%.
Nothing to cry about, but for the perfectionist...................
Does your system associate the sale to the click date or the conversion date when they don't happen on the same day?
our cookies are indefinate so I can see the date the booking is made even if it was 2 weeks later
Actually, what I was referring to is this scenario:
Day 1. User goes from AdWords to your site.
Day 3. User converts.
Google assigns the conversion to the date the click occured (day 1). If your system is assigning it to day 3 (when the conversion happened), then the two numbers won't match up.
I don't remember how Google handles multiple clicks. If someone clicks on three different ads, if the conversion is associated to the first or last click. Anyone know about that scenario?
AWA?
