If you do not have your Google AdWords and Google Analytics accounts linked, you are missing out on significant insights. While both platforms are great by themselves, they work even better together. When you link AdWords and Analytics, you get the combined performance data of both platforms.
Audience behavior
Linking your accounts gives a much clearer view of your business and its audience profile. Google Analytics metrics add value to your AdWords reports. The data helps gain insights into your audience’s behavior and discern non-conversion clicks to your site. It allows you to monitor keywords responsible for bringing first-time visitors to your site. You can determine how new AdWords visitor behavior differs from returning AdWords visitor behavior. This helps you learn how to specifically market to each group.
Goals and conversions
The shared data enables you to use the goals created in Analytics as conversions in AdWords campaigns. This allows you to attribute goals to specific campaigns, ad groups or keywords. You can dig deeper into the behavior flow of different user segments and determine the best marketing methods per goal or conversion.
Remarketing
With Analytics linked to AdWords, you can build custom remarketing lists and segment them virtually anyway you’d like. Create custom lists based on pages viewed, goal completions, landing page or any other Google Analytic segmentation. If you’re unsure how to determine your remarketing lists, Analytics can create ‘Smart Lists’ based on users most likely to convert. You can reuse these remarketing lists to create ads for users regardless of where they are in the sales funnel.
Segment reports
Linking your AdWords and Analytics accounts allows you to segment user behavior. Analytics secondary dimensions add more to AdWords specific reports. With these segment reports, you can understand the differences in user behavior among those who find your site via AdWords, organic sources or offline sources. Combining that information with remarketing lists enables you to effectively market to these groups. After all, the way someone finds your site helps you understand their purpose or buying stage and can determine how you remarket to them.
By not linking your AdWords and Analytics accounts, you are essentially flying blind. Without Analytics, you are missing key data. You’re unable to get a complete view of the customer journey and their behaviors. This keeps you from making better, more targeted marketing decisions, and ultimately leads to disaster.
Link your AdWords and Google Analytics accounts today. It’s easy to do, and you have so much to gain.
