Google Analytics can be a treasure trove of information to help improve the performance of your Google Ads campaigns. However, trying to figure out all of the the various metrics within Google Analytics can be a big stumbling block for advertisers.
The sheer volume of numbers and data available can quickly get overwhelming.
The Key to Finding Value in Google Ads Metrics
Both Google Analytics and Google Ads metrics and reports should be looked at in the context of your business. Are you using the platform effectively enough in ways that benefit your business? What is it you value most, when it comes to your company?
These are a couple of questions you might want to focus on as you comb through your Google Analytics metrics. Understanding what you want to accomplish with your ad campaign can help you narrow down metrics that matter to your bottom line.
- What audience demographics do you wish to attract?
- Are visitors able to find the thing they are looking for after clicking your ad?
- Is your landing page delivering the type of conversions you are after?
- From which channels would you like to direct most of your traffic?
Let’s look at how certain Google Analytics metrics and reports can help with Google Ads.
Give Visitors a Great Experience
Do you know what visitors hate the most about clicking on an ad? Not finding what they need. This can ultimately hurt your brand, if your Google Ads campaigns are frustrating prospective customers.
Sure, your Google Ads conversion rate can help give you this insight, but it doesn't give you the full story. If your ads are not converting as well as you'd like, then you need to dive into Google Analytics to see what's going on.
First, take a look at your your landing page bounce rate. That's the number of visitors who see your landing page and then leave without clicking to a second page. A high bounce rate means your landing pages are not living up to the promises you're making in your ads.
Gain Insight Into Your Website Design
What good does it do to drive prospective customers to your website, if they have a difficult time with the navigation?
If you are having difficulty getting your conversion rate up to where you would like, it could be an issue with website design. Part of the problem might be that your website design makes completing the path to a conversion overly tedious.
You can review this using the Google Analytics Users Flow report. The Users Flow report will show you how people are navigating through your website, starting with your landing page. You may see that prospective customers are getting distracted and clicking to pages that are not in your sales funnel. Use this information to redesign your landing pages and subsequent pages in the sales funnel to reduce drop off and increase the overall conversion rate of your Google Ads campaign.
Find Your Top Performing Audience Demographics & Interests
The Google Analytics demographics and interest reports can you give you great insight into your top performing audiences. Review these reports to see which audiences are performing best.
Then use the audience data to improve your Google Ads campaigns. Modify your demographic targeting, adjust bids, and even launch new campaigns to target the audiences you know perform best based on the Google Analytics data.
Summary
To be successful with Google Ads often requires using data that's not available within the Google Ads reports. But one of the best sources of advertising performance-enhancing data is Google Analytics.
Review your landing page bounce rates to see how well you're matching your landing page message to your ad copy. Use your Users Flow reports to see if your prospective customers are getting distracted on your website. And use your demographics and interests reports to improve the targeting in your Google Ads campaigns.
Want more tips to improve your Google Ads performance? Click here to grab a copy of our "Ultimate Google Ads" checklist.
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Phil is Founder and COO of Main Street ROI. Phil leads the company’s operations and is primary creator of Main Street ROI’s marketing training programs. He is an expert in search engine marketing, website analytics, and sales funnel optimization. Phil’s marketing thought leadership has been published on Forbes.com, Inc.com, MSN.com, and many other major business media outlets.
Phil earned his Master of Engineering Management degree from Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business and his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Engineering degrees from Dartmouth College. While attending Dartmouth, Phil started every game on the varsity football team as the defensive safety.
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