Or on the flip side, we just completed a campaign where we advertised on two different sites and it’s time to decided if we will continue advertising on the site or change tactics.

For either reach we can provide statics to gauge the level of visitor engagement from said sites. The other day I was reading the Google Analytics blog and came across a posting about an API update. http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/12/api-python-client-library-updated.html

The post describes the use of the Analytics API Python Client library and a sample application they’ve created to test the library. The application creates segments to pull specific referrals from select referring domains. Then, it takes five calculations and corresponds metrics to compare the performance of those segments.

I decided it would be a great experiment to test out the application as well. With the help of a programmer, we were able to create the pretty chart as displayed on the Google Analytics Blog. Exciting.

Since I’m not a programmer and had some time to spare I decided to create the same chart using Google Analytics and Excel. I took the same steps, Segmented my referring audience. In this example I created two Advanced Segments to capture all referrals from two separate campaigns. Then, from the Google Analytics Dashboard, I copied the following five metrics into excel for each segment. Created a few charts, formatted a bit and BAM. A chart that compares visitor engagement between two referrers.

My chart might not be as pretty nor as quick to create from the API application, but it does the trick for now. I’ve picked out a few Java API applications I want to play with next when I have a few minutes.

Ok, so now we have this fancy chart and I’ve explained how to create it without having to be a programmer who understand Python.

What now, what does it all mean? Well… For starters, we can see that traffic from Campaign #2 is more engaged compared to traffic from Campaign #1. Visitors from Campaign #2 view more pages per visit, on average they spend more time on the site and they return more frequently. The Bounce Rate is higher on Campaign #2 compared to Campaign #1 but compared to the site average, Campaign #2 is lower. If I had $10,000 to spend, where would I spend it? I would split it between both campaigns. Maybe a 30/70 split, depending on the site’s objectives. Campaign #1 drives and retains a nice chunk of traffic to the site.

This fun new chart provided us with a great deal of insight, not only from an evaluation standpoint but also to look at potential marketing opportunities.

Using data to make marketing decisions. Interesting concept.

Experiment Results
Month prior to the experiment: 15.59% avg. click thru-rate.
Month of the experiment: 18.69% avg. click thru-rate
Overall CTR increase: 20%

The excitement doesn’t stop there, in addition to the increase in click thru-rate the set of keywords noticed a 21% decrease in average cost per click.

Comparing to the rest of the account, average click thru-rate decrease 48% and average cost per click only decreased 17% month over month.

As noted previously, we setup six Ad Sitelinks. Google will display up to 4 additional destination URLs out of the potential 10 links provided by the advertiser. Through our internal tracking system, we recorded one specific link captured 54% of all clicks to the campaign set. - This means that more visitors clicked on the one of Ad SiteLinks compared to the standard text link.

Next Steps
Because Ad Sitelinks is currently limited to the constraints of the beta test, we are recommending adding an additional variation of ad copy to include the concept associated with the top performing link. This additional variation will rotate between other ads. The ads are set to show based on best performing ad, meaning the better performing ads will show more often.

I’d call this experiment a success and a quick and easy way to test ad campaigns.

One of my ongoing revolutions is continuous education. Starting off day one of the New Year with this new certification is my first step towards reaching new accomplishments.

According to the professional search featured on Google Testing Center, I’m now 1 out of 338 certified individuals in the United States.

Next step - Google Analytics Certified Consultant!

When: December 29th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Cost: $20 per person (a portion of the proceeds will be donated to PAAC)

Questions: Call the Perrysburg Area Arts Council 419-873-2787 or email them at perrysburgarts@bex.net

Background
A handful of AdWords Account was selected to participate in an exclusive beta test of a new feature called Ad Sitelinks. Chosen accounts were 1 of only 500 out of over 5 million AdWords accounts to participate. Accounts were selected based on high campaign performance; and specifically high click-thru rates, but it still is like winning the lottery.

What is Ad Sitelinks?
Ad Sitelinks is a new AdWords feature that allows advertisers to extend the value of their existing AdWords ads by providing additional links to deep content within the site. Rather than sending all users to the same landing page, Ad Sitelinks will display up to 4 additional destination URLs for users to choose from. By providing users with more options, the ad is more targeted and relevant to a wide variety of users. Sitelink’s success started with natural search listings and is transferring into paid search.

Figure 1 - Ad without Ad Sitelinks

Figure 2 - Ad with Ad Sitelinks

What are the potential benefits to advertisers?

Qualified leads - Ad Sitelinks is a great way to get more qualified leads to the site and improve the profitability of the search campaigns. One of the best ways to improve an ad’s conversion rate is to have highly relevant, targeted landing pages. With Ad Sitelinks, users are able to select the destination that best matches their specific interests. This means more users are likely to find ads relevant, less likely to get lost on the site, and more likely to convert into a sale or lead.

Increased clicks and click-thru rate - With Ad Sitelinks, search ads will stand out among other competitive ads. By adding additional relevant links, users with have more options to find what they are looking for. Thus, making ads smarter and more accessible for users.

With more clicks, the CPC (cost per click) may be higher, but if it turns out that the clicks are from relevant visitors (who don’t bounce on the first page and who continue to key pages and actions), this is a great enhancement to paid search — more engaged users!