By Numeric Analytics
Google announced recently that they would begin removing paid search query data from the referrer string in its URLs. This means that the keywords which a user typed into Google prior to clicking on an ad would no longer be passed along in the URL for third party analytics tools to pick up and report on. This is in line with Google’s decision last year to remove the search query data from all secure searches. It’s important to note the difference between the terms “search query” and “keyword”. “Keyword” is the term on which the advertiser bids and “Search Query” is the term the user typed in the search engine.
While you will still be able to see search query data in the AdWords interface and AdWords API, these search query keywords will not appear in analytics packages such as SiteCatalyst. The practical implication from this means most companies will need to begin implementing Google tags in addition to their existing SiteCatalyst tags in order to get the search query conversion data from AdWords into SiteCatalyst.
With this change, it may be the time for you to start looking at a tag management system to handle large changes like this without having to retag everything. Numeric Analytics has the experience to help clients with developing strategies and solutions to ensure that they are able to effectively analyze and report on their paid search effectiveness in an ever changing landscape.
Solutions to this new challenge will be different depending on a number of factors, including your business objectives, familiarity with Tracking Code, number of keywords you track and other implementation-specific issues. Contact us and we can help you create a solution for your situation.
