How does keyword buying analysis help me?
Which keywords should I invest in? How much should I bid for a keyword? How much do I make on keywords? At which times of the day should I maximize my search engine exposure?
You can answer these and other questions by analyzing your keyword buying with the Urchin Campaign Tracking Module. This article provides a walkthrough of each step, from collecting the data to analyzing the reports.
What are the steps to analyze keyword buying?
- License and Install Urchin
You will need to purchase and install the Urchin base product and the Campaign Tracking Module. If you need keyword ROI metrics, you should license the Profit Suite, which includes the Urchin base product, the Campaign Tracking Module, and the E-Commerce Module. Read Step 2:Install and License Campaign Tracking for more information. - Define a Conversion Goal
Read Step 3:Define a Conversion Goal to learn how to specify a goal for your site. - Purchase Your Keywords
For each purchased keyword from a pay-per-click search engine (such as Google or Overture), you will need to set up a referral link to your site and embed UTM variables. This article describes the best way to use the UTM variables for keyword buying analysis, below. - Track Campaign Data
You will need to install the UTM, enable cookie logging, and embed UTM variables in your referral links. The article Step 1:Track Campaign Data contains information on how to do all three of these things, and additional information on how to use the UTM variables for keyword buying analysis is provided in this article, below. - Import Keyword Spending Data(only necessary for ROI reporting)
Read Import Cost Data from Google and or Import Cost Data from Overture. - Import E-commerce Data (only necessary for e-commerce ROI analysis reports)
- Optimize Your Keyword Buys
Information on how to use the keyword reports to optimize your keyword buying is provided in this article, below.
Which UTM variables should I use for keyword analysis?
- If you are using UTM-4 (Urchin 5.6) and later versions
For paid search engine links, such as Google AdWords, use utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.If you are using broad matching, and you wish to see metrics for the broad matched keyword (rather than letting UTM detect the specific keyword), you may wish to use utm_term.
The following link is an example of how you would use the UTM variables in a Google AdWords link. It indicates that the referral came from a paid Google search term and that the medium was cost-per-click. It also indicates that the visitor clicked on your adidas promotion link. The UTM-4 automatically detects the keywords used to find your site.
Example http://www.mycompany.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adidas Urchin provides a URL builder tool that creates links for you, embedding the campaign information that you specify. Using this tool ensures that your links contain the correct syntax.
- If you are using UTM-3 (Urchin 5.5 and 5.501)
For paid search engine links, such as Google AdWords, use utm_source, utm_medium, utm_term, and utm_campaign.The following link is an example of how you would use the UTM-3 variables in a Google AdWords link. It indicates that the referral came from a paid Google search term, that the medium was cost-per-click, and that the visitor had searched on the keywords "running shoes". It also indicates that the visitor clicked on your adidas promotion link.
Example http:// www.mycompany.com/? utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=running+shoes&utm_campaign=adidas What about un-sponsored links? (aka unpaid, free, or organic listings in search engines)
You only embed variables in sponsored links - links for which you paid on a search engine, or links over which you otherwise have control, such as links in an email that you send to customers.
You don't have to worry about un-sponsored links because Urchin Campaign Tracking automatically determines which search engine the referral came from and which keywords the visitor used.
Be consistent with UTM variables.
It is important that you use consistent names and spellings for all of your campaign variable values. For example, choose a code or name that indicates "cost-per-click" and use it consistently. To Urchin Campaign Tracking, utm_medium=cpc and utm_medium=cost_per_click are different mediums.
Beginning with Urchin 5.6, a master tracking code feature is available that significantly reduces the possibility of consistency errors. Read How To Use Master Tracking Codes.
Optimize your keyword buys.
- Which keywords should I buy?
- How much should I pay for a keyword?
- How much do I make on a keyword?
- At which times of the day should I maximize keyword exposure?
Which keywords should I buy?
You should buy keywords that return the highest number of transactions and/or goals, or yield the highest revenue. Begin by looking at the Keyword Comparison-->Conversion report. Which keywords deliver the highest goal conversion and/or sales conversion rates? In this example, the highest goal conversion and sales conversion rates (1.8% and 1.75%, respectively) come the third item. (Note: Sales conversion rate appears only if you have licensed the E-commerce module.)
Next, look at the Keyword Analysis-->Conversion report and drill down to see keyword by keyword detail inside of each of your organic search engines. Keywords that deliver high conversion rates on organic search engines are often good keywords to buy.
If you have licensed the E-commerce module, look at the Keyword Comparison-->ROI report and the Keyword Analysis-->ROI report. Which keywords perform the best on each search engine? Again, often organic search engine results can give a good indication of how a keyword will perform as a sponsored link on a particular search engine.
How much should I pay for a keyword?
To answer this question, you will need to have licensed the E-commerce module. Look at the Keyword Comparison-->ROI report and drill down on the keyword you are analyzing. The Avg. Value metric will tell you the average value per click, or total revenue divided by clicks. This is the maximum amount you should bid on the keyword. Note that the average value does not take into account production costs or other business expenses. In the example below, the keyword "analytics system architecture" on the "google [cpc]" (Google cost-per-click) search engine is yielding an average value of 33 cents.
How much do I make on a keyword?
If you have licensed the E-commerce module, look at the Keyword Comparison-->ROI report or the Keyword Analysis-->ROI report. Both of these reports show your Return on Investment for each keyword on each search engine, for all keywords across a single search engine, and for all search engines across a single keyword. In the example below, the cost-per-click ROI for "analytics system architecture" on Google is 763%.
At which times of the day should I maximize a keyword's exposure?
Look at the Day Parts Breakdown-->Goal Conversion by Hour or Sales Conversion by Hour. Drill down on the keyword you are analyzing. The report will display the number of goals or transactions and a conversion rate by hour of the day. The timezone is controlled by your administrator using the Time Offset field on the Reporting tab of Configuration-->Urchin Profiles-->Profiles-->Edit. By default, this is set to "Local Time".
