How To Track Content-Targeted Ads

If you currently purchase keywords on Google or Overture, you should also consider participating in the Google and Overture content-targeted advertising programs. These programs place your cost-per-click search ads on content sites that are published by Google and Overture partners. For example, if you sell vacation packages to France, your ad might appear in an article on Parisian restaurants. Participation in the Google and Overture programs is free, and you pay the same cost-per-click that you pay for search engine referrals.

To track your content-targeted ad referrals, you will need to:

• sign up for content-targeted advertising on your Google and/or Overture cost- per-click account
• edit your links to track content-targeted ad referrals

Once you have signed up for content-targeted advertising, each of your cost-per-click ads will have two links associated with it - one link for search referrals and one link for content-targeted referrals. You will need to edit the link used for content-targeted referrals so that you can track search engine referrals and content-targeted referrals separately.

Which UTM variables should I use to track content-targeted ad referrals?

For content-targeted ad referrals, you should use utm_source, utm_medium, utm_content.

• Use utm_source to indicate the search engine.
• Use utm_medium to indicate a cost-per-click content-targeted ad. For example, you might use "utm_medium=cpc-content" to differentiate from your search referrals which say "utm_medium=cpc".
• Use utm_content to specify which specific ad referred the visitor.
• If you have multiple types of products or multiple campaigns, you should also use utm_campaign. For example, if you have a "spring sale" campaign and an "adidas" promotion, you should indicate the appropriate campaign in your link.

The following link illustrates how you would track a content-targeted ad referral:

Example
http:// www.mycompany.com/buy_page?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc-content&utm_content=ad1

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.

To sign up for content-targeted ad placements on Google

1. Log in to your AdWords account.
2. In the Campaign Summary table, click the appropriate ad campaign.
3. Click Edit Campaign Settings above the Ad Groups table.
4. At the bottom of the Edit Campaign Settings table, locate the distribution preferences checkboxes, and:
5. Click the checkbox next to content sites in Google's network to check this option. Your ad will be included on additional content sites in the expanded network (iIf you click again to remove the check, your ad will not be included on these sites).
6. Click Save All Changes at the bottom of the page to finish.

To edit your links to track content targeted referrals from Google

1. Log in to your Adwords account.
2. Navigate to your campaign and Ad Group
3. Scroll to the bottom of your keyword list to edit your Ad(s)
4. Click Edit on one of your ads (Or, click Create New Ad)
5. Create a link according to the guidelines described above, in the section "Which UTM-3/UTM-4 variables should I use to track content-targeted ad referrals?"

To sign up for content-targeted ad placements on Overture

1. Log in to your Overture account.
2. Click the Account Set-Up link on the Account tab.
3. Under Content Match Advertising, select On and click Submit.

To edit your links to track content targeted referrals from Overture

1. Log in to your Overture account.
2. Click the Manage Products tab.
   "Pay-For_Performance Search | Content Match" displays on the top margin of the page.
3. Click Content Match and select Manage Listings from the drop down menu.
4. Click next to the search term you wish to edit and press Edit Listings.
5. Click Modify Listings in the pop up.
6. Create a link according to the guidelines described above, in the section "Which UTM variables should I use to track content-targeted ad referrals?"