Google AdWords and Analytics – Put a Bounce (Rate) in Your Step – Part II

How Linking These Two Applications Can Improve Your AdWords ROI

By Dave Ingalls
Digital Marketing Consultant

You’ve got your AdWords ads click through rate (CTR) up in the 5-15% range, and sometimes higher, but those clicks are not translating into either online sales and/or product inquiries. Sound familiar?

In Part I of this article, we put the pieces in place to try to better understand this situation. If you haven’t read Part I (steps 1 thru 4 of this exercise), please click on the following link:

Google AdWords and Analytics – Put a Bounce (Rate) in Your Step (Part I)

And now to pick up where we left off in Part I:

FIFTH, go to your AdWords account and follow these steps to see the “bounce rate” for your individual AdWords Campaigns (and even more detail if desired) compared to the overall bounce rate for all of your AdWords ads:

In AdWords, follow this link path:

Reporting (tab at top) > Google Analytics (in dropdown menu) > Traffic Sources (in left column) > AdWords > AdWords Campaigns

Once at AdWords Campaigns, select the “Comparison” icon located over the “Bounce Rate” box on the right side of the screen display. You are now looking at what the Bounce Rate of each of your AdWords campaigns is compared to the average bounce rate for all of your AdWords campaigns. If you click on an individual campaign, you will then see the Ad Groups in that campaign and their bounce rates.

Bounce rates in RED are BAD (visitors click on your ad and then immediately leave your Web site/Blog), bounce rates in GREEN are GOOD (visitors arrive and, on average, stay – they visit more than one Web site page/Blog post).

I think you’ll find this exercise to be a REAL eye opener – I know I did!

Even more informative (or potentially shocking!) is to find the bounce rate for your Web site/Blog without AdWords ads included and compare THAT bounce rate to your AdWords bounce rate. At the very least, you’ll certainly be more focused on where your bounce rate problem REALLY lies!

In Part III we will examine what the possible problems could be that lead to high AdWords bounce rates – AdWords ad wording, keywords being used, landing page content, wording, etc.

Next – Please come back for Part III of this exercise.