Using Google Analytics to Track Multiple Ad Channels in Purchase Cycle

Advertising is a tricky business in the online domain precisely because you can never determine where the traffic is coming from in the exact manner. You can never pinpoint a particular ad that prompted someone to buy a particular product as the person may well buy after a definitive period of time and hence, tracing that purchase back to a specific advertisement may seem impossible. However, with Google analytics, it is no longer the most difficult job there is precisely because of the new methods of evaluation of the ad channels.

Hence, if you have advertised in multiple sites, then it is highly likely that the contribution of each site in the final purchase can be measured and valued to ensure that you know if the advertisement at a site is bringing profit or not. While the overview seems simple, the undercurrents are about complex transactions and reports.

Understanding the various reports

There are multiple reports involved in stating the contribution of the various channels of advertising. Multiple sessions are tracked to understand how shoppers interact with these different channels over these sessions and how the interaction varies. The three most important channels are display advertising, social media and Google ads for shopping. There are a few other metrics to consider such as assisted conversions.

It contains the detailed report of direct conversions where the last click happened from the ad as well as assisted conversions where particular ads assisted in this final click. So, once you evaluate direct conversions, you get a clear idea whether a channel is contributing to closing sale or some channels are better at assisting. Now, the other important aspect would be the kind of channels having the most powerful impact.

Gauging the contribution of particular channels

Display and social network channels ten to have the higher percentage in the contribution. Similarly, if Google shopping is coupled with the keyword campaign, then you may discover that it tends to have a higher success rate. You can also group channels according to their sources as well as mediums to discover unusual trends. Ecommerce sites, however, need to tweak some settings to understand the performance of multi-channel marketing campaigns in a comprehensive manner.

For example, you can simply select conversion type as ecommerce to evaluate this scenario. So, you need to forget about the goals so that your transactions can be understood in terms of ecommerce as well as its revenue. Now, evaluate the report of the transactions over the last one month and see how ecommerce websites fared for you. Similar methods can be adapted for diverse kinds of channels. The diversity of the channels is where the complexity begins, but it only shows how marketing is no longer one-dimensional or monolithic, but dispersed and expanding.

Evaluating the traffic reports

Understanding how Facebook ads help in achieving marketing success, you need to evaluate the metric conversion segments. If the last click happened from Facebook or some other social media, then you need to select the particular source through which it happens to see the conversion rate. Google analytics thus provides an intensive understanding of the assisting sales, an unprecedented statistical insight. If the channel seems unproductive and the ROI figure is not worth pursuing, you can easily chuck the channel out of your business plan.

However, the assist figure can reveal startling facts. Often, certain sites which may seem unproductive because of the lack of last clicks, may have high assisting figures. Thus, providing value may not be as obvious as it seems for a channel, and Google analytics is showing the real figures beyond the fog.