Are you one of the many businesses that have a registered trademark on your products, services, or company name? In case you didn’t already know, Google doesn’t actually register trademarks.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t choose to request an investigation of infringement by advertisers outside of the ones you authorize.

Listen, trademarking is an expensive and time-consuming process.

One of our many duties here at Direct Online Marketing is to address any infringement upon our clients’ trademarks in Google Ads by alerting clients to another company’s use of their trademarks in search engine results pages.

Let’s take a few minutes below to discuss the tools at hand to properly file a formal complaint against advertisers with Google when we find unauthorized trademarks in ad text.

Who Can File A Google Ads Trademark Complaint?

• The owner of the trademark
• An attorney of record listed on the trademark registration
• A representative of the trademark owner based at a parent company headquarters (think a brand manager, product marketer, or communications director)
• Someone the trademark owner has notified Google has the authorization to act on their behalf
• Other associated parties (for instance, a Google Premier Partner advertising agency)

Want a Premier Google Partner’s
help filing your trademark complaint?
Call 800.979.3177 today.

How Do You File A Google Ads Trademark Complaint?

Google makes this process pretty straightforward. Below is a four-step process for submitting a trademark complaint in Google Ads if you believe another advertiser is in violation of the Google trademark infringement policy.

1. Review The Google Advertising Policy Guidelines

Review Google’s Advertising Policies. Note that their trademark policy varies by region, so please review them closely if you feel your brand has fallen victim to this, especially in a country represented in the European Union or the European Free Trade Association.

2. Produce Proof Of Another Advertiser Misusing Your Trademark

Locate an example of where someone is misusing your trademark. If it’s a national issue, you can do this just by doing a search on google.com. If it’s a localized issue and outside of your area, you can use Ads’ Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to mimic any location.

To use this tool:

1. Click the Tools tab
2. Under Troubleshooting, click “Ad preview and diagnosis”
3. Enter your trademark term. Select location, language, device, and audience type (if necessary).
4. Press enter to create the search result preview box and scroll down.

Before you go too far through this process, it’s worth noting that a reseller and informational site that uses this information may be protected against any kind of infringement action if:

• The landing page of their ad is meant to sell the products and services that use the trademark
• The landing page is found to simply provide information or specific details related to the trademark

3. Collect Your Trademark Infringement Information In A Google Sheets Document

Create a Google Sheets doc or excel spreadsheet. This is just for your own internal use, but we find it extremely helpful.

Below is an example of kinds of information you will want to have on hand in case you need to send more information.

• Date Sent
• Date Received Reply
• Search Engine – if using different search engines
• Status: Removed or Not?
• AIMS Service Ticket or # – this will be the number to refer to when communicating with Google
• Site Owner / Search Term
• Ad Displayed (text version)
• Display URL
• Destination URL – copy the destination URL by right-clicking onto the ad’s headline
• Location (ex. Washington, DC)
• Screenshot the Ad – this is not always necessary, but helpful when Google responds asking for it (which they often do)

4. Complete The Google Ads Trademark Complaint Form

Fill out the Google Trademark Complaint form.

You will be required to fill out the form and submit for review. The form is self-explanatory, but you will need specific information in order to complete the process. Most importantly, you will need to know the following:

• Ads Account #
• Trademark owner’s name, address, phone, and email
• Countries where the term is trademarked
• Registered status (yes or no)
• Whether the trademark is on a word, design, or both
• Application or Registration #
• Your name
• Title
• Company Name
• Relationship (ex. trademark owner or advertising agency that is authorized to act on your behalf)
• Address
• Phone #
• Email

Please note, the Google complaint form is ordered differently than above. You will be asked a few additional questions, which is where the spreadsheet will then be put to good use. You will also need to describe specific details concerning the “Scope of complaint” and select either only specific advertisers or all advertisers. Once you are finished filling out the form, click submit.

Next Steps Following Your Submission Of A Trademark Infringement Complaint

A Google representative will notify you that the complaint has been received; the issue will then be investigated. You may need to provide Google with additional information such as a screenshot (as you are not able to input an image into the complaint form).

That’s it. Pretty simple and quick.

Running through this process 3 times a week allows you to stay on top of competitor ads that could potentially limit your ads from showing. Most importantly, this small task will help prevent a company from gaining value from your trademarked term.

For other options on how to respond when a competitor targets your brand name with their PPC and SEO strategies, we strongly suggest you check out our post on responding to competitors who target your brand name.

For more on trademarks and other legality related to SEO and advertising in search engines, please check out any of the following:

• Want Approval For Resellers And Partners To Use Your Trademark In Google Ads?
• Google Now In Legitimate Trouble over Trademarks
• You Can Use Competitor’s Brands in PPC, But Do You Want To?
• How SEOs Can Protect Themselves Legally

Key Takeaways on Trademark Infringement in Google Ads

• Google allows advertisers to bid on competitors’ trademarked terms as keywords; however, the use of trademarks in ad copy is restricted without authorization.
• Trademark owners can file a complaint with Google to prevent unauthorized use of their trademark in competitor ads.
• To protect your trademark, you need to have it registered in the relevant territory and provide evidence of infringement when submitting a complaint to Google.
• Monitoring your brand terms regularly is key to protecting your trademark and maintaining control over your brand visibility in search.

If you’re interested in learning how you can drive better results with search engine marketing, schedule a digital marketing consultation.

This article was updated to add additional information on May 5th, 2025.

The post How to Protect Your Brand From Trademark Infringement In Google Ads (Updated 2025) appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Why Should You Link Your Google Ads Console to Google Search Console?

Um, because you’ll get more data. DUH!

By connecting Google Search Console (GSC) with Google Ads you get a snapshot glance of paid vs. organic keywords. You will get data at the Search Query and Keyword levels so you can see the incremental value of paid vs. organic terms.

This should be really great news for paid advertisers and organic search campaign leaders alike. Google’s spin is that you can see new, organic opportunities and new, paid search opportunities. Equally, you can see – in a really simple report – where you are performing well organically and make adjustments to drop paid search bids or pause keywords altogether if you’re on a limited budget. This is especially great news whether you’re doing both yourself or if you’re working in an agency that provides both PPC and SEO to the same client.

How To Create a Google Search Console Linked Account in Google Ads

• Tools Needed: Google Search Console, Google Ads Console
• Time Required: 10 minutes
• Estimated Cost: $0

Similar to linking Google Ads to Analytics, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner, and select Linked Accounts. You’ll see an option for Search Console. Follow these steps:

1. 1. Access ‘Linked accounts.’ Click on the Tools button on the top navigation of your Google Ads dashboard. Clicking this will produce a dropdown of 20 different options. Click the link titled  “Linked Accounts” under the Settings section.
   2. Select ‘Search Console’ from your list of options. Since first releasing this feature in 2013, Google has added several other options under the “Linked Accounts” heading. Search Console is one of the last options in the list, located in the 9th position of available options – fifth row, right-hand side. Click the link for ‘DETAILS’.
      
   3. Click the link titled “LINK” to launch Search Console. Pretty self-explanatory, we think.
      
   4. Enter your website address, and click “CONTINUE”. Again, we also find this step to be pretty self-explanatory. One note of caution: make sure your domain names in each account are a match. For instance, if you use https:// and www in front of your domain name in Ads, make sure you select the Search Console account with the same naming convention. You are using https, right? Of course you are.
      
   5. Voila! Your Search Console account is now linked to your Ads account. Depending on whether or not this is successful for you, you might receive one of the following results from your attempt at linking these accounts.
      
      Here is what you should see if your Search Console account was successfully linked to Google Ads.

If you have already verified ownership of your site in Google Search Console – congratulations, you’re all set!

If you haven’t claimed your site, simply click the blue link for “Claim it at Search Console.” This will direct you to Google Search Console and provide the recommended methods for verifying your site.

Need more help? Check the Google Help article here or contact a friendly DOM digital advertising specialist (link below).

The Paid & Organic Report: The Mother Lode of Google Performance Data

The Paid & Organic Report can be found under the Predefined reports tab (formerly known as the Dimensions tab). By the way, if you’re not familiar with this section of Google Ads, take some time and play around. There are so many insightful reports here.

To get to the Paid & Organic report, navigate to Basic > Paid & Organic.

Check out the screenshots below. Although the search terms and other personal information has been blurred out, below is a synopsis of what you’ll see in the paid and organic report:

“This table shows how your paid and organic results performed for every search that triggered an ad or organic listing.”

The click details and other data updates once a day and we do not believe that you can see historical data, rather it starts accruing once you link the accounts. However, our Ads reps were not certain about this at the original time of publication. Over the last five years, we have confirmed that as such :).

Key Takeaways on Connecting Google Ads to Search Console

• Linking Google Search Console with Google Ads provides valuable organic search data that can improve paid search campaign performance.
• This integration allows you to identify keywords performing well organically and adjust your paid search bids accordingly for better budget management.
• By seeing both paid and organic data side-by-side, advertisers can make more informed budget allocation and keyword bidding decisions.
• The combined data helps you understand the incremental value of running paid ads alongside organic listings for the same search queries.
• This integrated reporting reveals instances where paid ads are essential to support weak organic rankings, and where organic visibility is strong enough to recommend lowering ad spend.

Conclusion

Google keeps giving us more and more reporting features from within the Google Ads interface. You can see competitive data, analytic data, funnel data, data…..data…..data! Now there’s even more! It’s almost like Google wants you to be successful.

Hell yeah, they do! We love that they’re tying all their properties together. Instead of being an outlet mall, Google Ads has evolved into being a one-stop-shop.

If you found this article helpful, you might want to check out one of these other posts on getting the most out of Google Search Console for your SEO efforts.

• How To Make the Google Knowledge Panel Work For You
• Set Your Course In Google Search Console With International Targeting
• What are Core Web Vitals and What Should I Do About Them?

To get more information on this topic, contact us today for a free consultation or learn more about our status as a Google Premier Partner before you reach out.

This article was updated to add additional information on April 28th, 2025.

The post How To Link Google Ads To Google Search Console (Updated 2025) appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Can You Use Competitors’ Names In Google Ads? Can They Use Your Brand In Google Ads?

Branded search engine ranking positions (aka SERPs) can make or break your online presence within your market and your customers’ minds. But when you find a competitor using your brand name as part of their Google Ads or SEO campaigns, the stakes can get raised by a considerable margin.

When a user performs a search, visitors click on the first ads or organic results that seem most relevant to them.

The chances of winning that click are higher when you show up in top positions on relevant searches.

For many years brands have tried to undermine competitors’ names to rank higher and poach visitors through covert PPC and SEO tactics. When this happens, competitors getting search visibility on your brand name become a huge detriment to your sales by hijacking your brand’s reputation.

Leveraging competitor brand names via search engines is a common tactic and an issue that must be addressed to maintain both your rankings and your branding.

Savvy competitors — often with agencies behind them — combat these challenges and capitalize on the opportunity.

The Basics of Advertising and Doing SEO on Competitor Brand Names

Just to make sure we’re on the same page here, let’s take a brief second to fully define what we’re talking about.  When we talk about competitor brand names, there are a few different keyword types to pay attention to if you want a full picture of which competitors are trying to take over your brand. The three most common types are:

• Competitor’s actual business names (like Pepsico buying ads or optimizing for Coca-Cola keywords)
• Competitor’s branded products (Pepsi buying ads or optimizing pages on Sierra Mist’s site for Sprite keywords)
• Competitor’s executive names or prominent thought leader names (Walmart running ads on searches of Jeff Bezos promoting CEO Doug McMillon)

The process in search advertising works the same as bidding on any other search term.  You select the competitor term(s) you wish to bid on, set how much you’re willing to pay, and set up ads for that ad group. Voila, you can have your ad appear when someone searches for your competitors.  There’s no cost to you until and unless someone clicks on one of your ads.

In SEO, the process is also very similar. Publish a piece of content on the subject matter, optimize it for the search term, and then build backlinks to the page so that it ranks well.

Legal Questions – Is This Allowed?

It’s important to understand that leveraging a competitor’s brand name is quite common in digital marketing.

You may be thinking to yourself at the moment — is this even allowed?

Yes, yes it is.

For the most part, using such advertising tactics is OK provided you are not deceptive in your practices. This means that if you are intentionally trying to mislead searchers, you may find yourself in hot water.

You need to make sure you’re clean in your ads and other marketing materials by being upfront about who you are. And doing that well means representing specific reasons customers often prefer you over your competition. If your name, your competitor’s name, or other branded term isn’t trademarked, then there’s no issue at all as far as the search engines are concerned.

Where courts have generally upheld advertisers’ rights to advertise — non-deceptively — on competitor brand names, this is America. Anyone can sue anyone for any reason, so legal costs are a real consideration.

By the way, if you’re really into this sort of thing, check out Eric Goldman’s Technology & Law blog.  It’s the single best source on the Web for following these types of lawsuits regarding search engine marketing.

With that disclaimer and plug out of the way, let’s dive into how you can protect the reputation you’ve built against competitors trying to draft off of your brand.

Google Ads Options to Address Competitor Bidding

Campaigns explicitly created to target competitor brand searches are expensive and typically produce low numbers of conversions.

If this is happening to you, take solace in knowing that your competitor is spending some serious cash. But you still want to reclaim what is yours and reduce any adverse impacts on your brand.

When reacting to competitors running ads on your company’s or product’s name in Google Ads — and other search engines — you have some options.

Option 1: Protect Your Name by Running Ads on Your Own Name

Branded campaigns use your company’s brand name as a keyword. This play typically yields high conversions at a low cost per conversion – and the more your brand is known and trusted, the more impressive the results.

As you can see in the above example, Salesforce is running Google ads on its name, taking up the top ad position. Two competitors – Pipedrive and SugarCRM – also run on Salesforce keywords, positioning themselves as an alternative to this well-known CRM.

Searchers click on ads at the very top of a page more often than other positions. This is especially true on mobile because the visual real estate is so much smaller.  By running these ads, Salesforce ensures searchers will see its ads first before seeing alternatives.

When you run ads on your name, you have a much better chance of influencing how searchers interact with your brand in the SERPs. This way you have more control of your campaigns, and you’ll always be first in search results on your brand.

Note: Some companies don’t like to bid on their name as they think that it’s an unnecessary cost, taking away conversions from organic search – clicks they don’t have to pay for. They also feel that bidding on their name is wasting money that could go toward reaching new searchers who aren’t looking for them. But if your competition is running on your name, do you really want people looking for you to see the competition first?

Option 2: Petition Google Ads for Trademark Protection

We highly recommend trademarking your brand if you haven’t done so already. Be aware that it can take up to six months or more to receive a trademark even if you don’t face other companies with similar claims.

The significant benefit of having a valid trademark as that there’s a formal process to petition Google to disallow your competitors from using your name in their ads if you own a trademark.

They can still run on your name even if you have this trademark protection, but at least they won’t be able to use your name in the ad copy, except in very limited circumstances.

If you’d like to learn more, check out our step-by-step guide on how to protect your trademark in Google.

Want a Premier Google Partner’s
help filing your trademark complaint?
Call 800.979.3177 today.

Option 3: Fight Fire with Fire

If you’re interested in going on the offensive, you can try to beat your competition at their own game and run ads on their branded terms. Just keep in mind that this tactic is prone to have the same high costs and challenges as discussed earlier.  Here’s why.

Search advertising platforms allow you, in theory, to run on almost any keyword you want, including your competitors’ names.  But in all cases, they want to make sure your keywords are relevant to your business.  Otherwise, consumers will have a harder time finding information related to their searches and the whole PPC model starts crumbling.

And since you aren’t your competitor, Google will quickly give those keywords in your account a low Quality Score.

Keywords with a low Quality Score (caused by low clickthrough rates and other metrics) will end up costing you more than average on a per click basis. If your keywords are not relevant to your brand (i.e., because they aren’t your brand), then your search advertising platform will make you pay for it. In a best-case scenario, your quality score for competitor’s brand names may peak at a 3/10.

As we mentioned earlier, these kinds of campaigns come at a high cost and a lower chance of successful conversions. However, conversions don’t have to be the goal of this play.

Going on the offensive allows you to fight fire with fire if your competitors are already deploying these tactics. It will also draw some awareness to your brand for potential new customers who only knew about your competitor.

Note: It is possible to find a competitor’s ad come up when you search your own business name even if they don’t have you in their keyword crosshairs. If you see that, it’s probably one of two scenarios:

• Search retargeting (RLSAs): If you have been to the competitor’s website, their ads may be displaying based on your website habits.
• Similar audiences for search: The competitor may have a “similar to” retargeting audience and Google’s machine learning is considering your search habits similar to those of the competitor’s website visitors.

Either way, it’s the algorithm doing what it does best!

Other Pros and Cons of Bidding on Competitor’s Brand Names

Pros

• It can work.  A lot of times people are interested in that competitor for a specific reason that won’t help you at all: trying to get hired, a vendor looking up directions, etc.  But for the consumer doing research – or maybe a current, unsatisfied client looking up a phone number, the payoff could be handsome.
• It will jerk their chain.  Double edged sword here (see Cons), but after seeing your ad on their name, internally they may devote a lot of executive resources figuring out what can be done.  Plus, some people just really, really like ticking off their competitors.
• More competition should drive up their prices to bid on their name. While this means they’ll be spending more money they could be devoting elsewhere, their Quality Scores will likely be so much higher than yours, that the additional cost may not add up to much.  Unless they weren’t advertising on their name at all before and decided to start doing so because of your ads.

Cons

• Your time.  Your competitors may call you up and chew you out about this.  Trust me, I’ve seen this time-suck happen and had advertisers flip their feelings about bidding on competitor names 180 degrees.
• Money.  They may sue you or threaten to do so.  While you could just adhere to their cease-and-desist and potentially be done with it, most companies will at least consult their attorneys about this.  And if they don’t happen to be experts in search – and virtually none are, this can get really expensive.  (BTW, we have consulted with attorneys about this in the past.  If you’re an advertiser or lawyer needing help with this, give us a shout at 800.979.3177.  We can also advise on how to broker a fair peace accord without the courts).
• They may start advertising on your name, which could send up your costs somewhat and also decrease your click throughs.

Be Careful with Dynamic Keyword Insertion

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) can be a great tool—until it serves up an ad with a competitor’s name who happens to spot the ad. That’s where it goes from clever automation to potential liability.

(See stats and insights from a test of keyword-insertion code in Google Ads that we conducted.)

DKI functions by automatically inserting the user’s search query into your ad text, provided that the search query matches one of your keywords and fits within character limits. This dynamic functionality can enhance ad relevance for generic terms; it becomes perilous when competitor brand names are among your keywords.

For instance, if your keyword is “Competitor Brand Alternatives” and a user searches for “Competitor Brand Product X,” your headline might read “Competitor Brand Product X,” directly featuring your competitor’s name in your ad.

Google explicitly absolves itself of responsibility for any policy violations arising from the use of DKI. (Even in cases where it was the applying a Google Recommendation that introduced DKI functionality into a campaign.) Their policy clearly states that advertisers are accountable for ensuring that their ads comply with all advertising guidelines after keywords are inserted.

The fix is simple: don’t use DKI with competitor keywords. Build static ads with deliberate messaging that highlights your differentiators.

How to Respond When Competitors Use SEO to Leverage Your Brand

Several SEO tactics can solidify your SERP positions against competitors who want to rank in organic search for your brand name, or for when potential customers seek alternatives to your brand.

Much like the Google Ads tactics listed above, you can either take a defensive route or get aggressive with your SEO keyword targeting.

Choose wisely, as this is the perfect time to heed Uncle Ben’s wisdom — because great responsibility is bestowed upon those who wield these great SEO powers.

Option 1: Ranking for “Brand Alternative” Keywords

To dampen your competitors’ efforts, consider creating a page to rank for brand alternative searches specific to your brand name. This page still aims to promote your brand as the better solution, but the idea is to optimize it with your name and “alternative” keywords to make sure it outranks your sneaky competition.

You can also supplement this tactic with content development and link building strategies targeting ‘brand alternative’ keyword phrases. Guest posts and other authored contributions optimized for brand “alternative” keywords can help take up valuable search positions. These opportunities also are good places to score a link back to the page you already created.

By leveraging these two tactics, you can fortify your brand against alternative searches that your competitor targets with their SEO efforts.

Option 2: Fighting Back with Your Own “Brand Alternative” SEO Strategies

When your competitors step up their efforts against your brand, it’s time to consider going on the offensive from an SEO perspective. Some examples include previously mentioned tactics:

• Your competitor running ads on your brand name
• Optimizing a page on their website to rank for your brand name
• Leveraging backlinks to improve their ranking for your brand name

Just like how competitors may create content on their site to rank for keywords related to your brand, you can do the same.

You can accomplish this one of two ways:

1. Optimize for “competitor” + “alternative(s)” — Here you create pages specifically designed to target search users looking for alternatives to your competitor by optimizing for their brand names and “alternative” (e.g. “picasa alternative,” “photoshop alternative,” etc.). This way, your brand will begin to show up when people go to search for their name.

Below is an example of how Lawn Doctor compares itself to several competitors.

1. Optimize for competitor weaknesses — In some cases, search users may be considering a competitor, but also seeking choices.

For example, say you are a project management software looking to position yourself against Trello, a highly recognized competitor. You could try creating content that aims to rank for keywords such as “trello issues.”

Be warned: snatching a top search engine ranking using this approach is highly unlikely without some investment in aggressive link building tactics. But, this approach will undercut your competitor in the following ways:

• They will lose long tail organic search traffic.
• Awareness of your product will increase within their customer and prospect base.
• You will convert new business opportunities from prospects who were not initially considering your brand as a solution.

Final Thoughts — Consult Your Legal Team

Please note: we recommend you consult your legal team to assess risk before trying the more aggressive tactics listed above. Keep in mind that there are times where using terms and phrases — specifically trademarked words, branded words — could have some legal implications.

What ends up happening in situations like this is that – whether mediated expensively through attorneys or done from President to President – a truce is called.  The downside is that it needs to be brokered with each competitor as it can’t be done through the search engines (other than if there’s a legitimate trademark complaint to be filed).

SERPs can make or break your brand so make sure you are taking the necessary measures toward protecting them. Starting with a great defense (owning real estate and top ads on your name) is the best offense.  Ultimately, though, it’s your brand, and only you can decide how to solidify your place in Google search.

Key Takeaways About Targeting Competitor Brand Names

• Using a competitor’s brand name is a common and permitted practice in digital marketing, barring misleading usages.
  
• Competitors using your brand name in their Google Ads or SEO campaigns can divert potential customers.
  
• Trademarking your brand name allows you to request that Google disallow competitors from using it in their ads.
  
• Optimizing content for brand alternative keywords can help prevent competitors from ranking high for your brand name.
  
• Running ads on your own name is one line of defense for your brand.
  

This article was updated to add additional information on April 7th, 2025.

Get Paid Search Advertising Services

If you’re interested in learning how you can drive better results with search engine marketing and our paid search advertising services then please schedule a digital marketing consultation. Or, to get more information on this topic, contact us today for a free consultation or learn more about our status as a Google Partner Agency before you reach out.

Need SEO or PPC services for your B2B business? Learn more about why we are The Best Digital Marketing Agency For B2B Businesses.

The post Catch A Competitor Bidding And Ranking For Your Brand? Here’s Your Options. (Updated 2025) appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Looking for information regarding subdomain tracking for monitoring users across your entire platform in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Updated: 4/18/2024

“GA4 is set-up to handle subdomains automatically if the same GA4 measurement ID is shared across all subdomains of the same root domain.“

Dana Schumacher, Senior Digital Analyst at DOM

How much longer are you going to rely on Universal Google Analytics? You are at risk of losing any of your historical performance data in 2023 if you don’t set up and properly configure Google Analytics 4. Learn how the two platforms compare to each other in this blog post – Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics.

Subdomains are a standard way to segment content on a website. Subdomains can be created at any time with no limit and with out a registrar. A common reason to create subdomains would be to differentiate a sector of your business such as “info.yoursite.com” or “tools.yoursite.com.”

From a developer’s perspective, subdomains are integral to utilizing multiple CMS platforms.  For this reason, they have become common across the web.

While subdomains have little benefit from an SEO viewpoint, many websites have plenty of justifications to leverage them.

How To Set Up Subdomain Tracking In Google Analytics

Configuring Google Analytics subdomain tracking can be somewhat aggravating and extremely cumbersome. If you are still using Universal Analytics and also have the need to setup tracking for subdomains – we strongly suggest setting up GA4 so you can avoid many of the remaining steps.

Despite being the market leader in web analytics, Google has been somewhat ambiguous on how to properly configure Google Analytics to track traffic between subdomains and root domains in an aggregate report (aka cross-subdomain tracking).

If this is your first time attempting to achieve correct cross-subdomain tracking, you’re in luck because this guide has made it simple for you.

Cross-Subdomain vs. Cross-Domain — What’s the Difference?

Understanding how cross-domain and cross-subdomain tracking differ from each other is crucial. The methods for implementation across each are entirely different.

What’s The Difference Between A Root Domain And A Subdomain

To be clear, here is the difference between a (root) domain and a subdomain:

• directom.com (root domain): Domains consist of various letter / number combinations followed by their domain extension (.com, .org, .gov, .edu, etc.)
• cctld.directom.com (subdomain): Similar to root domains, except with a series of letters / numbers at the beginning, separated by a period (.)

Use cross-domain tracking when you want a single report that displays user behavior across two domains as if they were on a single domain. Without cross-domain tracking, GA will record a new session every time a user navigates between two or more domain properties.

How To Set Up Cross Domain Tracking In GA4

Trying to set up GA4 cross domain tracking?
We’ve got you covered in this blog post:
4 Steps To Set Up GA4 Cross Domain Tracking

You would need to implement cross-domain tracking if, for example, you wanted to track users across the following:

• https://example.com
• https://examplesite.com
• https://www.othersite.com

Cross-subdomain tracking tracks users and sessions across different subsections of a single domain. We get requests to implement this type of tracking much more frequently than cross-domain tracking.

Some of the most common uses for subdomains include:

• Foreign language versions of a website
  • de.example.com (<— German version)
• Third-party marketing solutions/software (such as Marketo, Salesforce, Unbounce)
  • marketo.example.com
• Blog hosting (typically when blog functionality is cost-prohibitive with current CMS)
  • blog.example.com
• E-commerce checkout pages (typically third-party shopping cart solutions)
  • checkout.example.com

Please note — in the above examples, the root domain never changed. If you’re trying to track sessions across two root domains, we recommend following a different process.

For website owners with multiple subdomains, you need to implement cross-subdomain tracking if you want to track users across the following:

• www.cctld.directom.com
• www.es.directom.com
• www.directom.com

Technical Side Note

Domain owners can create and manage as many subdomains as they want. Proper DNS configuration of subdomains is vital for tracking users across them.

If you make your way through this guide and are still not seeing proper site traffic across subdomains, it might be a good idea to get a second set of eyes to help identify the issue.

Before you continue, we cannot stress enough how getting the following items properly configured will give you a higher chance of success:

1. Root domain & subdomain DNS settings
2. GA account structure
3. Implementation of the same GA code across all subdomains and the primary root domain

Assuming all of the above is good to go, you are ready to configure cross-subdomain analytics correctly.

“If you’re dealing with a website with multiple subdomains, in most cases, you’ll want to configure the same Google Analytics 4 measurement ID/data stream across all subdomains.“

Dana Schumacher, Senior Digital Analyst at DOM

Why Track Cross-Subdomain Traffic in Google Analytics as a Single Session?

By default, Google Analytics is not set up with cross-subdomain tracking. As a result, website owners will not have an accurate picture of how a user moved across subdomains and the root domain.

Here’s what happens normally: Every time a user comes to a website, GA tracking notes that visit as a session and begins tracking how that person interacts with a site.

Without cross-subdomain tracking, GA will count a new session every time a user goes from a subdomain to a domain (and vice versa). This means that total sessions are being miscalculated and referral data gets lost.

Translation — there’s no way to tell where a user came from and sessions become inflated.

Let’s say that an organic search user lands on a company’s blog from Google and the blog post lives on blog.example.com. After reading the post, the user wants to learn more about the company and fills out a contact form that lives on the root domain. Without proper subdomain tracking in GA, the conversion data will credit the subdomain as the referral source when really the user first came to the site from organic search.

Without correct referral source attribution, websites can’t tell which channels are the most effective for their goals.

Most sites want to track user navigation between subdomains that share a root domain and the corresponding root domain as a single session. After tracking is set up, traffic sources, user actions and behavior completed on any subdomain can be attributed to the same user session.

For example, you might have a promotional landing page set up at info.example.com that directs users to purchase products at buy.example.com. With cross-subdomain tracking properly implemented, GA will count users landing on one subdomain and converting on another subdomain as a single session.

Heads Up, You Have Been (Un)Warned

Pulling up Google’s developer documentation for cross-domain tracking will prominently display a fun warning at the very top:

If the owner of the world’s most ubiquitous analytics platform suggests that something is complex, they’re probably right.

Our advice — do not let Google psyche you out.

It is true that the code behind this configuration is complex.

However, we’ve pulled off quite a few Google Analytics implementations. We made this subdomain tracking resource easy to understand.

So, have no fear – this guide will walk you through a step-by-step process to follow that will help assure success.

Getting Started — The Typical Google Analytics Account Structure

The account structure hierarchy in Google Analytics is:

Analytics Account > Properties & Apps > Views

The image below represents how many analytics accounts are set up. This implementation structure consists of the following levels:

Note that in the implementation above, all the items in the “Properties & Apps” row have unique tracking IDs. Having an implementation set up in this manner is pretty typical.

On the positive side, this setup makes accessing traffic and behavior across a single subdomain within an account a breeze.

Since every property has a unique tracking ID, the data associated with each domain or subdomain automatically populates as its default view and can be accessed without any further configuration.

On the other hand, this configuration makes it practically impossible to track cross-subdomain traffic.

How to Setup Subdomain Tracking In Google Analytics 4

• Tools needed: Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Tag Assistant
• Time required: 20 min
• Estimated cost: $0

Figure out how Google Analytics tracking is implemented on your site. This guide will touch on how to set up cross-subdomain tracking for both hard coded Universal Analytics and Google Tag Manager configurations.

Before jumping into implementation, please note that this process will only work if your site is using the Universal Analytics version. For older websites with “Classic Analytics,” it is highly recommended to upgrade to the latest version.

In Google Analytics 4, users can be tracked cross-subdomains without the need for additional code. It should generally be handled using the same measurement ID and leveraging reporting, comparisons, and segments to address different subdomain data views.

If you are unsure which method you have implemented on your site, we suggest downloading the Tag Assistant (by Google) Chrome plugin or consulting your developer.

Part 1 – Set the cookieDomain

A cookie is a piece of code on a website that stores information about a session on a user’s computer.

To attribute the name of the domain in the information contained in a cookie, you will need to set the cookieDomain.

If Universal GA is hard coded on your site:

Congrats! The cookieDomain is set to auto by default, and you can skip right to part 2.

If Universal GA code fires through Google Tag Manager (GTM):

1. Navigate to and select the container you wish to edit.

1. Click “Tags” on the left-hand menu.

1. Click on your Google Analytics Tag (In this example, our tag was named “Universal Analytics.” If you are unsure which of your tags is being used to send data to Google Analytics, look for the label “Google Analytics – Universal Analytics” in the “Type” column of the tags table.

1. Click to edit the tag then proceed to “More Settings” > “Fields to Set.”
2. Click “+ ADD FIELD.”
3. Set the Field Name to “cookieDomain” and the Value to “auto.”

Part 2 – Update the Referral Exclusion List In GA4

This part is the same for both GTM and hard coded Universal Analytics implementations.

Note: In Universal Analytics, setting referral exclusions does not remove that data entirely. Instead, it just gets removed from the referrals are and gets populated as direct traffic.

In addition to that, there is a possibility that this step is already set up correctly in your account, but it is necessary for analytics to display accurate numbers. It is worth the two minutes it will take to double check. 

1) Log in to Google Analytics and select any view from the account that you wish to implement cross-subdomain tracking.

2) Access the admin panel by clicking the gear icon in the bottom left of the screen.

3) Under the property column, navigate to Tracking Info > Referral Exclusion List.

4) Your root domain may already be in this table. If it is not, click the “+ ADD REFERRAL EXCLUSION” button and submit your root domain (yoursite.com).

In Google Analytics 4, referral exclusions can be easily set with the tag settings area of the data stream settings in GA4. Once you’ve configured those, GA4 identifies those unwanted referrals by leveraging the parameter “ignore_referrer.”

To review and make changes to your list of unwanted referrals in GA4, navigate to Data streams > Configure TA settings > Show all > List unwanted referrals.

Pro-Tip: Seeing Hostnames in Google Analytics 4

In Google Analytics, reporting will strip the hostname when examining exact URLs. If you’ve gone to the trouble of setting up cross-subdomain tracking, seeing whether someone landed on a subdomain or primary domain is essential context when analyzing performance data.

To see this information, navigate to a report where the primary dimension is a pageview (such as Site Content > All Pages/Landing Pages). Select the secondary dimension dropdown > Behavior > Hostname.

Keep in mind that when adding together.

It’s worth noting here that when you implement GA4, the hostname dimension is populated automatically. This is just one of the many ways GA4 is a less manual and easier to set up than it’s predecessor.

While these considerations are high-level best practice when configuring GA4 for multiple subdomains, we recommend that you also refer to Google’s documentation for more details on this subject.

Dana Schumacher, Senior Digital Analyst at DOM

Conclusion

Implementing cross-subdomain tracking has a reputation for being quite difficult, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  If you followed the steps in the guide above, you should have your implementation correctly set up in no time.

Just remember the two main parts:

1. 1. Set the cookieDomain.
   2. Update the referral exclusion list.

To get more information on this topic, contact us today for a free consultation or learn more about our status as a Premier Google Partner before you reach out.

The post How to Track Users Across Subdomains In Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – November 2024 appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

As highly capable digital marketers, we have an unprecedented number of tools to help us do our jobs. Last time we checked (a few minutes ago), the most popular marketing automation software, coming in with around 20% of the market share, was Adobe’s Marketo platform. If you have anything whatsoever to do with digital marketing, you know how prevalent Marketo is. Most implementations are centered around their handy landing pages. So most of our Marketo SEO tips are most relevant for the landing page templates, though you can use that platform for other things, too.

Just like anything else you want your customer to find via a search engine, your Marketo pages need to be optimized for SEO. Here are our top tips to get the most out of your SEO for Marketo.

Marketo SEO Tip 1: Just do the SEO thing.

You know the thing we’re talking about: optimize that page for search engines! If you want to know more about how to do that, we have a whole bunch of resources to help you. Trust us, we’re experts. In fact, below is a list of blog posts we’ve written over the years to help you out with some of the SEO basics.

• Image SEO: Does Alt Text Still Matter?
• Internal Links: How Much Do They Affect SEO?
• Why SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions Are Still Important
• Does Duplicate Content Affect SEO?

That said, if you’re up to speed already on the SEO basics, this post is for more advanced users who really want to squeeze the most value they can out of their Marketo assets.

Marketo SEO Tip 2: Learn how to edit html.

We’re not trying to be glib (well, maybe a little), but you will get a lot of mileage out of the simple small step of popping open a copy of HTML Programming for Stupid People, or whatever those books are called, and teaching yourself some basic coding. It’s not difficult—html is definitely one of the easier programming languages to learn—and you’ll enable yourself to do stuff like these sub-tips.

Need a reason to learn to code HTML? Here’s why you should learn to code HTML in case you want some reasons why.

Marketo SEO Sub-Tip A: Add canonical links to your header tags.

Don’t be alarmed, it’s easier than it sounds. You can freely edit the HTML of the Marketo headers (everything between the <head> tags on a webpage). One of the most useful ones is the canonical link. We use canonical links all the time as a way of telling search engines that potentially duplicate content is intentional and need not be indexed. Google famously dislikes duplicate content, and we all know what happens to content Google doesn’t like.

It gets ranked lower. That’s all.

You won’t lose your listing, but your organic searches will suffer. This is especially true for Marketo pages because they tend to multiply based on the SKUs, products, or services being marketed, and similar page content can trigger false duplicate flags to Google’s crawlers. That’s the opposite of what we want.

Marketo SEO Sub-Tip B: Add Google Analytics code and various pixels to the header tag manually.

While you’re editing the header, you might as well take this step while you’re there. By “manually” we mean “by hand,” as in “you have to code it yourself” because Marketo doesn’t let you do it as easily as other web design interfaces (like WordPress, for example). You can get the embed codes from the websites you use to track whatever it is you’re tracking, and your little bit of coding knowledge will come in very handy.

Marketo SEO Tip 3: Make sure your gated content is protected by noindex tags.

One of the most useful techniques for a digital marketer is to put valuable content behind a conversion link, like a newsletter signup. This lets us get something valuable in exchange for something valuable, which your gated content most definitely should be. But if that valuable content is visible to Google, then simple searches can bypass your gate and your hard work goes unrewarded.

Make sure to add the noindex tag in the headers of the pages that host your content, not the landing page itself. That’s a great way to make sure Google loses track of your page, which, again, is the opposite of what we want. Don’t take our word for it—check out Google’s own knowledge base about noindex tags.

Want to get more in-depth on our tips for gated content besides making sure search engines can’t crawl it? Check out our definitive guide to gated content.

Marketo SEO Tip 4: Link to your landing pages on your website.

This could probably be included in Tip 1, technically, but we see it so often that it merits its own mention. The tendency is to pretend like your landing pages aren’t part of your website’s ecology, but that’s not doing your SEO any favors. We’ve already seen how much Google likes links, so don’t be afraid to link it in your site navigation, in blog posts, wherever your favorite links live.

Marketo SEO Tip 5: Make sure you’re secure.

You have to make certain you’re using the https prefix with Marketo, especially when you’re linking to it from your website. Not only does Google prefer secure pages, but a link from a secure site to an insecure one might raise a flag on your customer’s browser. And flags are bad.

Marketo SEO Services

Those might be our most important MarketoSEO tips, but we could go on. If you’re using Marketo then SEO is extremely important for driving leads and sales to your website. Luckily, we’re experienced in optimizing Marketo sites and helping drive growth for your Marketo stores with our SEO services. Schedule a free consultation today and maybe we’ll share them with you.

The post SEO For Marketo: 5 Advanced Tips For Marketo Success In 2024 appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Learn more about bounce rate and engagement rate in GA4 in this blog post – Where Did My Bounce Rate Go in GA4? Enter Engaged Sessions.

In analytics, we often find clarity. Unless, of course, those analytics are inserting bounce rates into their equations. In which case we find total confusion from bounce rate in Google Analytics.

Because bounce rate intermingles with a number of other analytic metrics, the stat can either be an illuminating testament to a site’s health (or lack thereof) or an incredibly deceiving distraction.

Some marketers jump the gun on bounce rate statistics.

Bounce rate deception creeps in when we don’t understand the nuances of Google Analytics. Specifically, when we fail to grasp the Google Analytics definition of bounce rate, we set ourselves up to make poor decisions.

What Is Bounce Rate In Google Analytics 4?

The calculation for bounce rate in Google Analytics 4 is the percentage of sessions that were not engaged sessions. This calculation is different from Google Analytics Universal Analytics (UA) where that calculation is the percentage of all sessions on your site in which users viewed only one page (and, thus, sent one request to the server).

At this point, you might be asking yourself: “what’s an engaged session?” Well, we will get into that next, but here’s a handy post we wrote that goes into more detail: Where Did My Bounce Rate Go in GA4? Enter Engaged Sessions.

What Are Engaged Sessions & Non-Engaged Sessions in Google Analytics 4?

An engaged session (used to calculate engagement rate) is a session that spent more than 10 seconds on the website, had 2 or more pageviews, or had a conversion event occur. On the flip side, a non-engaged session (used to calculate the bounce rate in GA4), spent less than 10 seconds on the website, did not view any other page, and did not perform a conversion event.

In essence, bounce rate in GA4 is the inverse of engagement rate, and these metrics are both valuable in understanding if and how your users are engaging with your website.

How Is Bounce Rate Calculated In GA4?

Simply put, bounce rate in GA4 is the inverse of engagement rate, and these metrics are both valuable in understanding if and how your users are engaging with your website.

How Do You Find Bounce Rate In Google Analytics 4?

Here is how bounce rate is calculated:

(non-engaged sessions) / (sessions) – bounce rate %

For instance:

(9 non-engaged sessions) / (50 sessions) = 18% bounce rate

Here is how engagement rate is calculated:

(engaged sessions) / (sessions) – engagement rate %

For instance:

(21 engaged sessions) / (100 sessions) = 21% engagement rate

The calculations are simple, right? Now that we’ve got the definitions and calculations down, let’s talk about what a good bounce rate is, and how you can use this metric to evaluate and improve your website.

What Is A Good Bounce Rate In Google Analytics?

When it comes to bounce rates, almost every site owner wants this question answered in short order. In fact, it is possible you skipped to this part of the article. That’s OK, don’t feel bad, but you aren’t off the learning hook.

Bounce rate stats are unique to the site and, more specifically, site page experience and goals.

Some people will tell you that a bounce rate over 70% is bad. In fact, a writer for Search Engine Journal explicitly states that a bounce rate north of 70% means “something is probably broken.”

Such a statement seems to imply that a consumer can’t be both happy with the page of your site they arrive on and want to view only that page.

Imagine yourself in Whole Foods. You see a can of tuna on the shelf. You want to know whether eating tuna daily is bad for your health. So you Google it and land on a blog post that argues that tuna should be eaten no more than three times a week. What is the likelihood you will view another page on that website? Are you happy?

You got the information you wanted. You decide that information is trustworthy, so you place three cans of tuna in your cart. You need to finish shopping, so you do not view any other page on the site.

You happily bounce.

The point is this: a high bounce rate should not necessarily be interpreted as a sign of user dissatisfaction. You mustn’t paint with a broad brush when making statements about bounce rate.

There are plenty of sites that recommend bounce rates to shoot for, but we question such an approach.

A better path lies in considering bounce rate as one criterion among many of site health.

Let’s do that now.

Why High Bounce Rates In Google Analytics Occur

Writers tend to turn the “why is bounce rate high” section into a dreary experience. It assumes the position that a high bounce rate is bad. This section assumes that a high bounce rate occurs for both good and bad reasons. Most marketing writers treat the why-is-bounce-rate-so-high section like the postmortem of a professional pitfall. Which is to blindly assume that a high bounce rate is bad for business.

At DOM, we take a more nuanced view. We recognize that evaluating bounce rate requires careful analysis of the particular website, company, and goal in question.

So why might your bounce rate be high?

Your Content Satisfies

Remember our Whole Foods example? It’s OK if you skipped to this section and missed that; I’ll explain again.

If your page solves a problem, your bounce rate might be higher. The fact that your page solves a problem is a good thing.

How can we distinguish a page that satisfies user intent from one that doesn’t, when both may have a high bounce rate?

1. Read the content. Apply common sense.
   A page about fishing in Yellowstone that discusses the best fly fishing fly to use solves a problem. If the person that lands on that page immediately scroll to the section called “USE THIS FLY IN YELLOWSTONE,” the person may decide to bounce after viewing the solution to their problem.A page with a glossary of terms probably satisfies searchers looking for a single definition. DOM’s Internet Marketing Glossary isn’t something someone reads in the way they read Faulkner. They are there to find the definition of a term they don’t understand.
   

   That’s it. No sound of furious further clicks should be expected.

2. View Time On Site (TOS) in Google Analytics.
   What if a person spends five minutes reading a page on your site, but exits without viewing any other page? That does not sound awful. Sure, in certain cases, long and involved content can negatively eat up a reader’s time.However, on the other hand, someone who spends ample time reading your content—and then exits without viewing another post—doesn’t necessarily hate your page. It is important to remember that pages that solve a problem with a quick, straightforward answer may experience both low TOS and high bounce rate.

A Deeper Perspective On Content That Satisfies

Let’s say that you’ve determined your high bounce rate is in line with a positive consumer relationship. Does this mean you should just move on? Not completely.

The high bounce rate led you to investigate a page of content. You determined that the high bounce rate was a reasonable result of your page’s problem-solving content. But now that you are here, you could opt to go ahead and lower the bounce rate for your own benefit.

For example, you could set up a call to action that encourages your readers to check out another related article. You could attempt to sell a service you offer via a CTA button. You could set up an email collection form and collect leads.

Your Site Is Slow

Slow sites are frustrating. You are trying to get information, but some lumpy image builds out at the speed of a turtle. So you back out and find another site with similar information.

You bounce.

It is always important to check your site speed, not only on your devices, but with site speed checkers such as Google PageSpeed.

Fixing site speed can be a tough task. This article is not going to dive in too deeply, but let’s look at some simple things that sometimes help.

• WordPress Plugins
  These can be the devil. If you have too many, they may be overloading your site. Just a single plugin can wreak havoc on your site speed. And testing your site speed right after installing a plugin is unreliable. Many plugins build up a cache, or database, that begins to hobble the site’s loading time months down the road.To resolve such issues, deactivate one element at a time and test, test, test!
• Use Cloudflare.
  Cloudflare is a free cloud network solution. Yes, the free version suits most site owners.Cloudflare downloads the most recent copy of your website, thereby cutting out the host for site loading. It is worth looking into if your poor site speed is causing high bounce rate.We just spent 11 sentences worth of this post explaining simple reasons why site speed on WordPress can get bogged down and cause high bounce rates. That said, Cloudflare is one of our favorite WordPress plugins out there, and we have it included in our exclusive list of the best WordPress plugins for SEO.
• WordPress Themes
  These can be site speed killers. A theme may look pretty and function well when you view the demo, but they can be heavy and sluggish when put into action.Always review themes for their site speed before buying.

Your Page Is A Poor Experience

Look at your page. That big image shoving all the content down only vanishes once the user scrolls into a huge ad. Scroll a bit more, a pop up takes over the user’s screen.

That sounds horrendous. It sounds like a page that most of us would bounce from.

Make sure your site’s user experience is on point if you want people to stick around.

Another reason for poor user experience on a page can be the way it’s delivered. For example, is your page content a lump of text?

If so, break it up with useful headers and, potentially, images.

Your Mobile Experience Is Bad

People access the web via mobile more and more every year. The stats don’t lie.

When your mobile experience is bad, a slow loading and poor user experience scenario is amplified. People using their phones to search want fast solutions.

If your site’s navigation complicates the solution-finding experience, you are likely to lose the consumer. In other words, the consumer may bounce.

Always test your site’s mobile experience. Make sure you test your site on a service like Google PageSpeed and pay special attention to the mobile results section.

Your Content Title Misleads

In order to attract links, your content’s headline needs to attract clicks. A properly written, enticing headline can create success for content marketing campaigns.

However, some content marketers and ad copywriters take too many liberties with headlines. Their overwhelming desire for clicks blinds them to the pitfalls of clickbait.

Yes, clickbait: the act of misleading a person with a headline. Clickbait comes in many flavors and levels of outrageousness. Clearly, you aim to entice people to click, and that in and of itself requires a shiny headline. But you need to be conscientious of when a headline goes from taking a few liberties to downright inaccuracy. When that happens, people bounce.

And it gets worse.

Many people will remember brands that clickbait them and just stop viewing all of their content, even content with accurate headlines. Proper article headlines help nurture relationships with readers as an added benefit.

A Website Linking To Your Site Is Misleading

We discussed inaccurate headlines. Well, if a website is inaccurately linking to a page on your website, you might be compiling bounces because your content doesn’t meet the reader’s expectations.

Unlike inaccurate headlines, issues with exterior sites’ misleading people in the direction of your content is trickier to resolve.

The best way to resolve such a matter is to contact the site owner of the misleading link and request removal or a change in copy.

You could opt to alter your own content, but that isn’t likely to work in most cases.

You’re Running A PPC Landing Page

Pay-per-click landing page designs certainly vary in terms of look, style, and paging. Some pay-per-click landers use single pages with a goal to garner leads. This can result in higher bounce rate statistics. In this case, a marketer will most likely consider the conversion rate over bounce rate statistics.

When the goal isn’t aimed at clicking through a site and is instead to fill out a lead generation form, bounce rates may be higher. When the goal isn’t to drive click-throughs, nor to have visitors fill out a lead generation form, bounce rates may be higher.

Bounce Rate Tracking On Subdomains

For some sites where people move between subdomains, bounce rate statistics can be tougher to interpret in a meaningful way. The first step in getting a full picture is to have proper analytics tracking set up. Read our Google Analytics Subdomain Tracking guide to make sure your site is set up properly.

Erroneously Low Bounce Rates In Google Analytics

You updated your site months ago. Suddenly, the bounce rate went from 80% to 8%. That new template must really be winning for you, right?

Eh, not so fast.

If your bounce rate is excessively low, there is probably something amiss with your metrics in general. Analytics errors, from a general standpoint, need to be fixed because you can’t know they aren’t adversely affecting other metrics.

Check that the code is installed properly throughout your site, including making sure you don’t have multiple instances installed.

Bounce Rates In GA4 And SEO

Does bounce rate influence SEO?

The answer is yes (and no).

The reason that bounce rates fire up SEO enthusiasts is that no one truly knows whether Google’s search algorithm leverages Google Analytics stats. In a logical world, it would sure seem like Google might rely on easily digestible information to benefit its search results.

Throughout his tenure with Google, former head of Webspam, Matt Cutts, consistently denied that search algorithms base SERPs on Google’s famed analytics program.

While some felt Cutts was covering for a Google conspiracy, others viewed his stance on the matter as quite reasonable.

Let’s think about things for a moment.

Google, using its own analytics program (which is installed all over the web on millions of websites), could open its algorithm up for trickery. This would put a part of the Google search algorithm into the hands of those who most seek to upend it.

Additionally, what would happen to sites with incorrectly installed Google Analytics? All their great content would be banished to the SERP cellar? That just doesn’t make sense.

But Bounce Rate Does Matter To SEO

Google doesn’t need to leverage Google Analytics data in its SERP algorithm formula. Instead, Google tracks the time someone spends on a search results link.

So Google does indeed track bounce rate, just not likely through its own analytics program.

The Final Bounce

If you’ve made it this far, you now have to decide: would you like to view more of DOM’s digital marketing content, or bounce?

The example above illustrates the glaring point of this entire article: a page can be great, while still registering bounces.

Bounce rate, when fully understood, offers marketers a way to gauge content health. When a marketer determines that bounce rate statistics negatively reflect on the page, fixing the issue isn’t always overly difficult.

To get more information on this topic, contact us today for a free consultation or learn more about our status as a Google Premier Partner before you reach out.

The post Bounce Rate In Google Analytics 4 (Everything You Should Know) appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Artificial intelligence became all the rage in 2023. The humble chatbot went from a nice-to-have customer service enhancement to a marketing tool as useful and ubiquitous as Microsoft Office. Large language models and increasing customer demand for generative text experiences have turned the entire digital marketing world upside down. Not one to be left behind, Google has rolled out SGE and now it’s up to the rest of the web to adapt.

The webinar, led by DOM’s seasoned SEO experts, will explore the far-reaching impact of Google SGE and generative AI in search. Participants will gain insights into how SGE is shaping the future of search, including its application in generating responses, integrating videos and images, and providing multifaceted information​​ to searchers. The session will also get into the performance enhancements brought by Google’s Gemini, a new family of large language models, and its role in improving SGE’s functionality​​.

Additionally, the webinar will address the growing reliance on AI-powered search tools, with over 25% of users trusting AI-generated search results and brand recommendations, as reported by Statista. As the demand for generative AI tools increases, the webinar will provide actionable strategies for marketers to adapt, such as shifting towards long-tail and conversational keywords, diversifying content types, and leveraging markup schema for better AI response integration​​.

DOM invites CMOs, digital marketing managers, and emerging professionals to join this vital webinar. DOM will demystify some of the complexities of SGE and offer practical guidance for enhancing marketing strategies in an AI-driven search environment.

This event presents a unique opportunity for attendees to stay informed and prepared for SEO’s biggest change in two decades. For more information and to register for “Google SGE: Future Proof Against SEO’s Biggest Change In 20 Years,” visit directom.com/sge.

About Direct Online Marketing

Direct Online Marketing (DOM) is a full-service digital marketing firm with over 17 years of experience.

Certified by Google and Microsoft, DOM offers a comprehensive suite of services, including SEO, digital advertising management, Google Analytics optimization, web design, and conversion rate optimization.

Offering month-to-month contracts, full-service account management, and proactive custom strategic planning, DOM boasts an 85% client retention rate and a 4.9+ average star review on platforms like Clutch, G2, and Google. 

DOM’s international marketing reach extends to over 150 countries, with a hyper-focus on driving client ROI. But it’s not just about numbers. At DOM, every click, scroll, and conversion represents a person. They understand that behind every impression is an individual with unique needs and desires. This human-centric approach is what makes them a reliable partner for businesses seeking to enhance their online presence.

Learn more about DOM at https://www.directom.com. 

The post Google SGE: Future Proof Against SEO’s Biggest Change in 20 Years appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

GA4 introduces a more integrated approach to tracking user interactions across various devices and platforms, responding to the modern web’s complexity. The new analytics model focuses on a user-centric view, aiming to deliver more meaningful insights into customer behavior.

We’ll explore GA4’s new segment features, critical for detailed targeting and analysis. For marketers, mastering these features is not just about keeping up, it’s about unlocking new potential in data-driven strategies.

Understanding the Basics of GA4

Google Analytics 4 differs from the old Google Analytics because it doesn’t just count page views and sessions. Instead, GA4 tracks all sorts of actions people take, like clicking buttons or watching videos, and it calls these actions ‘events.’

One big change with GA4 is how it follows users across their phones and computers. This is important because people switch between devices a lot, and GA4 keeps track of that. It gives a complete picture of what users do, no matter where they do it.

Privacy is another big focus in GA4. It’s built to handle the rules of today’s internet, where user privacy is a big deal. GA4 makes sure marketers can get useful information while still keeping user data safe and private.

GA4 also uses advanced technology to guess what users might do next, like whether they’re likely to buy something. This helps marketers plan better and create ads or offers that are more likely to get results.

To sum up, GA4 is all about understanding the full story of what users do, keeping their information safe, and using smart tools to make better marketing decisions. It’s designed for the way we use the internet now, which is more complex and connected than ever.

The Power of Segmentation in GA4

Segmentation is a crucial tool for marketers, allowing them to divide their audience into groups based on specific behaviors and characteristics. This division helps in delivering more targeted and effective marketing messages. GA4 elevates this capability with more advanced and flexible segmentation features.

In GA4, segments are created focusing on users and the events they trigger. This means you can group people not just by who they are (like their age or location) but also by what they do (like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter). It’s a shift from a broad look at all web traffic to zeroing in on what specific types of users are doing.

The new segments in GA4 are dynamic and adaptable. You can create segments on the fly, adjusting them as new data comes in. This real-time segmentation allows for quick responses to changes in user behavior, which is vital in the fast-paced digital world.

Even better, GA4’s segments are more integrated with other Google products. This means the segments you create in GA4 can be easily used for targeting in Google Ads, making it simpler to align your analytics insights with your advertising efforts.

The segmentation power of GA4 is about understanding the nuances of your audience and engaging them more effectively. It’s about getting the right message to the right people at the right time, using detailed data to inform your strategy.

GA4’s New Segment Features

GA4 introduces new segment features allowing a deeper look into user data. These features offer detail and flexibility not seen in previous versions. For instance, GA4 allows the creation of segments based on a combination of user attributes and behaviors, enabling marketers to track the customer journey more accurately.

One standout feature is the ability to include or exclude groups of users based on a sequence of events. Marketers can now build segments to target users who completed a specific action in a particular order, like viewing a product and then signing up for a newsletter, which is invaluable for understanding and influencing the sales funnel.

Comparative analysis is another powerful addition. GA4 lets you compare the behavior of different segments side by side. This makes it easier to spot trends and patterns, like which marketing channels drive the most valuable customers.

Custom segments in GA4 can be fine-tuned with a variety of parameters, such as frequency of visits, monetary value, and recency of engagement. This granular control ensures that marketers can hone in on the most relevant user groups for their business objectives.

The new segments in GA4 are not just retrospective but can also be predictive. By leveraging Google’s machine learning algorithms, GA4 can predict future actions of users, such as the likelihood to purchase, helping marketers to engage with high-potential customers proactively.

These enhanced segment features in GA4 empower marketers to go beyond basic demographics to create and apply segments that reflect the complexities of user behavior in a time where privacy matters more than ever.

Leveraging GA4 Segments for Targeted Marketing

Using the new segmentation capabilities in GA4 can significantly enhance targeted marketing efforts. By creating detailed segments, marketers can tailor their strategies to address the specific needs and behaviors of different user groups. 

Digital marketers can employ segments to isolate and analyze the behaviors of users who complete high-value actions, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service. By examining the characteristics and behaviors of these segments, you can identify patterns and tailor their campaigns to replicate this success across other user groups.

For example, a segment could be created for users who have visited a site more than five times but have not made a purchase. You can then target this segment with special offers or reminders to encourage conversion. Alternatively, a segment of users who abandoned their shopping carts can be retargeted with ads displaying the items they left behind.

When creating segments, it’s important to consider the customer lifecycle and to create segments that reflect different stages—from first-time visitors to loyal customers. You should also regularly review and update segments to ensure they remain relevant as user behavior and business objectives evolve.

GA4 also facilitates experimentation with its segments. You can test different messages and strategies with various segments to determine what resonates best with each group. By continuously refining segments and strategies based on performance data, you can enhance the precision and effectiveness of their targeted marketing initiatives.

Preparing for a Data-Driven Future with GA4 Segments

As you get more comfortable with GA4’s segmentation, you’ll discover opportunities to refine your marketing strategies. You’re not just tracking broad trends, you’re uncovering specific patterns that can predict future behavior. For instance, segments that track micro-conversions may soon be able to forecast customer lifetime value with greater accuracy.

Looking forward, it’s likely that GA4 segments will become even more intuitive, possibly evolving to automatically suggest new market segments based on emerging patterns in data. Imagine segments that adapt in real-time, pinpointing opportunities and risks, and informing you about shifts in consumer behavior before they fully manifest. 

You should also prepare for segments that integrate more seamlessly with machine learning, offering predictions not just about potential purchases but also about churn risk or the likelihood of a user becoming a brand advocate. These predictive segments could become a central part of campaign management in GA4, giving you a dynamic tool for real-time marketing adjustments.

Your proficiency with GA4’s segments today lays the groundwork for more sophisticated marketing tactics tomorrow. As you grow with the platform, you’ll find that your ability to interpret and act on segment data becomes a critical asset in a market that values agility and foresight.

Get the GA4 Help You Need from DOM

The rollout of GA4 this year has been a learning curve for all of us. We’ve all had to adapt to keep our marketing strategies sharp and effective, sometimes with mixed results. 

We know it hasn’t been easy—learning new systems never is. But it’s these challenges that push us forward. With the insights gained from GA4, especially about segmenting users, you’re better positioned to create marketing that truly speaks to your audience and meets them where they are.

If you’re finding the transition to GA4 a bit overwhelming or if you want to get even more from your data, you’ve come to the right place. DOM is well-versed in the ins and outs of digital analytics, and we understand the hurdles. We’re here to help you navigate through these changes, making your journey with GA4 as smooth and successful as possible. 

Get in touch with us today for a free analytics strategy session. 

The post GA4 Comparisons, the New Segments appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

EDIT: Google SGE is finally here! Today, May 14th, 2024, Google announced that Google SGE, AKA Google AI Answers, will be rolling out to all United States users by the end of the week. But what are these new Google AI Answers, and what do they mean for the future of the search engine and your website’s traffic? Read on to learn more!

Everything changes all of the time. Especially in the world of SEO.

Google Search Results could likely be unrecognizably different by this time next year. With the growth of AI and Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), the world of SEO will get considerably more exciting and challenging moving forward. 

But what do we expect to happen when Google launches the SGE version of Search? How will optimizing your website change because of Google SGE? How will Google SGE impact how users interact with the search engine and your website?

We’ve asked our in-house SEO experts here at Direct Online Marketing for their opinions and we have compiled a guide of best practices we expect to help your website thrive, as you optimize for Google SGE.

What Do We Know About Google SGE AKA Google AI Answers?

What Are Google AI Answers?

Google AI Answers are the generated content you see at the top of search results within the United States as of May 14, 2024. Google AI Answers are pulled by the new system known as Google SGE.

What is Google SGE?

• Google’s Search Generative Experience – AKA Google SGE – is an innovation to its search engine, powered by its generative AI. 
• This new experimental feature aims to transform search engine experiences from being passive, as they were historically, to more interactive, personalized and dynamic. SGE uses AI to generate quick, concise overviews of search topics, enhancing user experience (sure, Google…) and providing new ways to interact with search results​​​​​​. 
• It also means there could be a significant shift in strategies previously employed towards gaining visibility in search results.

Will Google SGE Replace Rich Results?

• As of this writing, no explicit information suggests that Google SGE will entirely replace rich results, but it is very likely to have an impact. Rich results, which provide additional data in the SERPs, differ from SGE’s AI-powered overviews and interactive content. 
• As SGE is still experimental and not live out in the wild, its exact impact on existing features like rich results remains to be fully understood.

“While I anticipate seeing organic traffic drop for many sites, thorough and well-written content can enhance click-through rate to mitigate this decline by becoming the source of information that SGE quotes from, with the best, most relevant content available on the subject in question providing Google’s AI with all the information it needs on the query in an easily digestible way.”
– Brian Slonka, Digital Marketing Account Manager

When is Google SGE Coming?

• Google SGE is already available as an experimental feature in 120 countries (excluding Europe), supporting multiple languages. Its full implementation and potential expansion remain under development, with access to the Google Labs experiments open until the end of December 2023​​. There is much speculation that it will launch much sooner than many users originally anticipated. 

Will My Site Lose Traffic Because of Google SGE?

• There are concerns that SGE could lead to reduced visibility for organic search results. The AI-generated overviews at the top of search results might reduce the need for users to click on individual websites, potentially lowering click-through rates (CTR) and organic traffic. 
• This shift may require websites to adapt their SEO strategies​​. Images that accompany your top-ranking results on Google may become much more important as they can help guide users to click into your website since the URL of the site itself may be more obscured.

Are There Certain Types Of Sites That Google SGE Will Impact More?

Short answer: Possibly.

Google SGE may impact certain types of websites more than others. Particularly, sites that produce content tailored for Google Rich Results, such as recipe blogs and video game walkthrough sites, could see a decrease in search engine visibility. This is because their content might be incorporated directly into Google’s SGE results section, potentially reducing the need for users to visit the original websites for information.

“This advancement will likely enhance user experience by providing more intuitive, context-aware, and interactive search results. For website owners and content creators, this means adapting to a more AI-driven approach in content presentation and SEO strategies, focusing on quality, relevance, and structured data to align with how AI interprets and ranks content.”
– Alicia Cleary, Digital Marketing Strategist

Will Google SGE Mean More Ads in Search Results?

There is no direct company-issued information that Google SGE will lead to an increase in ads within search results, as Google says the focus of Google SGE is on enhancing the user experience through AI-generated content and interactive features. 

There is some speculation, however, that there will be more screen real estate taken up by Google SGE content in addition to ads, but this remains to be seen outside of what appear to be tests and experiments.

How Will Google SGE Impact My Analytics?

“Analyzing and optimizing for user experience is going to be more and more critical in the SGE world. Additionally, segmenting your organic data is going to be an absolute necessity for drawing insightful conclusions about the impact of SGE.

“Looking at your data by content grouping, funnel stage, device type, keyword intent breakouts, etc. will help you better mitigate and optimize for the new SGE landscape.”
– Dana Schumacher, Sr. Digital Analyst

Prepare For A New Search Engine Experience

In summary, Google SGE represents a significant evolution in search engine technology, focusing on AI-driven interactivity and personalized experiences. While its full impact on SEO, organic traffic, and ad integration is still unfolding, dynamically adapting to this rollout will be crucial for website owners and content creators.

“SGE provides a unique opportunity for businesses to revisit how well their websites define their customers’ unique problems and how clearly they present solutions at a high and granular level.

“The depth, clarity, and formatting of website content is more crucial than ever. Website content that prioritizes these fundamentals will be in the best position to be present within SGE results and, most importantly, to convert traffic.”
– Gary Kramer, Sr. Digital Strategist

How Can I Try Google SGE Today?

Update: As of today, May 14th, 2024 Google SGE AKA Google AI Answers has begun rolling out to all Google users within the United States. Google SGE should be live for all US users by the end of week, but if you are outside of the US the following instructions may still be available for you.

If you want to try out the experimental version of Google SGE before it rolls out to the wider world, you can do so simply using Google Labs. Here is a short guide on how to use Google SGE today.

How To Try The Beta Of Google SGE

Log into Your Google Account:

• Open Chrome on your desktop or laptop.

• Click the profile icon in the upper right corner and select “Turn on sync”.

• Enter your Google account email and password.
• If you’re already logged in with Sync enabled, skip this step.

How To Access Google Labs:

• Open a new tab in Chrome.
• Click the small beaker icon to the left of your profile icon to open Google Labs.

How To Enable Google SGE:

• In Google Labs, find the SGE card.
• Click the On/Off slider on the SGE card to the On position.

• Close the Google Labs tab.

How To Try Google SGE:

• In the Google search field, type a query.
• On the Google search results page, click the “Generate” button above the standard results to activate an AI response.

• Google will return results personalized to your search using AI.

“SGE is going to impact user behavior away from visiting some websites entirely – particularly those sites that solely exist to answer questions Google can easily steal an answer and showcase in their SERP. I like to think of SGE’s impact being similar to the impact felt by the wide release of People Also Ask answer boxes and Featured Snippets, but on a much larger scale.

“Because of that, companies need to make sure they connect their top-performing webpages to keywords where Google users are more likely to need to take action, not just research something to get a surface-level understanding.

“Industry-leading sites have already been strategically growing with Google this way, but now every business that wants to grow using SEO will need to follow suit.“
– Jonathan Bentz, Sr. Digital Marketing Strategist

How To Optimize Your Website For Google SGE

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) represents a significant shift in how search engines function, leveraging generative AI to enhance user search experiences. This article explores key strategies for optimizing your website for the upcoming Google SGE.

Content Quality & Google SGE

• User Focus: Consider what makes your website valuable to users. Why should someone choose your content over others? Ensuring your content serves the user’s needs is crucial.
• Google’s Perspective: Reflect on why Google should prioritize your content. It’s essential to align your content with what search engines consider valuable.
• AI-Generated Content: If you use AI to generate content, ensure it’s carefully edited and refined before publishing. Authenticity and quality remain paramount.

“A good content approach will be unfazed by SGE or, really, any Google algorithm changes. Since the beginning of the web, the mandate for content creators has always been to write the best stuff we can that informs the reader and answers the questions they have.

“We aren’t just writing for robots; we’re writing for people. The better we do our jobs, the better the search results get, and the better Google will get at recognizing (and delivering) the content we write.”
– Jim Foreman, Sr. Content Specialist

Authority & Google SGE

• E-E-A-T Framework: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google values these traits extremely highly when deciding whether or not to show content currently, and it will only get more important as Google SGE rolls out in the wild. To build authority, focus on creating high-quality, expert content.
• Establishing Authority: Develop your website’s authority by showcasing expertise and providing valuable, well-researched content.
• Author Persona: Having content written by individuals with verifiable expertise is beneficial. This adds a layer of credibility to your website.

“User Experience is one of the most under-optimized parts of SEO, and it will only become more important as we move into the world of Google SGE. If a user has a bad time on your website, they’re unlikely to return, make a purchase, or recommend your content to a friend. Why would an AI version of Google continue to show your website if it doesn’t delight users?”
– Billy Wright, Lead Digital Marketing Strategist

User Experience & Google SGE

• Accessibility: Ensure users can easily find what they’re looking for on your site. Navigation should be intuitive and straightforward.
• Website Speed: A fast-loading website enhances user experience, which is a critical factor in SEO.
• E-commerce Optimization: For e-commerce sites, streamline the purchasing process to be as quick and user-friendly as possible.

Images & Google SGE

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): With SGE, images will play a more significant role in influencing CTR. Optimize images to be engaging and relevant to your content.

Video & Google SGE

• Growing Importance: Videos are likely to gain more importance in search results. Incorporating unique video content on your site can enhance user engagement and SEO.

SGE’s focus on interactive, AI-generated content emphasizes the importance of quality, authority, and user experience in website optimization. By adapting to these evolving standards, websites can enhance their visibility and effectiveness in Google’s AI-driven search landscape

April 2024 Google SGE Update

Beginning at the end of March 2024 Google began testing the Google SGE AI results directly within the normal Google search results for some users within the United States. This caused lots of controversy as some users noted that they could not opt-out of getting the Google SGE results, and that it was taking up so much search real estate that it became problematic for their user experience. Whether this test is reflective of an upcoming roll-out of Google SGE in 2024 is yet to be seen.

May 14, 2024 Google SGE Update

At Google I/O today, May 14th, 2024, Google announced that Google SGE AKA Google Ai Answers was rolling out live for all United States users, and would be fully available across the US by end of week. Their language also focused mainly on calling it AI Answers, which reflects the most recent change to the text surrounding the generated content within the search results.

SEO will keep changing, as it always has–Google SGE is just the latest development to shake things up. At Direct Online Marketing, we’re all about helping you adapt and thrive in this new search era, no matter what happens. Got questions about how your site will work with Google SGE? Looking for smart strategies? We’ve got you covered. Drop us a line for a free SEO chat, and let’s team up to make your online presence shine in the world of Google SGE.

Note: This article has been updated to include the end of March 2024 / April 2024 Google SGE updates where it was tested among users who were not white-listed for Google SGE in Google Labs.

The post Google SGE: What Is It And Should You Be Afraid? appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

• Understanding Google Ads Scripts
• Getting Started with Google Ads Scripts
• Practical Automation with Google Ads Scripts
• Advanced Techniques
• Google Ads Scripts Best Practices
• Google Ads Scripts Can Help, If You Let Them
• Take Your Campaigns Up a Notch with Direct Online Marketing
• Key Takeaways

Google Ads Scripts are a great tool, enabling advertisers to streamline their campaign management through custom JavaScript code. This mechanism automates a bunch of tasks like bid adjustments, adding new keywords, and many other tweaks aimed at optimizing campaign performance​. What we love about these scripts is how they can help with advertising automation. Not every advertiser is as comfortable as we are with APIs. 

The beauty of Google Ads Scripts extends beyond just automation. They allow for close campaign performance monitoring, tracking crucial metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions, and costs. One can even set up email alerts or generate comprehensive reports, which keeps your finger on the pulse of the campaign’s health​. 

You can get started with Google Ads Scripts right now, if you’d like to follow along at home. Log into the Google Ads platform, navigate to the “Tools” icon, select “Bulk actions,” and voila, the path to “Scripts” unveils. The platform provides an intuitive interface to create a new script, propelling advertisers into a world filled with possibilities of automation and optimization​.

Understanding Google Ads Scripts

Definition and Functionality

Google Ads Scripts are succinct segments of JavaScript code, designed to automate and customize various facets of your Google Ads campaigns​. They perform a big pile of tasks ranging from bid adjustments and generating insightful reports to managing keywords. The beauty of these scripts lies in their ability to infuse a level of automation that saves precious time and elevates advertising efforts’ efficiency.

How Do Google Ads Scripts Work?

Google Ads Scripts operate by interacting with the Google Ads API. This interaction is the gateway to accessing and manipulating data within your Google Ads account. The scripts can run on a schedule or in response to specific events. For instance, the creation of a new campaign or fulfilling a certain condition can trigger these scripts into action. Drafted in JavaScript, they are executed within the Google Ads interface.

Getting Started with Google Ads Scripts

Before diving into the automation fun, there are a few basic steps to get through. Here’s how to get started:

Account Setup

First thing’s first, you’ll need a Google Ads account. If you don’t already have one, head over to ads.google.com and sign up—it’s free. Once you have an account, make sure you have administrative access to the campaigns you want to automate. This is your starting line for automation with Google Ads Scripts​.

JavaScript Basics:

Google Ads Scripts are written in JavaScript. You don’t need to be a pro, but having a basic understanding of JavaScript will go a long way. There are plenty of online resources available to get you up to speed with the basics. So, if you’re new to JavaScript, spend some time learning the ropes—it will pay off​.

Accessing Google Ads API

To get your scripts talking to your Google Ads account, you’ll need to enable the Google Ads API. This is how your scripts will interact with and manipulate your Google Ads account data. It’s a straightforward process, just follow the instructions provided by Google to get it set up​.

These initial steps are simple but crucial. They lay the groundwork for everything you’ll do with Google Ads Scripts moving forward. With these basics sorted, you’re ready to start exploring the practical automation possibilities that Google Ads Scripts offer.

Practical Automation with Google Ads Scripts

Now that the basics are covered, let’s get into the meat of what Google Ads Scripts can do for your campaigns. Here are some practical ways you can use scripts to automate tasks and optimize performance:

Bid Adjustments

One common use of Google Ads Scripts is automating bid adjustments based on performance. This is like having a personal assistant who keeps an eye on your campaigns and tweaks your bids to get the most bang for your buck. With scripts, you can set rules to adjust your bids based on various metrics like click-through rates or conversion rates, helping to maximize your return on investment​.

A/B Testing

You know what A/B testing stands for, right? Always Be Testing! Actually no it doesn’t, but it’s still important. A/B testing is essential for figuring out what works and what doesn’t in your campaigns. Google Ads Scripts can automate the process of running A/B tests on your ad copy, landing pages, and other campaign elements. This way, you can quickly identify the most effective variations and make data-driven decisions to improve your campaign performance​.

Keyword Additions

Adding new keywords to your campaigns is a regular task that can be automated with scripts. Instead of manually sifting through keyword data and adding new keywords, you can have a script do the heavy lifting. This not only saves time but ensures that you are continually expanding and optimizing your keyword strategy​. 

These are just a few examples of how Google Ads Scripts can be utilized for practical automation in your campaigns. The aim is to minimize manual, time-consuming tasks, allowing you to focus on strategic decisions that could significantly move the needle on your campaign performance. With a little setup and some basic scripting knowledge, you can start reaping the benefits of automation and make your Google Ads campaigns more efficient and effective.

Advanced Techniques

After getting comfortable with the basics, it’s time to explore some advanced techniques that can further automate and optimize your campaigns. Here are a few advanced tactics to consider:

Dynamic Keyword Insertion

Dynamic keyword insertion is a nifty feature that automatically inserts the user’s search query into your ad text, improving the relevance of your ads. By using Google Ads Scripts, you can set up dynamic keyword insertion to update your ad text based on the user’s search query, which can potentially boost your click-through rates​.

Automated Reporting

Data is king, but sifting through heaps of it can be a royal pain. With Google Ads Scripts, you can automate the process of generating performance reports. This way, you can quickly analyze campaign performance and identify areas for improvement without having to manually pull together data​1​.

Budget Management

Keeping an eye on your advertising budget is crucial, and going over budget can be a real downer. Google Ads Scripts can help automate budget management tasks, like adjusting daily budgets based on performance data or pausing campaigns when they reach a certain spend threshold. This way, you can ensure your campaigns are running efficiently without burning a hole in your pocket​.

Tackling advanced techniques may seem daunting at first, but with a little practice, you can harness the full power of Google Ads Scripts to automate and optimize your campaigns even further. These techniques not only save time but bring a new level of sophistication to your campaign management, helping to drive better results with less manual effort. 

Google Ads Scripts Best Practices

Testing and Iteration

Once a script is ready, testing it thoroughly before letting it loose on your live campaigns is crucial. It’s all about making sure everything works as expected without any nasty surprises. After deploying a script, keep an eye on its performance and don’t hesitate to make necessary tweaks to improve its effectiveness. It’s a cycle of test, deploy, monitor, and iterate to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently​.

Regular Review

Google Ads campaigns are living, evolving entities. As such, the scripts managing them should evolve too. Regular reviews and updates to your scripts ensure they continue to meet the campaign’s goals and adapt to any changes in the campaign structure or objectives. It’s like giving your scripts a regular check-up to keep them fit and effective.

Documentation

Documenting the purpose of each script, its logic, and any dependencies it has on other scripts or external factors is vital. It not only helps in understanding the functionality of scripts but also eases the troubleshooting process when things don’t go as planned. Additionally, if multiple team members are working on or with these scripts, documentation becomes an invaluable reference point ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Google Ads Scripts Can Help, If You Let Them

As you get into the automation capabilities of Google Ads Scripts, you aren’t just keeping pace with the evolution of digital marketing, you’re staying a step ahead. The knowledge, time savings, and efficiency gained through leveraging Google Ads Scripts will continue to add value to your advertising endeavors.

The journey might require an investment of time and effort initially, but the rewards of automation, improved performance, and the satisfaction of seeing your campaigns succeed are well worth it. 

Take Your Campaigns Up a Notch with Direct Online Marketing

Ready to take the dive into automation but need a trusty guide? Look no further than Direct Online Marketing. We’re all about flexing to your needs with month-to-month contracts – no long-term strings attached​1​. Our savvy team is on deck to not just manage, but ace your campaigns. And hey, we’re one of Google’s Top 200 Premier Partners, so we get to play with the cool Google toys before anyone else​1​. Fancy a chat to see how we can rev up your Google Ads campaigns? Reach out to us today, and let’s make your automation goals a reality.

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Key Takeaways

• Automation Efficiency: Google Ads Scripts serve as a powerful tool to automate numerous campaign management tasks, making advertising efforts more efficient and less time-consuming.

• Performance Monitoring: Through scripts, close monitoring of crucial metrics like impressions, clicks, and conversions is possible, enabling a better grasp on campaign performance.

• Getting Started is Straightforward: With a Google Ads account, basic understanding of JavaScript, and access to the Google Ads API, you’re ready to dive into the world of automation using Google Ads Scripts.

• Practical Automation: Bid adjustments, A/B testing, and keyword additions are practical examples of automation, reducing manual input and aiding in optimizing campaign performance.

• Advanced Techniques: Utilizing advanced techniques like dynamic keyword insertion, automated reporting, and budget management can further enhance campaign efficacy and streamline budget allocation.

• Best Practices Matter: Testing, iteration, regular review, and proper documentation are critical practices to ensure the scripts run smoothly and remain effective over time.

• Collaborative Growth: Partnering with experts like Direct Online Marketing can provide a collaborative approach towards achieving advertising goals, bringing the advantage of experience, and exclusive Google opportunities to the table.

• Investment Worth Making: The initial investment of time and effort in understanding and implementing Google Ads Scripts can significantly pay off in terms of automation, improved performance, and campaign success.

• Staying Ahead: Embracing the automation capabilities of Google Ads Scripts not only keeps you in pace with digital marketing evolution but puts you a step ahead, making the advertising journey more rewarding and less of a hassle.

The post How to Leverage Google Ads Scripts for Automated Success appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.