Google Ads and Google Analytics are two of the most-used SEO tools but it is surprising how many businesses don’t link them together, or don’t even realize that this is possible!
Yes, you can link Google Ads to Google Analytics via a simple process and the benefits that you get from doing this are staggering. You can get so much more out of both platforms and boost the effectiveness of your marketing and SEO strategies ten fold.
If you are using these two tools and haven’t yet linked them then read on as we explain how, and why it will be the most awesome thing you ever did for your business!
How to Link Google Ads to Google Analytics
- First, you need to know how to link Google Ads to Google Analytics. Obviously, you must have both a Google Ads and Google Analytics account created first! After this, do the following:
- 1. Open Google Ads and click on “Tools and Settings”.
- 2. Click “Linked Accounts” in the Settings menu.
- 3. Select “Google Analytics (UA) in the “From Google” option.
- 4. Choose your Google Analytics account from the list of options.
- 5. Click “Actions”.
- 6. Click “Link”
- Done! From here you can then exchange data between the two accounts and do a whole host of cool things with metrics.
7 Advantages of Linking Google Ads to Google Analytics
With your Google Adwords Analytics mashup complete you can now start reaping the benefits which include:
1. You can see the complete picture of your SEO strategies
When dealing with SEO it’s often difficult to see the bigger picture and collate your data to understand how truly effective your strategies are. This is something a PPC agency can help you with but linking Google Ads and Google Analytics does this too.
You can start to see how Google Ads is performing in comparison to your other SEO strategies – not just as an entity on its own.
2. Endless insight with reports and metric data
Linking the two accounts simply gives you a heap of analytical data to work with. This includes important metrics like bounce rates, average page views, average time on site, and visitor demographics.
The information becomes available for both tools so you can delve deeply into their performance and get the most out of your Ads. Goal data can also be imported to Google Ads so you can keep your SEO strategies cohesive and working towards the same targets.
3. Eliminate constant switching between platforms
If you link Google Ads and Google Analytics, you essentially get a cohesive, unified analytical platform.
If you don’t link the accounts, you have to continually switch between the two and this can be difficult, especially when you are working with separate snippets of Google ads analytics. Information can get lost in transit and you can easily get mixed up and miss the overall picture.
By linking the accounts you can work primarily in Google Analytics and be much more effective instead of constantly jumping from one to the other.
4. The Google Ads insight is much more detailed
Google Ads is a fantastic tool but it’s primarily aimed at creating the adverts. There is a wealth of analytical data you can use, but linking this to Google Analytics simply gives you MORE.
Google Analytics provides so much more data relating to your customer’s behavior and how they are interacting with both your website and adverts. You can use this data to improve the adverts, but also the journey the customer takes.
5. Get a better understanding of your Ad’s effectiveness
Ultimately, linking the two tools allows you to pinpoint the performance of your ads in more detail than you could simply by using Google Ads on its own. There is far more analytical data and you can easily see areas that you are falling short and where your ads are not making the right impact.
6. Gain insight into your customer’s “journey”
The customer journey is an important part of creating successful ads and SEO strategies. It is essentially every step they take from the moment they type in a keyphrase on Google, to the websites they click on, and how they interact with your ads or links.
If you want to get the most out of your ads and website then understanding this journey is imperative. If you know what they do, you can tailor the content and SEO at each stage to get more conversions and success. Linking Google Ads and Google Analytics allows you to do this and delve deeper into the customer journey of your adverts.
7. To create tailored retargeting Ads easier
In an ideal world, you want your adverts to target people who are ALREADY interested in your product or service. These are the people who are most likely to turn into positive conversions and sales. Retargeting helps with this and linking the two tools allows you to do this effectively.
Retargeting is when you create adverts with content that is related to the content of the website the person is browsing.
For example, a person is browsing a car dealer website and sees an advert for new cars in their location – the customer is much more likely to click on this as they are actively looking for a new vehicle!
Get the Most out of These Tools by Linking Google Ads to Google Analytics
If you already use both of these platforms then there is no reason NOT to link them. You are missing out on so much insight, data, and potential opportunities if you don’t! As you can see from the above, the linking process takes a few minutes – those few minutes could be the turning point in your business and allow you to take your SEO strategies to the next level.
