How to Track Yahoo! PPC Conversions Through Google Analytics

Anyone currently using Google Analytics can see the advantages of integrating AdWords in order to see the difference between paid and organic traffic, as well as many other benefits. Some AdWords users be unfamiliar with the fact making a couple of tweaks to your AdWords account will automatically integrate the two.

Tagging is a fancy word for naming something unique to identify its origin. For most analytics or web stats programs you have to tag ads manually in which you should use a dynamic string attached to the destination URL. Google Analytics makes it easy on you, at least for Google AdWords, in exchange for being Big Brother.

Before being able to track Yahoo! PPC conversions through Google Analytics, an advertiser should first auto-tag his/her Google AdWords ads in Google Analytics if this has not already been done. Below is the description of how to auto-tag Google AdWords to integrate with Google Analytics.

How to Auto-tag Your Google AdWords ads in Google Analytics

1. Login into AdWords

2. Go to the “My Account” tab, 4th Green Tab on the right

3. Then go to “Account Preferences”

4. Under “Tracking” on the right side, edit and set “Auto-tagging” to “Yes”

By default it is set to “No. Thanks.”

Service-based sites are typically easier to set up measure with tracking and conversions. Eccomerce sites with a shopping cart require many steps to really get it set up right in Google Analytics, out of the scope of this article. If you can only set up one Goal as being your "thank you for your purchase" page, you'll be doing better than most. The "goal" is set by giving a URL, not placing a conversion code (aside from the fact that the analytics code is on every page), this is covered in the article How to Set Up Goals In Google Analytics.

Tagging Yahoo PPC to Track Conversions in Google Analytics
Although Google makes it easy to tag your Google AdWords destination URLs, it requires a little more Manuel work for the other PPC platforms. For Yahoo! Search Marketing, you need to place a string of descriptive words in the destination URL. Let's start with an example. So you have a PPC campaign and are buying the keyword phrase leather sports jacket.

CPC vs PPC
Always use lower case "cpc" as your string description when using pay-per-click because this abbreviation triggers to separate Yahoo organic from Yahoo PPC, and all others, on Google Analytics. Don't use PPP, or PPC, or c

Use this tagging URL builder or use Google's official one, which to me doesn't make as much sense. Using the first URL builder, and our example, this is what we have that defines each area of the campaign. You have to use underscores for any two word or more description.

Campaign Source: yahoo
Campaign Medium: cpc
Campaign Term: leather_sports_jacket
Campaign Content: ad1
Campaign Name: texas

I usually separate campaigns by geo-target, which is why I am calling my campaign "Texas." You don't have to fill in the "campaign content" if you only have one ad.

Your destination URL will look something like this :
http//www.someleathercompany.com/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=leather_sports_jacket&utm_content=ad1&utm_campaign=texas

Only, use your actual URL and descriptive information. That's how to track Yahoo! PPC conversions through Google Analytics.