When it comes to digital marketing, Google Ads and Google Analytics are important tools that businesses use to track their PPC efforts. These platforms provide insights into how website visitors behave and allow advertisers to monitor specific actions taken on their website. However, there are differences between Google Ads Conversions and Google Analytics Goals, which can affect how businesses optimise their ads and use automated bidding strategies in Google Ads.
This article will explore Google Ads Conversions & Google Analytics Goals & try to help you better understand how to use these tools to achieve your conversion tracking goals.
Google Ads Conversions
Google Ads Conversions are actions taken by users after clicking on a Google Ad. These could include purchases, form submissions, phone calls or any other action that a business wants to track as a conversion. Google Ads Conversions are tracked using a code snippet that is placed on the conversion page of a website. This allows Google Ads to track the conversion back to the specific ad and keyword that generated the click.
Google Analytics Goals
In contrast, Google Analytics Goals are a way to track specific actions taken by users on a website, regardless of whether they came from a Google Ad or another source. Goals can include anything from pageviews and time on site to specific actions like form submissions or purchases.
Google Analytics Goals are tracked using a code snippet that is placed on the goal completion page of a website.
Google Ads Conversions Vs Google Analytics: Pros & Cons
While both Google Ads Conversions and Google Analytics Goals allow businesses to track specific actions, there are pros and cons to using each of them.
One advantage of Google Ads Conversions is that businesses can assign a specific value to each conversion, which allows them to track their return on ad spend (ROAS) and optimise their bids accordingly. This makes it easier for businesses to track the performance of their Google Ads campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
On the other hand, Google Analytics Goals provide a more comprehensive view of website behaviour as they can track goals from all sources, not just Google Ads clicks. This allows businesses to gain a better understanding of how their website is performing overall and make improvements based on that data. Whilst you can also add a specific value to a Google Analytics Goal, this will be the same across every source.
Another advantage of Google Ads Conversions is that the default attribution window is 30 days, meaning that a conversion will be attributed to the ad that the user clicked on up to 30 days after the click. However, in Google Analytics, the default attribution window is the same day, meaning that a conversion will only be attributed to the last source that the user came from before completing the goal.
When it comes to automated bidding strategies, businesses need to consider which tool they’re using to track conversions. If they’re using Google Ads Conversions, then the historical conversion data that’s used to optimise bids will only include conversions that came directly from Google Ads clicks. However, if they’re using Google Analytics Goals to track conversions, then the historical conversion data will include all conversions from all sources, which can provide a more comprehensive view of conversion behaviour.
In summary
It is important for businesses to understand the differences between Google Ads Conversions and Google Analytics Goals to optimise their online advertising efforts. Both platforms offer unique insights, and businesses need to weigh the pros and cons of each tool to determine which one is best for their specific needs. By doing so, they can make informed decisions, optimise their ads, and ultimately achieve their advertising goals.
At Coast Digital, we help our clients with these challenges & offer expert services in both Analytics and Conversion Rate Optimisation. Reach out to us if you are in need of support.