Lore

AdWords Online-to-Offline-&-Back-to-Online Conversion Tracking

Several months back we started using Google AdWords Conversion Import feature to better track activity occuring outside of the interwebs for a client. Results have been awesome. With the new tracking framework setup, we are now able to follow a lead that was submitted via an online form from an Adwords click through the sales cycle (handled in-person or over the phone by their sales team) and eventually import that conversion with revenue back into AdWords, which attributes credit down to the keyword level… badass.

How it Works
Each time someone visits your site from an AdWords ad, a unique ID (also known as a GCLID) is added to your destination URL (if you have Auto-Tagging turned on.) For example, if you are sending a “clicker” to abc.com/events, that URL would look like this after an ad click, abc.com/events?gclid=HNDGS988739823_ASDFKJH_98348. That GCLID holds all sorts of information such as campaign, ad group and keyword that generated the click. This information can then be imported back into AdWords via a spreadsheet with monetary values added to each GCLID number. By doing so, those values are appropriately distributed to the correct campaign, ad group and keyword that generated the click.

Our Tracking Framework
AdWords provides all the necessary code that you’ll need to add to your site in order to store that GCLID number. The code allows you to capture the GCLID in a cookie, which can then be retrieved and added to a form submission as a hidden value so that the end user never sees it. For our client, we did just that. We added the necessary code across the site, updated our lead forms so that on submission, the GCLID string gets pulled into the form as a hidden field and is then passed along to the lead management system along with the “leads” personal information. We now have a name, email address and phone number tied to a unique GCLID number that we can then add a monetary value to once the sale is complete.

What Now?
Again, AdWords provides the documentation that allows you to upload information back into AdWords. The quick and dirty, you setup a new conversion type in AdWords, Import Conversion, and upload your spreadsheet with all the necessary columns.

Results
We’ve had the framework setup since June. This particular client has a long sales cycle so there are tons of leads still pending, but we’ve definitely seen the value to date.

Spend – $9,428
Trackable Revenue Generated from Leads – $52,371
ROI – 456%