This document discusses combining Google Search Console and Google Analytics data to better understand organic search traffic and conversions. It proposes:
1. Exporting keyword, device, landing page and other data from GSC and GA daily into BigQuery for storage and analysis.
2. Combining the datasets in BigQuery to attribute conversions to specific keywords and landing pages, and split traffic into brand vs non-brand categories.
3. Using DataStudio to provide interfaces for exploring, filtering and automatically updating the combined analytics data.
This approach aims to provide more granular keyword-level insights than is possible with Google Analytics alone, after Google stopped reporting organic keyword data directly.
1. SEO AT ITS BESTANALYTICS SUMMIT
DATASTUDIO
BIGQUERY
GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE
ORGANIC KEYWORDS
CONVERSION
DRIVEN
API
AUTOMATED
ANALYSIS
SPLITTING
PYTHON
ATTRIBUTION
IMPRESSION
LANDING PAGE
REPORT
DEVICE
POSITION
REVENUE
TOBIAS KRÄFT
HAMBURG
CLICKS
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
WITH
CVR
SUMMIT
HTTPS
SSL
PERSONALIZED SEARCH
OPIMIZATION
SEARCH ENGINE
BRAND TRAFFIC
CONTEXT
CTR
2. As search becomes an increasingly customized
experience, particularly for signed in users, we
believe that protecting these personalized search
results is important. As part of that effort, today
the Google Search team announced that SSL Search
on https://www.google.com will become the
default experience for signed in users on
Google.com.
analytics.googleblog.com, 2011/10/18
“
3. THAT‘S ME
EXPERIENCE
PERSONAL
8+ YEARS IN ONLINE MARKETING AND E-COMMERCE
4+ YEARS MARKETING ANALYTICS AT ROCKET INTERNET
TOBIAS KRÄFT
DIRECTOR BUSINESS
INTELLIGENCE & ANALYTICS
GOOGLE ANALYTICS SUITE
HANDLED THE WORLD‘S LARGEST GOOGLE ANALYTICS 360 ACCOUNT
MULTIPLE GTM, GA, BIGQUERY INTEGRATIONS
POLITICAL SCIENTIST, GOETHE UNIVERSITY FRANKFURT
MARRIED FATHER OF TWO SONS
4. HOW THINGS USED TO BE, LONG TIME AGO
UNTIL NOVEMBER 2011 ORGANIC SEARCH QUERIES WERE AVAILABLE IN GOOGLE ANALYTICS
source:jeffwerner.ca
OPTIMIZATION
ON KEYWORD
LEVEL
KEYWORD
RESEARCH
BRAND VS.
NON-BRAND
SPLIT
…
5. BUT THEN, MAKING THE WORLD OF SEARCHING A SECURE PLACE: (NOT PROVIDED)
Keep in mind that the change will affect only a
minority of your traffic.
AMY CHANG, GOOGLE ANALYTICS TEAM
STAGE 1
10/2011 – 1/2012
< 5 % OF GOOGLE ORGANIC TRAFFIC
STAGE 2
2/2012 – 7/2013
< 45 % OF GOOGLE ORGANIC TRAFFIC
STAGE 3
SINCE 8/2013
> 85 % OF GOOGLE ORGANIC TRAFFIC
source: notprovidedcount.com
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Nov 2011 Mar 2012 Jul 2012 Nov 2012 Mar 2013 Jun 2013 Nov 2013
AVERAGE % OF (NOT PROVIDED)
“
6. AGILE ANALYTICS: WORKAROUNDS PUBLISHED
WITHIN GOOGLE ANALYTICS
NEW APPROACHES
OTHER GOOGLE TOOLS
REPLACING (NOT PROVIDED) WITH LANDING PAGE INFO
USE OTHER SEARCH ENGINES DATA (BING, YAHOO…)
REMOVE FOCUS FROM KEYWORD INFORMATION
OPTIMIZE ON LANDING PAGE LEVEL
ORGANIC/PAID REPORT IN GOOGLE ADWORDS
GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS / GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE
7. WORKAROUNDS WITHIN GOOGLE ANALYTICS
1. ADVANCED FILTER: REPLACE (NOT PROVIDED) WITH
LANDING PAGE DATA
MOST OFTEN USED: NP-/LANDING PAGE
MAIN ASSUMPTION:
TRAFFIC TO HOME PAGE = BRAND TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC TO OTHER PAGES = NON-BRAND TRAFFIC
2. DATA FROM OTHER SEARCH ENGINES
YAHOO, BING, …
+ -
EASY TO
IMPLEMENT
MAIN
ASSUMPTION
FALSE
NO KEYWORDS
NO ADDITIONAL
VALUE
+ -
GENERAL IDEA
ABOUT USED
KEYWORDS
LOW TRAFFIC
SHARE
SOME WITH NOT
PROVIDED SHARE
8. NOT A WORKAROUND, AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
3. FORGET KEYWORDS – FOCUS ON
CONTEXT INSTEAD
OPTIMIZING LANDING PAGES FOR
USERS, NOT FOR KEYWORDS
source: http://www.kaushik.net/
+ -
DEEP UNDER-
STANDING OF
USERS AND
WEBSITES
COMPLEX AND
TIME INTENSIVE
NO REAL
KEYWORD DATA
9. WORKAROUNDS WITH OTHER GOOGLE TOOLS
4. ADWORDS: ORGANIC/PAID
REPORT
IMPRESSIONS, CLICKS AND POSITION
INFO ON KEYWORD LEVEL
5. WEBMASTER TOOLS / GOOGLE
SEARCH CONSOLE
IMPRESSIONS, CLICKS AND POSITION
INFO ON KEYWORD, DEVICE,
COUNTRY AND LANDING PAGE LEVEL
+ -
REAL KEYWORD
TRAFFIC
ADWORDS
CAMPAIGNS
NEEDED (PAID)
NO CONVERSION
INFORMATION
+ -
FREE OF CHARGE
NO CONVERSION
INFORMATION
LIMITED
AUTOMATION
ALREADY
INTEGRATED IN
MANY SITES
10. OUR APPROACH: COMBINE GSC AND GA
COMBINE IN GOOGLE BIGQUERY
ANALYZE IN GOOGLE DATASTUDIO
EXPORT GSC
DATA ON LANDING
PAGE LEVEL
EXPORT GA
DATA ON LANDING
PAGE LEVEL
11. THE SETUP - STEP 1: GSC DATA
EXPORTING AND STORING GOOGLE SEARCH
CONSOLE DATA VIA GSC API
• SHOULD BE DONE ANYWAY, AS DATA IS LOST AFTER 90 DAYS
• QUERY: KEYWORD|LANDING PAGE|DEVICE|DATE +
CLICKS|IMPRESSIONS|POSITION
• PROCESSED ONCE A DAY (PYTHON SCRIPT TO GOOGLE BIGQUERY)
• ENRICHING DATA WHILE PROCESSING: BRAND|NON-BRAND; LANDING PAGE GROUPING
source: TrustAgents BigQuery Account
POWERFUL GSC
API INTRODUCED
LAST YEAR
12. THE SETUP - STEP 2: GA DATA
EXPORTING AND STORING GOOGLE ANALYTICS DATA
VIA CORE REPORTING API
• AUTOMATED BIGQUERY EXPORT FOR GA360 CUSTOMERS
• FREE GA: DAILY QUERY CORE REPORTING API
• QUERY: CHANNEL|LANDING PAGE|DEVICE|DATE +
SESSIONS|CONVERSIONS|REVENUE
• PROCESSED ONCE A DAY (PYTHON SCRIPT TO GOOGLE BIGQUERY)
source: TrustAgents BigQuery Account
13. THE SETUP - STEP 3: COMBINING IN BQ
COMBINING THE DATA
TOTAL CONVERSIONS PER LANDING PAGE
TOTAL CLICKS PER LANDING PAGE
CONVERSION SPLITTING:
x TOTAL CLICKS PER KEYWORDCONVERSIONS PER KEYWORD =
LANDING
PAGE
CONVER-
SIONS
DATE DEVICE
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
LANDING
PAGE
QUERIES
DATE DEVICE
GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE
DATE DEVICE
LANDING
PAGE
QUERIES
CONVER-
SIONS
14. THE SETUP - STEP 4: REPORTING WITH DATASTUDIO
PROVIDING AN INTERFACE TO USE AND ANALYSE THE DATA
• SHARING
• EDITING MODE AND FILTERS
• AUTO UPDATING
source: trustagents bigquery
15. WHY? SOME EXAMPLES OF APPLICATION
IDENTIFYING THE OPTIMAL LANDING
PAGE FOR KEYWORDS BY
CONVERSIONS
• KW RANKS FOR MULTIPLE
LANDING PAGES, BUT CONVERTS
BEST FOR ONE:
→ OPTIMIZE THE BEST
PERFORMING LP FOR THE KW,
OTHER PAGES FOR OTHER KW
SPLITTING BETWEEN BRAND AND
NON-BRAND:
• MORE PRECISE ORGANIC TRAFFIC
EVALUATION
16. THAT’S NOT IT, YET. EXTENDING THE BASIC IDEA
RE-USING THE DATA IN
CUSTOM ATTRIBUTION MODELLING
BRAND/NON-BRAND
KEYWORD LEVEL
OPTIMIZING THE
SPLITTING LOGIC
BRAND INCREASE
CONVERSION PROBABILITY
ANALYZING SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR
ON KEYWORD LEVEL
KEYWORD VS. PRODUCT
INSPIRATION AND IDEAS ARE
VERY WELCOME
DON‘T HESITATE TO SHARE
YOUR THOUGHTS
17. BUT THAT’S IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Tobias Kräft
Director Business Intelligence & Analytics
030 55 57 87 057
www.trustagents.de
tobias.kraeft@trustagents.de