Analytics Demystified - Top 2 Questions answered

In a recent webinar, we found out that there are a growing number of grantees and non-profits using Google Analytics to make the most of their AdWords accounts.

This is great news! It means that more of you are able to see what works best for your particular organization's website and what changes you can make to your marketing initiatives to further your org's mission.

Something we also discovered in this webinar was that there are a couple of questions common to a majority of Analytics users. So, to get everyone on the same page, we wanted to share those questions and their answers.


How do I link my AdWords account to my Analytics account?

If you already have an analytics account, just follow these steps to link your AdWords account to your Analytics account.

1. Log in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com
2. Click the Analytics tab
3. In the "Steps to get Google Analytics" box, click "I already have a Google Analytics account" (at the bottom of the page)
4. From the Existing Google Analytics Account drop-down list, select your Analytics account number which will start with UA-_________
5. Click "Link Account"

Why are numbers in Google Analytics and AdWords sometimes different?

There are a variety of reasons why numbers in your AdWords reports might look different than your numbers in Analytics. The two most common reasons for this discrepancy are the difference between the terms you're comparing and the filters active in your AdWords account.

First, make sure that you're comparing equivalent items. Google AdWords tracks clicks, while Google Analytics tracks visits. If a user clicks on your ad twice in half an hour without closing his or her browser, this will be registered by Analytics as one visit to your site, even if the user left your site and then returned shortly after. In AdWords, this would be registered as two clicks.

Also, AdWords automatically filters certain clicks from your reports, while Analytics will report on the resulting visits to your website. If someone is repeatedly clicking on your ads, AdWords considers this click spam and doesn’t show it in reports or charge you for the clicks, but Analytics will show these visits in your reports.

If you want to know more about the differences between how data is shown in AdWords vs Analytics, check out this article for details.

We hope you found these answers helpful for managing your own analytics account and we encourage you to bring up similarly vexing questions with the members in the Google Grants Help Group.

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team