The Value of PPC: Where is ROI?

All too often PPC reports focus on performance metrics such as:

- Impressions
- Clicks
- Click through Rate (CTR)

Although these metrics are important, where is the value in them? If anything a report showing these items is only showing cost (CPC or CPM) but fails to show any type of value added. This isnt just a PPC problem, but a marketing problem. It is important to not just report on Cost, but to show Value too.

This is why Conversion tracking through analytics is crucial for PPC Campaigns. Once the tracking codes are are in place and working properly, assign a value to each Conversion. Now you can see not only the Cost (CPC or CPM) but also the Value coming from your PPC Campaigns, Ad Groups, Ad Copy, and Keywords. This will greatly help you optimize your Campaigns and reveal where to allocate your budget to increase and maximize your ROI.

If you have any comments or questions about setting up Conversion Tracking through Google AdWords, Microsoft adCenter, or an analytics platform, let us know in the comments below.

Gain the Support of Your Superiors: Show Them the Right Metrics

There are countless analytical platforms and tools out there for measuring just about every facet of your website and marketing efforts. From web analytics platforms like Google Analytics, to social media tools like Facebook Insights, the number of metrics and insights that can be gathered may be downright overwhelming to the less-experienced. Even worse: The higher-ups you are pulling these metrics and writing 20 to 30 page reports on visits, Likes, and pageviews for simply don’t understand, and might not even care. This presents a problem, as these are also the people that control your marketing budget.

At this point you are probably scratching your head. Sure, there are plenty of great insights in those 30 page reports on content performance and conversion funnels. You might be able to see which products and services consumers are most interested in this quarter, or that your pay-per-click campaign drove a large amount of targeted traffic to the website. But none of this resonates enough with the decision-makers. They speak one language and one language only: Dollars and cents. So how do you prepare reports that interest them?

• Show them how time was saved. This could be through how turn-around time for site improvements was reduced or how improved internal policies and procedures led to less problems in the first place.


• Demonstrate how money was saved. Did a display or banner ad campaign bring in more targeted traffic than a traditional billboard campaign? Show this and the dollar figure associated with the savings.


• Let them see what efficiencies were created. The whole point of monitoring is to identify problems and determine solutions to create a more effective and efficient web presence. Show these to the decision-makers and you’ll build even more credibility and support.

Getting to the data and insights via your arsenal of analytical tools is only half the battle. Convincing your superiors that what you found is relevant and worthy of their time is the other half. If you can convey the value of your findings via compelling visuals and reports centered on ROI, the time saved, and efficiencies that were created, you will stand to gain the support of the decision-makers and ultimately drive improvements in your marketing efforts.

Enjoy this blog? Be sure to follow DaBrian Marketing Group on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and tips for Web Analytics, Search Engine Optimization, PPC, and more. Also stay tuned for details on our webinar on how the latest version of Google Analytics can help drive business success (tentatively scheduled for April 19, 2012)!