Tracking Your Internet Advertising Results

There is an easy way to track visitor referrals from websites you advertise on, even when they are using a secure (https://) server or opening your link in a new window using javascript. Both ways do not leave a referrer in your logs to measure what has happened.

When you set up the inbound link from a place you advertised, add a query to your link. Using Construction Zone (now out of business) as an example, the link you would use is similar to this link using your url rather than example.com:

http://www.example.com/?czone

This will appear in your server logs and Google Analytics so you can track what you have received from the advertising. Search for "czone" on your page view on Google Analytics to find the number of referrals from that advertising site.

Tracking your users sent to an outside website can be done using a redirected link. A simpler way is using Google Analytics and adding the following to the outbound link:

<a href="http://www.example.com/yourprofilepage" target="_blank" onmousedown="_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/czone']);">Get our CSI-formatted specs on Construction Zone</a>

There are several variations depending on which Google Analytics version you are using. Your web designers can implement the correct version once you ask them to add the tracking code. This is also a way to track the number of pdfs and CAD details or BIM objects downloaded from your website.

You can track this as an event or page view. I prefer the page view over event tracking as you are more likely to see the page view when looking at your Google Analytics.

There are other options using a link shortener such as the one offered by Google:

[link no longer available]

Tracking the actual use of your Specs, CAD and BIM on a project is much more difficult. It can take 6-18 months for the downloaded information to appear on a project out for bid. One suggestion is to have one or more unique attributes in the information that can be tracked. You will have to set up a way to look for that data and track it.

Feedback, comments and suggestions always appreciated.

Colin

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Colin Gilboy
Publisher - 4specs
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