Discover Which PPC Ad Position Is Best With Google Analytics

One of the things I get often when working with clients is a request to 'always be ranked #1 in the pay per click listings'. Without understandig the way pay per click systems work, this is an instinctive request. We all want to have our business ranking at the top to be perceived as the best and easiest choice. But does being ranked number one mean better results?

Guess what?  In Google Analytics you can measure which spots are getting you the most traffic and also which ones are converting best!  Here is how:

Determining Which Ad Spot Is The Best For Your Company In PPC

1) Within your analytics profile click on Traffic Sources – AdWords – Keyword Positions

2) Select a keyword

Note the visitor breakdown for this keyword (phrase). 50% of visits are in position top 1 with the other 50% mostly in position top 2 and side 1.

 3) Now change the position breakdown to “Goal Conversion Rate”

When we look at how successful the positions were at bringing email leads (Goal Conversion Rate) we see that top 2 and side 1 are actually about twice and 4 times as likely to bring email leads! Now also consider that it costs more to be ranked number 1.  Consider that if you paid less to send the same volume of traffic from these positions, you would end up with 2-4 times more leads! Isn’t that crazy? 

Why It Isn't That Bad To Be Ranked Lower Down The List

What this means is that being top doesn’t necessarily bring you more business. In many cases being ranked #1 attracts the click happy person while being ranked a bit lower gets the visitor that is serious about doing a little research. A more serious searcher reads the ads, is more selective and sends you the email lead you are after.

Saving money by bidding a little less might actually be a more productive strategy!