Finally a better way to track your advertising!

Since the beginning of time it has been a challenge to track online advertising, leadsources and campaign effectiveness. Adwords has it’s own set of unique challenges. This is particularly true if you use google analytics to track conversions (aka goals). Using goals inside google analytics is a powerful way to aggregate adverting sources and determine campaign effectiveness. Unfortunately adwords has been somewhat fickle when it comes to URLs. Although the UTM builder can be an effective way to track campaigns and adgroups, I found that it can break conversion tracking when using analytics.

What’s changing with Upgraded URLs

Upgraded URLs let you enter the landing page portion of your URL and your tracking information separately in AdWords. Now you have the option to update your tracking information at your account, campaign or ad group without having to re-set your ad stats.

Let’s see how the example URL above could be constructed using the new upgraded URL fields.

Final URL is where you’ll enter your website’s landing page URL.

The landing page ‘www.example.com’ is now entered in the Final URL Field

Tracking templates are where you enter your tracking information and tell AdWords how to assemble your URLs. Now, if you’d like to scale your tracking updates across multiple URLs, you can use a shared tracking template at the account, campaign or ad group level. If you’d prefer to manage your URL tracking information at the individual URL level, you can use a tracking template at the ad, keyword, or sitelink level. via: Get faster and easier URL tracking with new Upgraded URLs

The Final Word

Upgraded URLs may be the answer I have been looking for. This will allow advertisers to manage and categorize url variables and pass data to landing pages. Although this does not appear to be deployed within my MCC account just yet the documentation looks promising. Stay tuned for more information as we test this new feature.