Salesforce for Google AdWords Blog
Salesforce for Google AdWords Blog - Website Conversion Tracking
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Web-to-Lead Form Validation
Sep 25, 2007Nobody gets excited about dirty data in a CRM implementation. One great way to keep your data clean is to implement client-side javascript validation with your web-to-lead forms. This is a valuable technique for ensuring that a user completes certain required fields before they can submit your form. Just be careful not to overdo it, implementing excessive form validation will annoy users and cause your conversion rates to drop, so consider any client side validation alongside your marketing objectives.
The Web-to-Lead Validation Call
Simply add the following onsubmit function call to your existing Salesforce web-to-lead forms as shown by green text in the example below. Please note that other javascript functions (such as placing an onclick function on your submit button) are not certified.
<form action="https://www.salesforce.com/servlet/servlet.WebToLead" method="POST" onsubmit="return validation(this);">
<input type=hidden name="oid" value="insert_your_oid_here">
<input type=hidden name="retURL" value="http://www.company.com/thanks.html"><label for="first_name">First Name</label><input id="first_name" maxlength="40" name="first_name" size="20" type="text" /><br>
<label for="last_name">Last Name</label><input id="last_name" maxlength="40" name="last_name" size="20" type="text" /><br>
<label for="email">Email</label><input id="email" maxlength="80" name="email" size="20" type="text" /><br>
<label for="company">Company</label><input id="company" maxlength="40" name="company" size="20" type="text" /><br>
<input type="submit" name="submit">
</form>
The Validation Function
Then include a javascript validation function, either directly in your HTML header or by reference. For example:function validation(form) {
if(form.first_name.value == '') {
alert('Please enter your first name');
form.first_name.focus();
return false;
}
if(form.last_name.value == '') {
alert('Please enter your last name');
form.last_name.focus();
return false;
}
if(form.email.value == '') {
alert('Please enter your email address');
form.email.focus();
return false;
}
if(form.company.value == '') {
alert('Please enter your company');
form.company.focus();
return false;
}
return true;
}
Certififed with Salesforce for Google AdWords
The techniques noted here are supported with standard web-to-lead forms and are certified not to conflict with the website tracking provided by Salesforce for Google AdWords. As always, please contact us with questions via email: sfga (at) salesforce (dot) com -
Why Are You Messin' With My URLs?
Aug 19, 2007We recently received a great question from a savvy AdWords user over on the message boards. We've been asked this question a few times, so we figured that now would be a great time to expand. Scott asks:
Can anyone explain why Salesforce makes updates to the URL's of my Google ads after the initial connection to Google?
What's happening?
Salesforce applies tracking parameters onto the end of the destination URLs of your text ads or keyword-specific destination URLs. You may have noticed this if you edit one of the text ads in your AdWords account.
Why does Salesforce do this?
Google dynamically serves one of your advertisements based on broad/phrase/exact keyword match on a search engine or a contextual match from their content network. The tracking parameters allow salesforce to understand exactly how someone found your website. which keyword? which search term? which ad? which ad group? which google campaign?What do these parameters look like?
Salesforce adds two tracking parameters to the end of your text ads and/or keyword-specific destination URLs. The parameters are _kk and _kt. When added to a URL of a standard text ad, they look something like this:http://www.tatesupplies.com?_kk=equipmentrentals&_kt=3379166f-49a0-431d-a20c-7805d06fa958
How often are these parameters applied?
When you first link an AdWords account to Salesforce, it happens immediately. On an ongoing basis, Salesforce needs to understand if you have added or changed anything in your account. Depending on the size of your AdWords account, Salesforce will make this check every few hours and apply tracking parameters as necessaryWhat if I've got other parameters on my URLs?
That's OK, Salesforce will just add our _kk and _kt parameters onto the end of the string, so we wont muck with any additional tracking you're doing.What if I go into AdWords and delete the Salesforce tracking parameters?
Not to worry, if you've gone into the AdWords UI and messed with the Salesforce tracking parameters, the next time we check for new changes or additions we will recognize that you've altered one of the parameters. In this case, we will automatically fix it.
Does this help Salesforce track organic search as well?
Certainly, when salesforce sees clicks that come from google without tracking codes, we can assume that these clicks did not come from one of your ads, and we can mark them as having come from Google organic search. Learn more...
Can you track clicks from MSN, Yahoo, or my partner websites?
Yes, earlier this year we expanded the tracking to include organic search from MSN, Yahoo, Ask.com, and many other search engines. We also included web referral tracking which will show you clicks that come to your website from other sites on the web, such as your business partners. Learn more...More questions?
Contact the Salesforce for Google AdWords crew.
mailto: sfga@salesforce.com -
Salesforce for Google Adwords Learning Center
Jun 25, 2007To get you started with Salesforce and Google Adwords, we have created a series of short training topics that will help you up get up and running. You can also check your knowledge by taking the quiz associated with each lesson. This training content is updated regularly and you will always find the latest at the official Salesforce learning center
Module 1: What is Salesforce for Google AdWords? Lesson 1: How Will I Use Salesforce for Google AdWords? - 3 Minutes Module 2: How Do I Register for Google AdWords? Lesson 1: How do I Create a New Google AdWords Account? - 2 Minutes Lesson 2: How do I Link an Existing Google AdWords Account with Salesforce? - 2 Minutes Module 3: How Do I Set Up My Website for Lead Tracking? Lesson 1: How do I Create a Web-to Lead Form? - 2 Minutes Lesson 2: How Can I Add Tracking Code to My Website? - 3 Minutes Lesson 3: How do I Test to Confirm Website Setup is Complete? - 1 Minute Module 4: How Do I View Tracked Leads with Salesforce for Google AdWords? Lesson 1: How do I use the Google AdWords Account Summary? - 1 Minute Lesson 2: What are the Lead Source and Lead Source Details? - 2 Minutes Lesson 3: What can I see with Google AdWords Dashboard? - 3 Minutes Lesson 4: How do the Google AdWords Reports work? - 2 Minutes
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New Package Available, Sah-weet!
Jun 22, 2007We've recently released a brand-spankin' new version of the Salesforce for Google AdWords package on AppExchange, and its got some great new functionality for both new and existing advertisers. Highlights of the new package include:
- Completely revamped registration flow for new and existing advertisers
- Enhanced website setup and new website setup test utility
- New reports and dashboards for Google AdWords *and* website lead tracking
How can I tell if I'm using the latest version?
You can always tell which version of an AppExchange package you're running by looking at the installed apps section of the setup area. Simply navigate to Setup > Exchange > Installed Apps. You can tell that you're using the latest version by looking for Version 42, if you see something that looks like this, you're in business:
Can I upgrade to the latest version?
Absolutely, you can always upgrade to the vatest version of an AppExchange package. If you are on an earlier version and would like to upgrade, complete the following steps:- Install the latest version of Salesforce for Google AdWords into Salesforce
- Pull down the AppExchange menu and select Google AdWords
- Click on the tab labeled Google AdWords Setup
- Follow the on-screen upgrade instructions, it should only take a few seconds
- Uninstall the old package version from Setup > Exchange > Installed Apps
NOTE: The salesforce for Google AdWords system has changed over time, and the new package may differ in features and experience from your current version. These changes will be presented to you as you follow the on-screen upgrade instructions. Please be careful to read the details of these upgrade instructions, or contact us anytime via email: sfga@salesforce.com
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AdWords AdWords Everywhere
Jun 18, 2007With the Google/Salesforce.com alliance announced on June 5th, 2007 we are now including Google AdWords integration in all Salesforce editions (Group Edition, Professional Edition, Enterprise Edition, Unlimited Edition). Furthermore we've upgraded all of our existing Team Edition customers worldwide to Group Edition featuring Google AdWords. Next time any existing Team Edition customer logs in, you will actomatically be able to access the new functionality. Simply select Google AdWords from the AppExchange pulldown menu to get started:
For existing Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Edition customers, you also have the power to install Salesforce for Google AdWords. It's now included with your existing license and won't count against your tab limits! Visit the AppExchange and get it now.
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Keyword vs. Keyword Phrase
Apr 12, 2007Salesforce for Google AdWords tracks 5 major Google AdWords components and helps an advertiser understand which aspects of those components are effectively generating leads, pipeline, and revenue. They include:
- Search Campaign (Google Campaign)
- Ad Group
- Text Ad
- Keyword
- Keyword Phrase
What's the difference between a Keyword and a Keyword Phrase?
A Keyword is the word or phrase that you buy from Google, while a Keyword Phrase is the search team that a user types into the Google search box (we're considering renaming keyword phrase to search phrase for better clarity).
Why might these be different?
Google AdWords allows you to buy keywords with a variety of keyword matching options. Keyword matching options is a feature of the Google AdWords program that allows you control how broad or precise a users search on Google.com must be to trigger your ad. Using these matching options, you can more effectively target your ads to appropriate search queries. The matching options are broad match, phrase match, exact match, and negative match. Watch the demo at the Google AdWords Learning Center.For Example, you may have purchased the broad matched keyword slushies. In this example, your advertisement will trigger when users search on the following keyword phrases:
- supersonic slushies
- slushies
- slushies raspberry
- Licious Lemon Limecicle slushies
Understanding what works
You can use then the Google AdWords dashboard in Salesforce to see which keywords and which keyword phrases are generating leads, pipeline, and revenue.
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Not in a Million Years Would We Run a Print Ad
Apr 9, 2007As a marketer in the high tech space, I subscribe to more than a few technology publications, trade journals and magazines. Wired magazine, Business 2.0, Computerworld, ZDnet, and a host of others. It was only a few years ago that I read all of them in print, but today I find myself increasingly reading articles online and sharing good stories with my friends over IM and email.
I still do read a few of these publications in print, which tends to work well when sitting on cross-country plane flights or long BART rides to Embarcadero Station. But, without a doubt, times are clearly changing. Last week I opened my mailbox to find the latest print issue of Infoworld, a publication that reports on news in the tech sector. The Cover Story Read:
A new Era begins, after 29 years and 1384 issues, we're folding our print publication and focusing solely on the Web
Every once in a while it smacks you in the face, publications are moving exclusively online because advertising budgets are driving them there.
If a company came to us and said 'We want to generate leads for our sales people', not in a million years would we run a print ad. - Dick Reed, CEO, Just Media Inc.
The reason ad budgets are shifting online is simple: What happens on the web is measurable and advertisers prefer to spend money on trackable media. Online advertisers can mesaure every aspect of a campaign. They can count every impression, analyze every click, and track every web visitor through the sales process, from suspect, to lead, to opportunity, to closed sale. With a little bit of website configuration, Salesforce customers can easily track these aspects of a Google AdWords campaign.
When advertisers can track what's working, they feel confident about spending more of their ad budget on channels that product measurable results.
Now does anyone know when BART or United Airlines will provide wirless access?
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New Changes to Website Lead Tracking
Jan 16, 2007If you logged in this week after the latest release of Winter '07, you may have spotted a few new changes to Salesforce for Google AdWords. Among them was a noticable change to website lead tracking and reporting:
Lead Source and Lead Source Details Activity Record
When Salesforce for Google AdWords correlates website traffic with inbound leads, it automatically determines where that lead originated, and populates the Lead Source field accordingly. For example, if that lead originally came to your site from a Google AdWords ad click, the Lead Source will say "PPC-Google," or if the converted website visitor orginally was searching on Yahoo, the lead source will say "Organic-Yahoo"
Here's an example of what a Lead will now look like:
Lead Source:
The following is a list of values that will populate the Lead Source field automatically. These values apply to leads that have been generated from web-to-lead forms containing the salesforce javascript snippet. With respect to organic search, Salesforce will report clicks from the following major search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN, Altavista, AOL, A9, Ask.com, Lycos, Mamma, Netscape, and Earthlink.
When the following happens... Lead Source will be...
The Lead originated from a click on a Google AdWords ad Google AdWords The Lead originated from a click on an unpaid search listing
Organic-SearchEngine
The Lead originated from another website, such as a partner Web Referral The lead resulted from a user who typed your URL in directly Web Direct Lead Source Details:
At the same time as the Lead Source is populated, Salesforce for Google AdWords creates an activity record containing the details of that lead source. For added clarity in the connection between these 2 fields, the activity record has been renamed Lead Source Details. The Lead Source Details activity record is populated with the following information:
If Lead Source value is... Expect Lead Source Details to contain... Google AdWords
Campaign, Ad Group, Creative, Keyword Phrase, Keyword Organic-SearchEngine
Referring URL, search engine, keyword phrase Web Referral Referring URL Web Direct No data We are always looking to attach the most relevant and meaningful website information to the Lead object. Got ideas? Comment here or post them to IdeaExchange.
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Organic Search and Lead Tracking
Dec 1, 2006You probably look at a search engine results page every morning while sipping your first cup of coffee.
Internet marketers take one glance at these pages and clearly dissect them into organic results vs advertisements. Surprisingly, many users do not even know the difference. Check out Marketing Sherpa's heatmap diagrams that show user behavior and click patterns
Google makes a clear separation between the organic search results and the paid-for sponsored links. Now look at Yahoo, AOL, Netscape, Excite, Ask.com, Altavista, MSN, Mamma, Dogpile, and more...it's sometimes hard to differentiate between sponsored and organic links.
The little blue hyperlink that tempts a user most with its promise of relevance gets clicked...and many organic clicks result in website-captured leads. So earlier this year we thought, "As long as we are tracking Google AdWords paid leads why not track the source of all website generated leads? Google AdWords, organic search, website referrals, direct hits...everything!"
We recently released organic lead tracking functionality, and here's how it appears in the app:
When you have Salesforce for Google AdWords and the salesforce snippet on your web pages, your new leads will automatically populate with the exact web source, including:- PPC Google - Lead originated from a Google AdWords click
- Organic - Lead sourced from an organic cilck on Google, Yahoo, AOL, or other
- Referral - Lead originated from another website (not a search engine)
- Direct - Lead opened a browser and navigated directly to your site
As you can see above, we also populate the keyword phrase for organic search leads, which can help guide future SEO and SEM invetments.
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Search Investments: SEM vs SEO
Nov 27, 2006Savvy internet marketers are always looking for proof in numbers, trying to measure the business impact of trackable online marketing programs. One hot topic at the forefront of internet search is the investment tradeoff between Search Engine Optimization (SEO = techniques used to improve organic search ranking) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM = paid search programs, such as Google AdWords).
To date, SEM and SEO have been separate disciplines. For example, an expert in SEO inherently understands how backlinks influence organic search ranking, while SEM gurus understand which factors control the mysterious Google AdWords Quality Score. While all of these little blue hyperlinks sit only inches apart from one another on the screen, generating results from SEM and SEO has often meant hiring or contracting a variety of folks.
If you subscribe to the wisdom of crowds, you're probably wondering how other companies are investing their search budget...what is the relative investment in SEO vs. SEM? At the end of last year, SEMPO reported that, of the $5.75 billion spent on internet search in North America, 83% was spent on SEM, and 11% of that spend was invested in SEO.
Only 11% on SEO, doesn't that seem low?
Mid-year 2006 studies have indicated that the relative investment in SEO has fallen even further, while the overall search industry continues to grow at a blistering pace,
Why are marketers spending less on SEO?
Here's a simple theory: For new and intermediate search marketers, the return on SEO investments seem elusive, while the return on SEM investments are more immediate and clear. If I dump $1000 into the Google AdWords machine, I can generate 700 clicks and 50 qualified leads within 30 days...and I can show my boss that we rank #1 for keywords in our primary category. It's hard to say that about SEO.Stay tuned, our next post will detail an integrated approach to SEM and SEO tracking with Salesforce for Google AdWords.
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