Your Google Game Plan for Success: Increasing Your Web Presence with Google AdWords, Analytics and Website Optimizer

459 Pages·2010·12.08 MB·English

by  Joe Teixeira

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Your Google® Game Plan
for Success
Increasing Your Web Presence with
Google AdWords, Analytics, and
Website Optimizer
Joe Teixeira
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Your Google® Game Plan for Success: Increasing Your Web Presence with Google
AdWords, Analytics, and Website Optimizer
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Indianapolis, IN 46256
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Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-64164-4
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To my beautiful fiancée, Francine. Every little thing that you do is magic!
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Credits
Acquisitions Editor Vice President and Executive
Scott Meyers Group Publisher
Richard Swadley
Project Editor
William Bridges Vice President and Executive
Publisher
Technical Editor
Barry Pruett
Todd Meister
Associate Publisher
Production Editor
Jim Minatel
Daniel Scribner
Project Coordinator, Cover
Copy Editor
Lynsey Stanford
Sadie Kleinman
Proofreader
Editorial Director
Candace English
Robyn B. Siesky
Indexer
Editorial Manager
Ron Strauss
Mary Beth Wakefi eld
Cover Designer
Marketing Manager
Michael E. Trent
David Mayhew
Cover Image
Production Manager
©istockphoto.com/Tom Nulens
Tim Tate
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About the Author
Joe Teixeira is the director of web intelligence at
MoreVisibility, a Google Analytics Certified Partner
(GACP). Joe is a leader in the fi eld of web analytics and is
Google Analytics Individually Qualifi ed (GAIQ), as well
as Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and MSN
AdCenter Certifi ed. He has presented more than 100 online
webinars on a variety of topics, including web analytics,
pay-per-click marketing, and SEO, as well as webinars focus-
ing on user experience and testing. In 2009, Joe co-authored Google Analytics,
3rd Edition (Wiley, ISBN 978-0-470-53128-0), and he has appeared as a guest blog-
ger on the offi cial Google Analytics blog. Joe has also spoken at industry events
about web analytics and online marketing for the Direct Marketing Association
and PubCon by WebmasterWorld. He blogs on MoreVisibility’s “Analytics and
Site Intelligence” blog at www.morevisibility.com/analyticsblog, and can be
found on both Twitter (@jtex316) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/joeteixeira).
About the Technical Editor
Todd Meister has been developing with Microsoft technologies for more than
15 years. He’s been a technical editor on more than 75 titles, ranging from SQL
Server to the .NET Framework. Besides doing technical editing, he is an assistant
director for computing services at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He
lives in central Indiana with his wife, Kimberly, and their four children.
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Acknowledgments
Your Google Game Plan for Success is my fi rst solo gig. I co-authored Google Analytics,
3rd Edition with Jerri Ledford in 2009, and felt as though I had it in me to author
my own book. Now it’s in the hands of people like you!
There is just no possible way I could have done all this hard work alone. There
are a few individuals I’d like to thank, because without them this book would
not be in your hands today.
The fi rst person is my beautiful fi ancée, Francine. She supported me and stood
by me throughout the entire process of putting this book together. Without her
moral and emotional support, I truly don’t know where I’d be today. She also
makes a mean banana pudding. I love you, Francine.
I also want to thank my future in-laws, Ronnie and Ira. Anytime I talk about
this book, I can tell that you are just so proud of me and can’t wait to have a
signed copy of it in your hands. I’m touched that I make you so proud of me.
I love you two very much.
An extra-special thank-you goes to my brother Fausto and my sister-in-law
Katie for being my No. 1 fans.
Finally, there is a group of hard-working, dedicated, thorough, motivated,
bright, awesome people who have really rolled up their collective sleeves and
put in long hours to make sure that this book is fi rst-class material for you, the
reader. These folks never get thanked enough, so I’m happy to acknowledge
the entire team at Wiley Publishing for everything they’ve done to get this
project off the ground and running. Specifi cally, I’d like to thank my project
editor, Bill Bridges; my sharp tech editor and copyeditor, Todd Meister and Sadie
Kleinman; and my acquisitions editor, Scott Meyers. Special thanks to Mary
Beth Wakefi eld for stepping in for a few weeks while Bill was on vacation. You
guys made this book.
And to you, reader, thank you, and enjoy Your Google Game Plan for Success!
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction xix
Part I Getting Started 1
Chapter 1 What’s Your Game Plan for Success? 3
Part II Google AdWords 17
Chapter 2 Welcome to Google AdWords! 19
Chapter 3 Cost-per-Click Advertising 55
Chapter 4 Advanced Opportunities within Google AdWords 77
Chapter 5 AdWords Tools of the Trade 103
Chapter 6 Google AdWords: Analysis and Insights 133
Part III Google Analytics 149
Chapter 7 Welcome to Google Analytics! 151
Chapter 8 The Web-Analytics Industry 203
Chapter 9 Sophisticated Google Analytics Features 227
Chapter 10 The Technical Side of Google Analytics 251
Part IV Google Website Optimizer 285
Chapter 11 Welcome to Google Website Optimizer 287
Chapter 12 Elementary Statistical Concepts 305
Chapter 13 The Technical Side of Google Website Optimizer
and Experiment Ideas 319
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viii Contents at a Glance
Part V Executing Your Game Plan 329
Chapter 14 Google AdWords and Google Analytics 331
Chapter 15 Google AdWords and Google Website Optimizer 349
Chapter 16 Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer 363
Part VI Wrapping It Up 377
Chapter 17 Google Programs to Add to Your Game Plan 379
Chapter 18 Programs to Add to Your Game Plan Outside Google 399
Appendix A Resources and a Thank-You! 413
Index 425
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