Google Conversion Code Errors

[SemAdvance]

Hi everyone,

I am running Adwords campaigns for an ecommerce website.

In one adgroup I have 3 ads targeting 20 or so keyword terms. ( I trimmed this down from 9 ads.)

Ads CTR are

6.66%

23.07%

26.08% CTR

I thought these were great numbers for Ad CTR% but there is one problem

No Conversions to sales!!!!!

Am I crazy???

Seems to me the conversion code works sometime and others it doesn't

We have seen customers come in via livehelp from Google and make a purchase but cannot see it in the conversions in other adgroups.

Has anyone else had this issue??

What other conversion tracking programs apps software are others using??

Peace

[smbotans]

i have found the same problem ie. lots of supposed click throughs but no sale ... i have decided to pause my ppc campain until i resolve this

many folks have reported that they have been charged for clicks that they cannot account for ... they have used their site's stats to check on this

i would strongly suggest using some sort of php script that counts the number of times a person has clicked on a link in an ad as verification that you are paying for the right number of clicks ... this also allows you to have info for when you raise the issue with google

some people have had money refunded when they raised the issue with google about paying for unaccounted clicks

i have such a php script if you want it but you will need to know how to create a mysql database and install a php script ... let me know

serge

[SemAdvance]

Hi Serge

It is not so much the clicks or a question of click fraud. It is the fact there are sales unaccounted for that seem to come from Google, yet are not producing conversion statistics.

I think I will use a 3rd party PPC code to track things as well.

Thank you,

If anyone else has a conversion code issue I still would like to hear.

[kjohnson5576]

I've noticed the same thing. I get orders and on the order I ask the question where they came from and many come from Google, but it doesn't show up in the conversion rankings. One problem with my site, is after people order, they do not HAVE to go to the page where the conversion tracking is. I've seen lots slip by this way.

Third Party Software? I'd love to get a free script. I used Who's Clicking Who paid service and found lots of fraudulent clicks (or so I thought) almost all from AOL proxy IP's. Google claimed the clicks were valid and there was a valid explaination for AOL Proxy clicks showing up as Click Fraud. Who's Clicking Who couldn't or wouldn't give me an explaination or stand behind their service...so that was $250 down the drain.

[Duncan Pollock]

All that an AdWord does is encourage people to visit your site, but this doesn't guarantee any conversion. Your landing page and the overall content of your site is the key to making a sale, generating a subscription, or whatever it is that you want to happen. All the clicks in the world aren't going to make the difference. What's going to count is your site's ability to sell people something.

Duncan

[TrafficProducer]

So True:-

All that an AdWord does is encourage people to visit your site, but this doesn't guarantee any conversion. Your landing page and the overall content of your site is the key to making a sale, generating a subscription, or whatever it is that you want to happen. All the clicks in the world aren't going to make the difference. What's going to count is your site's ability to sell people something.

Also note that any conversion rate could be as low as and 1 in 7, or 1 in 100. How often do you go to the shops a look without actually buying? Even when you are looking, Targeted, for that product.

As stated watch out for Click Fraud.

Maybe Affiliated Marketing, Pay Per Action, (pay commission on each sale) will be a better option, when you consider the budget being spent on No Sales.

More Here :Free Tips Methods of Advertising

[dtalbot]

Hi,

I have had the same problem with several customers accounts. It is always when I apply the conversion tracking code to more than one form within the same site.

When contacting Google about this, they come back with a stock answer that all is working, they let me know how to create the code and that I should go back and fix it. Well there isn't anything to fix as cut and paste is pretty accurate.

I'm playing with a site right now to see if I can find a solution but that will take weeks. So far there are no positive results.

The only way I know forms are converting is via Urchin tracking stats. I don't know for sure Google is generating the leads but the form in question is being used. So in turn if it is Google generating the lead, I don't know what words are working for me.

Maybe I could do a Google sitemap and see if their free stats would also show conversions. Does anyone one if the sitemap stats would show that a lead from a page page came from a site specific keyword search? Maybe this would be a work around solution.

[LazyCat]

Isn't it possible to create a php capture that would track the IP address on a landing page which might reveal click fraud or some sort of pattern(s) by day part?

Remember, I'm a novice here. Go easy on the feedback you Big Dawgs.

[dave@swimmingcat.com]

Those are fantastic CTRs for human surfers. But with no conversions it may well be a case of click fraud. Is your competition trying to burn up your advertising budget?

I have seen on Google Adwords campaigns the CTR suddening double or trebble and at the EXACT same time the sign ups go to near-zero. Coincidence - I think not. Lack of sign ups dramatically increases the customer acquision cost, which for low priced items can make this type of marketing impossible (if you like making a profit).

It seemed to me that the clicking was done by robots. When the ad text was changed (including a new URL) the same thing happened again - but after a few days. The CTR suddenly doubled and sign ups went to near zero. It does not make sense that the CTR would radically change when the ad text has remained constant.

My theory is some one has a network of PCs spread around the world running robot software that does google lookups, scans for the competitor's links, and clicks them. Because there is a) such a spread of IP addresses, b) low human like volume from each PC, and c) spread thoughout the day, google's click fraud detection does not pick it up.

This may even be done without folks knowing using using spyware trojan horse type delivery. That fancy screen saver that a surfer downloaded is burning up people's advertising budgets while it dazzles the user with goldfish swimming to and fro.

Time to seek out more cost effective advertising.