Data is key to better campaign results.

Author: Krzysztof Marzec – Search Awards Judge, CEO Google Ads & Analytics Trainer

Analysing the best competition submissions reveals one standard recipe for the most effective campaigns: solid groundwork combined with the right amount of innovation. Interestingly, campaigns with an obvious business goal combined with analytics and data usage deliver the best results. Therefore, in this article, I will show you how analytics can influence better campaigns and be used for innovation.

Correct Implementation of GA4 on GTM with Consent Mode

One key element that enables practical data analysis in SEM campaigns is properly implementing Google Analytics 4 (GA4) using Google Tag Manager (GTM) in conjunction with Consent Mode. With Consent Mode, we can better manage user consent to track their activity. This allows compliance with GDPR regulations while not wholly abandoning valuable data. Consent Mode enables data collection from users who have consented to tracking while providing limited information about those who have not, without disrupting the overall campaign analysis. This way, we gain reliable data on user interactions, which is the foundation for successful marketing actions.

In this setup:

• Clearly define the campaign goal and measure the most important conversions.
• Estimate the percentage of data lost due to lack of consent and monitor this level.
• Supplement measurement with additional data – micro-conversions, to better assess the quality of acquired traffic.
• Some data requires cross-checking; for example, the page speed data from PageSpeed Insights combined with landing pages with low-quality Scores is a great report, but it goes beyond GA4.

Enhanced Conversions – How to Utilise the Benefits of This Technology

Enhanced Conversions is an advanced feature allowing you to collect more conversion data based on encrypted user data from Google. With enhanced conversions, you can increase the accuracy of conversion measurement and better tailor your campaigns to specific audience segments. Implementing this feature in Google Ads allows you to optimise advertising spending, reducing the risk of wasting your budget on less effective actions. Combined with a well-configured GA4, this functionality enables you to monitor and optimise campaigns in a more advanced way.

PRO TIP Enhanced conversions will improve the performance of your pMAX campaigns. These provide significant data on users. You’ll better understand which user segments convert more frequently, effective keywords, and targeting methods. Remember to use this when creating search campaigns. Their proper synergy with pMAX is called, not without reason, a “Power Pair.”

Attribution Analysis – How to Forget “Last Click” and See the Supporting Channels

Many still apply the traditional attribution analysis approach based on the last-click model. Although this is the most popular method, it overlooks that many advertising actions influence other channels, which also play an essential role in the user’s purchasing process. Proper attribution analysis helps better understand how individual channels influence each other and support the entire user journey. Attribution models, such as data-driven, allow for a more advanced assessment, helping optimise SEM campaigns and tailor them to the audience’s actual needs. This approach shows how different elements of the SEM strategy, including search ads, display, or remarketing, complement each other, leading to better results.

Remember that:

• Performance Max campaigns, by default, use brand keywords, which may make their results look impressive, but this comes at the expense of the Google/Organic channel. Take advantage of exclusion keywords and analyse search queries.
• When summarising campaign results, never look at data from the advertising tool (e.g., Google Ads), but use a tool that consolidates all channels into one level (Google Analytics 4).
• Channels complement each other; thus, when running Google Ads, leverage retargeting in Meta Ads. The positive effects may surprise you.

Server-Side Implementation and Its Benefits

In recent years, more companies have implemented server-side tracking. Unlike traditional client-side tracking based on tags, server-side tracking enables the capture and analysis of data directly on the server. This solution has many advantages. First, it enhances user privacy and reduces dependence on browsers that may block standard tracking methods. Additionally, server-side tracking gives us complete control over the data, enabling better protection and preventing data loss. This is an excellent tool for more precise and secure SEM campaign analysis.

PRO TIP: If you like this approach, check out the advantages of analysing data not only in GA4 but at the BigQuery level. You have access to raw data, allowing for much more accurate analyses.

Audience Lists and Remarketing Based Not Only on Conversions but Also on Micro-Conversions

Finally, remember that good remarketing is based on solid analytics. For example, it’s not always worth focusing exclusively on people who have completed conversions. Micro-conversions, which are smaller but still valuable actions users take on the site, such as visiting a key page, clicking on a product, or signing up for a newsletter, are also very important. Analysing micro-conversions helps better determine where the user is in the purchasing journey and their intentions. By segmenting audience lists, we can target ads to people who have already shown interest in a product but have not purchased. This approach allows for better targeting of users on the verge of making a purchasing decision, significantly improving the effectiveness of remarketing campaigns.

PRO TIP: Remember RLSA. Retargeting in search allows you to use too general keywords and provides poor results in regular campaigns. However, these keywords can generate revenue when ads are displayed to users who already know your brand.

Summary

Investing in analytics and implementing modern technologies such as GA4, server-side tracking, enhanced conversions, and advanced attribution models are essential to success in SEM campaigns. By adequately utilising data, we can increase campaign effectiveness and introduce innovations that will help stand out from the competition. Understanding how analytics influences all aspects of the campaign provides immense opportunities for optimisation and precise tailoring of actions to meet the market’s real needs.

About the Author – Krzysztof Marzec

CEO at DevaGroup, an agency with the title of Google Premier Partner and Google Rising Star. SEO, Google Ads & Analytics Trainer. Trained the best agencies and media houses directly for Google. Author of two books, over hundreds of articles and highly rated online courses. Lecturer at Jagiellonian University and the Tischner European University. Speaker at dozens of conferences, winning best presentation and audience awards. Founder and organizer of semKRK, barcamp gathering up to 500 participants of the SEM industry. He worked for such brands as Allegro.pl, Neo24, Shoper.pl, Conrad.pl, Interia.pl, RMF Group and Bauer Publishing.