In the brave new world of 'Not Provided' showing the return on your SEO effort has become more and more difficult. Tim Resnik, Product Strategy Principal at Moz, will guide you through advanced Google Analytics techniques that you can use today to help justify your efforts, measure your search traffic, and segment your data in new ways.

1. Measuring ROI in the Age of
(not provided)
Feb 20th, 2014 Tim Resnik @tresnik
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2. How did this poker
player help me drive
search traffic?
2
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/JeffLisandro.jpg/1280px-JeffLisandro.jpg

3. Search Keyphrases* (Top 8)
full list
12,230 different keyphrases
Search
Percent
1. Card Player
5,500
5.2%
2. Cardplayer
5,100
4.8%
3. Cardplayer Magazine
3,300
3.1%
4. Card Player Poker
3,000
2.9%
5. Poker tournaments
2,200
2.0%
6. World Series of poker
1,700
1.6%
7. Card Player Magazine
1,500
1.4%
82,000
78.6%
Other phrases
* For example only. Not the real numbers
3
Psst…I bet there is
some good stuff here

4. Search Keyphrases*
Search
Percent
125. …
75
.0007%
125. …
75
.0007%
125. Jeff Lisandro
75
.0007%
125. …
75
.0007%
126. …
73
.0007%
126. …
73
.0007%!
126. …
73
.0007%
* For example only. Not the real numbers
4

5. Aha! – It’s Simple
$$$
5

6. 6

7. Smart Data Fuels Smart Bets
The Past
Measure Efforts
Exploit Opportunities
Place
your bets
7
The Future

8. There’s enough for everyone!
Wahoo!
8

9. There’s enough for everyone!
We’re all
rich!
9

10. Topics Pages Went Nuts
Content Farms Went “Nuts-er”
10

11. (not provided)
11

12. Our Fears were Assuaged
Impact will be in the
single digits
12

13. 2012
13

14. Well…
14

15. Getting Close to 100%
15

16. 16

17. RIP Keywords
17

18. Smart Bets with Smart Data
The Past
Measure Efforts
Exploit Opportunities
Place
your bets
18
The Future

19. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
19
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

20. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
20

21. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
Limitation #1: Limited data set
Vs.
21
Google Analytics has at least
30X more keywords than
Webmaster Tools for Moz

22. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
Limitation #2: Limited timeframe
Only 90 Days of Keyword Data
22

23. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
Limitation #3: Limited Google Analytics integration
Google Analytics
does not provided
any additional
features or value for
Google Webmaster
Tools data
23

24. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
Limitation #4: No Transparency
24

25. Tip #1: Use Google Webmaster Tools
Scorecard:
Google Independent:
NO
EASY
Useful:
Good for:
YES
25
Ease of Implementation:
EVERYONE

26. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
26
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

27. Tip #2: Pass Meta Data in Custom Variables
Meta Data
Structured Data
27

28. Tip #2: Pass Meta Data in Custom Variables
Your site has lots of useful stuff to help you figure out context
Pass this data through
a custom variable
_gaq.push(['_setCustomVar', 1, ’category', <?= $director ?>, 2]);
28

29. Tip #2: Pass Meta Data in Custom Variables
Use your custom
variable as the
secondary dimension to
landing page for Google
search referrals
29

30. Tip #2: Pass Meta Data in Custom Variables
Scorecard:
Google Independent:
YES
MODERATE
Useful:
Good for:
YES
30
Ease of Implementation:
EVERYONE

31. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
31
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

32. Tip #3: Custom Variables w/ WordPress
Categories, tags, author
Data
32
Place
your bets

33. Tip #3: Custom Variables w/ WordPress
33

34. Should you do it? – Why Not?
Scorecard:
Google Independent:
YES
EASY
Useful:
Good for:
YES
34
Ease of Implementation:
WORDPRESS USERS

35. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
35
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

36. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
36

37. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
MyBeerBlog.com
IPA
OR
Pale
CO
OR
Porter
CO
OR
CO
I want to know what beer type receives the most traffic from Google
Search.
37

38. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
MyBeerBlog.com (1,000 visits)
IPA (300)
OR
(250)
38
CO
(50)
Pale (200)
OR
(125)
CO
(75)
Porter (50)
OR
(10)
CO
(40)

39. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
MyBeerBlog.com (1,000 visits)
IPA (300)
OR
(250)
CO
(50)
Pale (200)
OR
(125)
CO
(75)
Porter (50)
OR
(10)
More investigation needed, but looks promising
39
CO
(40)

40. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
40

41. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
Method #1: Extraction
MyBeerBlog.com/reviews/ipa/or/double-mountain-review
/reviews/(.*)/ will create content categories based on the
directory for type (ipa, pale, porter)
41

42. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
Method #2: Create Rules
42

43. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
Use the tracking code feature if your URL structures are not
Just like a custom
variable, you can
automate to pass
through a category, tag
or other metadata
43

44. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
Tacking Code Method is Best for Moz:
http://moz.com/blog/social-engagementmetrics-that-matter
44

45. Tip #4: Content Grouping in GA
Tacking Code Method is Best for Moz:
ga('set', ’Blogs', ’Social Media');
45

46. Should you do it? -- Maybe
Google Independent:
NO
EASY
Useful:
Good for:
YES*
46
Ease of Implementation:
EVERYONE

47. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
47
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

48. Not too long ago…
48

49. Tip #5: Extract Data from Google Referral
49

50. How much is a video/news/image result
worth to you?
There is no way to know…or is there?
50

51. Tip #5: Extract Data from Google Referral
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rj
a&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fradiohead.com%2F&ei=8zAQUf_D
GIHO9AT76oHACA&usg=AFQjCNEuIlxuET2Onkcq_gLo6qAMpILDew&bvm=b
v.41867550,d.eWU
This string can help!
51

52. Vertical (Universal
Search)
QFj
Organic Search
QqQIw
News OneBox (link)
QpwI
News OneBox (image)
Q9QEw
Image OneBox
Qtwlw
Video OneBox (link)
QuAIw
Video OneBox (image)
QjB
Organic Search - Sitelink
BEPwd
Knowledge Graph image (leading)
BEP4d
52
Code
Knowledge Graph image (non-leading)

53. Extract and Segment in Google Analytics
53

54. Setup a new profile
54

55. Setup 2 New Filters
55

56. Filter #1
Regex to capture
VED in referral
string
56

57. Filter #1
We’ll use this in
the next filter:
“VED – CD”
57

58. Filter #2
Calls the custom
field we just
created: “VED –
CD”
Extracts the
referring search
engine
58

59. The result
59

60. Should you do it? – Yes
Google Independent:
NO
MODERATE
Useful:
Good for:
YES
60
Ease of Implementation:
EVERYONE

61. Take action!
1.
2.
3.
61
4.
Use Google webmaster Tools
Pass Meta Data through
custom variables
Leverage wordpress plugins
Group content using Google

62. Smart Data Fuels Smart Bets
The Past
Measure Efforts
Exploit Opportunities
Place
your bets
62
The Future

63. Tim Resnik @tresnik tim@moz.com
63
The recording & the slide deck will be available soon
on our site: http://moz.com/webinars