Analytics & conversion
Search Engine Land is your source for analytics & conversion news and content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
Don’t miss out! Get the Search Engine Land newsletter delivered daily to your inbox. Subscribe for free!
Microsoft introduces XLOOKUP in Excel – and it’s a big deal for data reporting
The new feature addresses many of VLOOKUP's limitations.
Bloomreach integration for Salesforce Commerce Cloud now available on AppExchange
Bloomreach bsMR users can integrate site search in B2B commerce environments to increase conversions.
Simplifying Google Analytics configuration with Google Tag Manager
Using analytics through GTM allows you to simplify the code in place on your site and quickly set up advanced features like cross-domain tracking.
SMX replay: Create dashboards that inform and persuade
Sam Marsden of DeepCrawl explains how to use data visualization to get faster buy-in from management and stakeholders.
Why search queries and location data could trump polling as political tools in 2020
Location intelligence will be used to identify and target voters, and predict election results.
Conductor adds audience demographics and social media analytics to Searchlight platform
Multi-channel analytics are also available in a closed beta.
Leveraging data science to illuminate the modern consumer decision journey
When analysis of behavior focuses on query relationships, we find searches are seldom linear and occur in clusters that don’t necessarily align with funnel-like behavior.
Static reports are dead: Here’s why you need to move to Google Data Studio
With real-time reporting, interactivity and shareability, dynamic dashboards are a time-saver for marketers and keep clients informed.
How call tracking is becoming ‘conversational intelligence’
Marketers have really only scratched the surface of what call analytics can do.
Using insights to find new audiences to test for awareness campaigns
Learn how to test new audience combinations with the Audience Insights tool in Google Ads Audience Manager.
Making the leap from automatic….to intelligent marketing automation
Why AI is a ‘must-have’ for marketing campaign management
How to know when it’s time to pay for search analytics tools
SEO and search marketing experts offer feedback on when to pay for search analytics tools, factors to consider and making the most out of what you buy.
Riding the wave of AI: Is your marketing campaign as smart as it can be?
AI and machine learning are helping marketers in more ways that you can imagine.
Ask an SMXpert: New approaches in customization can build better analytics reports
Data-driven digital marketing expert Simon Poulton outlines opportunities in various solutions to customize dimensions for more focused analytics reporting.
AI in action
Marketers’ jobs have never been more complex. They have to juggle vendors, evaluate complicated technology, and draw insights from reams of data, all while meeting skyrocketing customer expectations. But artificial intelligence is changing the equation, helping marketers make sense of a deluge of information and effortlessly execute more effective campaigns. Watson Marketing’s suite of AI-powered […]
Analyze data distribution more accurately with time series
Using a time series layer to histograms and box and whisker plot visualizations can add true diagnostic value. This is part three of a three-part series about Bing's data distribution tools.
A closer look at Bing’s box and whisker plots to analyze CPC data
The box and whisker visualization offers a view of both the mean and median along with four quartiles to identify statistical outliers. This is part two of a three-part series about Bing's data distribution tools.
Bing histograms reveal better business intelligence metrics with data distribution
Simple average is ok but histograms of your CPC data can help to better understand outlier data points. This is part one of a three-part series about Bing's data distribution tools.
3 signs it’s time to make the switch to account-based analytics
If someone asked how you track your marketing efforts, how would you respond? Chances are, your answer would sound like a game of martech MadLibs. You’re using Google Analytics, advertising platforms, marketing automation, your CRM and myriad other tools to track, measure and take action on your marketing data. You spend your days building marketing […]
Why aligning marketing with your customer journey matters
The session offered a sophisticated blueprint to calibrate marketing, sales and content for different personas at each stage of the buyer journey.
YouTube now counts ‘engagement’ for YouTube for action ads at 10 seconds, not 30
Google says the new attribution will better reflect the role of video in the customer journey.
How to use data to power target account selection
According to SiriusDecisions, a full 91% of B2B teams that are doing account-based marketing (ABM) see larger deal sizes from their target accounts than from non-target accounts. If that isn’t a ringing endorsement for the efficacy of ABM, then I don’t know what is. In theory, ABM is straightforward: Focus the bulk of your energy […]
Ask the SMXperts — Schema & Structured Data, JavaScript
Three #SMXperts answer questions from the Advanced Technical SEO session at SMX Advanced and share their insights on JavaScript and structured data, two topics at the forefront of website development and search engine ranking.
Why your marketing performance problem is really a measurement challenge
Figuring out how your company will grow is one of the biggest challenges facing marketers. The playbook is clear: Choose a high-value audience, execute relevant and creative campaigns, and voilà, results and growth for your brand, product or service. But setting your marketing team up for success is tougher than ever. One reason is that, […]
Is your marketing platform really intelligent?
Let’s face it, the future isn’t turning out to be what we were promised in decades past. No flying cars, and the closest thing to robot butlers are Siri and Alexa. Don’t get me wrong, they’re handy in their ways: suggesting nearby Thai food or tending to virtual shopping carts as we yell our grocery […]
5 Google Optimize tests to take AdWords to the next level
Recently, Google released new ways to connect landing page tests to AdWords using Google Optimize. Columnist and Googler Matt Lawson runs down the tests you should set up in your accounts.
Improve paid search lead-gen with cohort analysis
Adopting cohort analyses is a powerful means to assess trends, retention and path to purchase. Contributor Megan Taggart explains how to implement the model in your paid search reporting.
All the right marketing technology for advanced TV media buying
Every marketer, regardless of discipline, has a holy grail in mind. For analysts, it may be having a holistic view of the customer journey. For creatives, it may be having the team and tools to conceptualize and generate impactful experiences. And for media buyers, it may be the ability to take a single media plan […]
RIP A/B Testing
Gather all ye family, friends, webmasters and digital marketing executives. We’ve come here to celebrate the life of the now outdated A/B Testing process, which has finally succumbed to the inefficiencies that have plagued its process. What was A/B? How many of us truly knew what A/B Testing was? Allow me to briefly introduce the […]
Marketing in a distracted, digital world
In today’s world, digital media is so pervasive that it’s no longer considered unique; it’s a way of life. Virtually everyone has a smartphone, and most individuals and households have multiple smart devices, including tablets, phones and computers. This prevalence, coupled with the rise of Big Data, digital marketing tools and social media, has given […]
LaterPay offers first paywall platform for AMP pages
The German-Swiss payment infrastructure provider allows readers to maintain a running tab of per-article charges until a threshold is met.
The evolution of phone marketing
In the beginning, there was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. And it was not good. By 2017 standards, it was barely a phone. Virtually zero coverage, a price tag that translates to almost $10,000 of today’s dollars, and completely devoid of apps. It also had a 10-hour charge time that only translated into about a half-hour […]
Google expanding Attribution beta to hundreds more advertisers
Google's anticipated multi-channel attribution product is rolling out to more advertisers.
5 ways to capitalize on Google Tag Manager
If you haven't taken advantage of Google Tag Manager, now may be the time to get started. Columnist Stela Yordanova outlines five ways to utilize GTM to help you improve your marketing results.
How to use AI for link building and improve your search rankings
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow in popularity among consumers, marketers working in search engine optimization must consider how it can make their work easier and help them get better results.
SEO 101: Which URL versions to add to Google Search Console
Can you really afford to miss out on free technical data about your website's performance in Google search results? Of course not! Contributor Fili Wiese explains how to set up your website in Google Search Console to make it work to your advantage.
Bridging data and action: How to create killer reports
Are your reports not having the impact you would have hoped? Check out columnist Amy Bishop's tips and tools below to create powerful, useful reports that drive results.
3 ways to use search query data from Google Search Console
New to Google Search Console? Columnist Dianna Huff provides a handy guide for gleaning actionable insights from the Search Analytics report.
Google Analytics rolling out ‘ask a question’ to get answers instantaneously
With natural language, users can quickly get data without having to dig for it from both desktop and Google Analytics' mobile apps.
PaveAI unveils AI-powered platform to turn Google Analytics into actions
Startup says this is the first Google Analytics tool that turns the data into news you can use about increasing leads or revenue.