JB Articles

Media Buying: Retargeting and Pay Per Click Checklist

Why it matters

Retargeting (also known as remarketing) ads are shown to users who have visited the site before. In B2B, where provider choices are often high risk and business-critical, it’s rare for a visitor to convert on the first visit. Therefore, getting people to return to the site and take a second look should be considered a very high priority.

Using Google Tag Manager (GTM) for Actionable Insights

We all swim in a large sea of data. But there can be a big difference between data- raw numbers on a page or stuck in the depths of Google Analytics, server logs, or out there in the ether somewhere – and actionable information.

We have two main jobs in this area. First, to make sure that you have the numbers you need to inform decision-making at all levels from the selection of advertising text to which new countries to expand into.

Channel Definitions for Email, Search Engines, and Ad Platforms

What are Channel Definitions?

Channel definitions define each source of incoming traffic in a way that makes sense for your business.

Why channel definitions matter

Accurate channel definitions and attribution is necessary to ensure the data you are receiving is correct and that any subsequent analysis yields useful insight for decision making.

Event tracking and URL Parameters

What is event tracking?

Straight out of the box, Google Analytics records pageviews and not much else. When a user interacts with content without changing the URL, this can be captured using an “event.”  Events could include: file downloads, clicking a link, downloading a PDF, submitting a form, playing a video, etc.

Single Page Apps, Javascript and URL Fragments

What are Single Page Apps?

Single Page Apps are increasingly common, especially for highly interactive sites. Here different content is served through Javascript rather than HTML, so while it may look like there are different pages, they are (from a Google Analytics point of view) the same. This means that Google Analytics can’t record how long a user spends in a particular area or what they look at without some additional setup. 

Deepening User Insight: Scroll Tracking, Heatmaps, and Session Recording

Scroll tracking, heatmapping, and session recording

What it is 

Although Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics do have some facility for scroll tracking (seeing how far down the page users get), this is one area where other packages do it better, more easily, and in a more robust way. We usually use Hotjar for scroll tracking and heatmapping. 

Technical Code and Server Level Variables

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

How do I get my website more (and better) traffic?

SEO consists of two focus areas – (i) tasks for software developers and (ii) tasks for content developers and outreach specialists. The first group relates to implementation of website code and best practices for presenting your site’s content and structure to search engines. The second group relates to developing high value, long-tail search targeted content and working with other online entities.

Domain & Server Management: Canonical Tags

Domain & Server Management

Changing URLs is almost always bad. Keywords in URLs don’t really matter as much as most agencies think, and traffic is often lost with even the best redirects. Mindfully managing your page’s addresses, your domain(s), and how traffic is being routed is a critical piece of effective site management with clear impacts on SEO and its implementation.

Managing Subdomains

Parameters on internal links should never be used to generate click tracking information, as this can overwrite and interrupt the chain of activity recorded by Google Analytics. In particular, UTM parameters should never be employed on internal links.

Internal Redirects & Redirect Chains

Internal Redirects & Redirect Chains

What they are

Redirects occur when you the address for a page changes. For example, let’s say you have yoursite.com/overview and decide that this page would more accurately be called “about us”. So you change the URL in your CMS, save your changes, and the page can now be found at yoursite.com/about-us. Now, if someone who has the old address /overview, unless a redirect is created they will get a 404 (Not Found) error when they try to access it. Redirects are implemented to help route traffic to the new page address, much as a Change of Address form does when you move to a new house or apartment.