Google Analytics - Keyword 'Not Set' ?

Chet Zar

Hey guys,

Getting differing takes on this online - I have an Analytics account where all of the keyword data is showing as 'not set'. So, I have no idea which keywords are triggering clicks...any ideas on how to solve? Auto-tagging is switched on, and don't really want to manually tag every keyword if there is a quicker way to fix...?

blue4ever

OK – (Not set) and (not provided) is a pain in the arse!
As of Feb/March here in Ireland (I think) searches on Google were encrypted if the searcher was logged into his/her account and therefore the landing site would not be provided the keyword – they show up as (not set) or not provided.
There is nothing you can do about that, you can’t get the keywords elsewhere.

LifeBeginsAt40

Yes. That's my understanding of it. It's a privacy issue. If a person is logged into their Google account their search info is not available to you. It's been well documented on various Google forums.

Mrs OBumble

blue4ever wrote: »

There is nothing you can do about that, you can’t get the keywords elsewhere.

+1

It's due to the new privacy policy, and paranoid people changing their settings so we don't know what they searched for.

The best you can do is assume that the missing keywords have the same frequency profile as the non-missing ones. (could be a very heroic assumption in many niches, I agree.)

seachto7

Isn't (not provided) the new one? I think you can make assumptions on the types of keywords they are depending on their traffic sources.
A lot could be brand, but it's only assumptions. They are showing up high in the results for most traffic types these days, and a whole lot of info we are not getting.....

link8r

AFAIK - encrypted keywords are contained in the set (not provided).

(A) (not set) may actually be two other sources:
1. AdWords Content Network (especially where the AW account is not linked to Analytics). Essentially, there is no keyword.

2. Other providers. I've noticed on a few Analytics accounts I've seen where referrer traffic is shown as search traffic under (Not Set).

You can test this hypotheses by using advanced metrics to set keyword = (not set). Don't set medium to "organic". Then check your other data sources, life referrer.

(B) Getting the words
(not provided) is growing really fast. Here is one thing you can do:

Compare the traffic clicks in Google Webmaster Tools to the visits logged in Analytics. Webmaster tools isn't "censored", I mean encrypted!
HTH

Chet Zar

Thanks guys, the above is as I expected, but just to emphasise - ALL of the data is reporting as 'not set'. So, in the AdWords reporting section, there are a few hundred visits reported, but the campaign field just shows as 'not set', even though the ad is showing up on Google all the time.

Must be something more going on here, all AdWords clicks can't be 'not set', surely? Unless everyone who has clicked on an ad has been logged in to their Google Account?! Which can't be possible..

link8r

Chet Zar wrote: »

Thanks guys, the above is as I expected, but just to emphasise - ALL of the data is reporting as 'not set'. So, in the AdWords reporting section, there are a few hundred visits reported, but the campaign field just shows as 'not set', even though the ad is showing up on Google all the time.

Must be something more going on here, all AdWords clicks can't be 'not set', surely? Unless everyone who has clicked on an ad has been logged in to their Google Account?! Which can't be possible..

Hi Chet - if its showing in AdWords as not set, then most likely (almost certainly) it's Content Network. There is no search phrase on the content network - matching is done by text content.

Are you running ads on both the search network AND/OR the Content Network?

AdWords > Campaign > Settings - this will tell you

Chet Zar

link8r wrote: »

Hi Chet - if its showing in AdWords as not set, then most likely (almost certainly) it's Content Network. There is no search phrase on the content network - matching is done by text content.

Are you running ads on both the search network AND/OR the Content Network?

AdWords > Campaign > Settings - this will tell you

Hey, cheers, no the ads have been running for months on both search and content, I've just taken over the account but am very familiar with AdWords - all of these few hundred clicks are directly from the AdWords campaign which is running on both search and content and there have been loads of clicks on search thus far...

link8r

Chet Zar wrote: »

Hey, cheers, no the ads have been running for months on both search and content, I've just taken over the account but am very familiar with AdWords - all of these few hundred clicks are directly from the AdWords campaign which is running on both search and content and there have been loads of clicks on search thus far...

So then those clicks in not set represent the Content Network. If you look at your dashboard, you the number of (not set) should correspond with the CN Clicks in AdWords for the same given period (don't go up to todays date - they won't be in sync)

Chet Zar

link8r wrote: »

So then those clicks in not set represent the Content Network. If you look at your dashboard, you the number of (not set) should correspond with the CN Clicks in AdWords for the same given period (don't go up to todays date - they won't be in sync)

No...in Analytics there are 70 visits total recorded under AdWords > Campaigns for the month of April (not set as everything is not set).

In AdWords itself, there are over 400 clicks on the Content Network for the same time period..

link8r

Chet Zar wrote: »

No...in Analytics there are 70 visits total recorded under AdWords > Campaigns for the month of April (not set as everything is not set).

In AdWords itself, there are over 400 clicks on the Content Network for the same time period..

Sorry to ask the obvious, Is this specific analytics account correctly connected to this adwords account?

Chet Zar

link8r wrote: »

Sorry to ask the obvious, Is this specific analytics account correctly connected to this adwords account?

After a bit of investigation, I've found that auto-tagging is switched on, but the accounts themselves aren't linked! Now, when trying to link them, I can't seem to do that, as I'm appearing as a 'User' in 'Roles' in step 4 at this link - even though I am an Admin of the AdWords account.

Any ideas on why I can't seem to proceed in the process to link up the accounts?

link8r

Chet Zar wrote: »

After a bit of investigation, I've found that auto-tagging is switched on, but the accounts themselves aren't linked! Now, when trying to link them, I can't seem to do that, as I'm appearing as a 'User' in 'Roles' in step 4 at this link - even though I am an Admin of the AdWords account.

Any ideas on why I can't seem to proceed in the process to link up the accounts?

I've been using both tools for what seems like 8/9 years and they are at best "kludgy". I love Google's Agile, Lean model but sometimes you wish they'd sit and think something out for a while!

AFAIK, there is only the click on AdWords > Reporting > Analytics - join account or the Analytics > Admin > Track AdWords options - and both require you to be an Admin user.

Otherwise, you can setup a second account and insert a second analytics code etc but that will have other issues