Now, you may or may not have an Analytics account setup already so this will cover you either way.

If you DO NOT believe you have an Analytics account setup already, do this:

1. Log in to Google AdWords at http://adwords.google.com
2. Once there, click “Reporting and Tools,” then “Google Analytics”
3. You’ll see a screen like Figure 1 below that will ask if you want to link an existing Analytics account or create a new Analytics account to be linked.
   

   Figure 1 - Link AdWords and Analytics Account - Click to Enlarge

4. This is where things can get hairy. Whether you think you have an analytics account or not, you’ll probably want to start by selecting “I already have a Google Analytics account. Please link it to this AdWords account”
   • So why do it this way? Because at some point in the past, you or another web developer or someone else may have already setup an Analytics account that is tracking this site. We see this all the time (sometimes setup of Analytics is included in the services rendered by a previous developer, so even though you don’t think one was setup, it may have been anyway).
   • If you want to be absolutely sure, view the source for your site and check for existing analytics code
   • Why not just setup a new account anyway? You could, but then you wouldn’t have access to all of that valuable data collected in the old analytics account without logging in separately. That data is valuable, and you want to preserve it if possible, even if you haven’t used it up until now.
5. So, click “Continue” and AdWords will pull up a list of all Analytics accounts managed under the current user.
6. Have a quick look at the dropdown box labeled “Existing Google Analytics Account” to find out if an account already exists and, if it does, select it and press “Link my account.” Now the accounts are linked and you’re all finished.
7. If you don’t see an existing account in the dropdown, select “Cancel” and continue the instructions
8. Now you can select “Create my free Google Analytics account” and click continue
9. Follow the instructions on the next page and Google will provide you with the code you’ll need to add to your site in order to begin tracking
10. Have your developer install the code, or have us do it for you
11. All done.

If you already have an Analytics account but it’s not the same as your AdWords account, do this:

In this case, you’ll want to preserve that Analytics account with all it’s juicy historical data, so you’ll need to add your AdWords account as a user to your Analytics account in order to link the two. Here’s how:

1. Login to your Analytics account at http://analytics.google.com…You should see something like the following:
   

   Figure 2 - Google Analytics Dashboard - Click to Enlarge

2. Once there, click the “User Manager>>” link toward the bottom-middle of the page and you’ll be presented with the following Figure 3:
   

   Figure 3 - Google Analytics User Manager - Click to Enlarge

3. Click the “+ Add User” link toward the top right of that table in Figure 3
4. Now you’re presented with the following Figure 4:
   

   Figure 4 - Add User to Google Analytics - Click to Enlarge

5. In the “Email Address” field, enter the email address of your AdWords user (read that again, it’s important to get this right)
6. In the “Access Type” dropdown, make sure you choose “Account Administrator” (otherwise you won’t be able to link the accounts)
7. Click “Save Changes”
8. Now log out of Analytics
9. Log back into AdWords at http://adwords.google.com
10. Click “Reporting and Tools” tab, then “Google Analytics”
11. Now you’re presented with Figure 1 above
12. Select “I already have a Google Analytics account. Please link it to this AdWords account”
13. Click “Continue”
14. Now, in the dropdown box labeled “Existing Google Analytics Account,” select the account you just added the user to in the previous steps
    • Note: because you added your AdWords user as an Administrator on your Analytics account, you’ll now be able to link the two
15. Click “Link my account”
16. That’s it.

Hopefully these instructions will help the vast majority of AdWords-Analytics users out there. If you find you’re still having trouble, why not spend $75 with us to get up and running within a day?

We have a number of smaller clients taking advantage of the lower traffic numbers on Yahoo! and Bing to run profitable PPC campaigns where they couldn’t show a profit on Google due to crazy competition running up CPCs.

Unfortunately, when Yahoo! completes the transition on the paid search side, the combined market share will be 20-30%. I have no doubt this will result in a lot more competition on Bing/Yahoo! as larger advertisers begin spending more time and money targeting the estimated 62% larger search volume and that will consequently drive up CPCs. Hopefully things won’t get too crazy, but if there was ever a time to optimize your Bing campaign, it’s now.

The interesting thing is I’d bet a good chunk of people don’t even know what incontinence is…hell, I didn’t know until I saw a pharmaceutical commercial a few months ago and I just started to wonder until eventually it was all I was thinking about and I just had to know…so I looked it up.

So my question is…was this an accident, or is someone trying to subtly insult me? Pretty funny regardless.

By the way, I’ve removed the support agent’s info as I don’t want him/her catching heat should his/her higher ups come across this post; he/she was extremely helpful after all.

Highlight added for emphasis.

Dear John ,

I called to follow up on your service request regarding your Microsoft adCenter account with Bing. I’m happy to tell you that your account is now active and running. The editorial team overturned the appeal for your landing page containing pharmaceutical. I’m very sorry for the incontinence this may have caused you. I understand how it can be frustrating.

We value each of our customers and would like to provide you with a positive experience.  You may receive a survey asking you to rate our performance. Please take the time to provide your feedback as your opinion is very important to us.

If the issue you called about was not resolved or if you feel we did not provide an excellent level of service, please call us immediately and we will gladly answer your concerns.  I have documented this e-mail under service request #[request number removed].

We want to thank you for allowing us to help build your business by advertising with Microsoft adCenter.

Sincerely,

[name removed] [department removed]

1. First, log in to your Yahoo advertising account by clicking here.
2. Once logged in, click the “Administration” tab.
3. At the administration page, click the “Master Account Users” link just below that tab.
4. Next you should see a list of users on your account. In most cases, you’ll be the only one.
5. Now click the link toward the top left of the list of users that reads, “Add a Master Account User”.
6. Most of the information is self-explanatory, so enter all the easy stuff.
7. Next, select “Non-administrator”.
   1. A bit about choosing the master account role: You have a choice between “Administrator” and “Non-administrator.” Administrator means the user will have complete access to everything on the account…in other words, he/she will see everything you see and be able to do everything you do (assuming you’re the account owner). That includes creating new users, deleting users, managing payment methods, etc… For the purpose of managing an account, I only need “Non-administrator” status, so make sure the “Non-administrator” radio button is selected.
8. Next, select “Campaign Manager”.
   1. A bit about choosing the new user’s role: You have three options here, 1) Account Manager, 2) Campaign Manager, and 3) Analyst; these represent different access levels and I’ll explain those in more detail here:
      1. Account Manager: This is full access and is pretty much the same as setting the Master Account Role to “Administrator” as described in part 7.1 above. The only difference being that an account manager cannot add or remove other users from this account. He can do everything else an administrator can.
      2. Campaign Manager: This is the role I need to manage a client’s account. This role allows me access to everything in the account except for the “Administration” tab, where any sensitive payment and account access information lies. In simple terms, this role allows me to create and manage ad campaigns, and nothing more.
      3. Analyst: A user with this role can see everything the “Campaign Manager” can see, but he can’t change anything. In simple terms, look but don’t touch.
9. Finally, click “Save Changes”. Within about 10 minutes the new user you added will receive an email at the email address you entered inviting him to log in.

Yahoo Search Marketing Logo

1. First, you have to have an adCenter account. If not, go here and create one.
2. If you already have an account, login here.
3. Once logged in, click on “Accounts and Billing”:
   
   

   Click the "Accounts & Billing" tab here

4. Then click the “Users” sub-tab:
   
   

   Click the "Users" tab here

5. Click the “Create User” link toward the left side of that page:
   
   

   Click the "Create a user profile" button here

6. The form is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll need to select a user name, password, and email address. If I’m managing your account make sure you enter my email address. The address info can be changed later and therefore doesn’t need to be accurate right now.
7. Beneath “Communication preferences” do me a favor and make sure you uncheck “Yes, sign me up to receive Microsoft adCenter Member Communications such as news, updates, offers, and tips!”.
   
   

   Fill out the form and uncheck "Send me important information about Bing..."

8. Then, beneath “Account Roles and Access” select the account to assign this user access to or assign them access to all account (most people only have one account listed here so this selection isn’t important in that case).
9. Finally, make sure “Advertising campaign manager” is selected as the user’s role. The other option grants the user complete access to your account, including your billing and contact information and the right to create and delete users and accounts.
   
   

   Select "Advertiser Campaign Manager" here

That’s it, you’re done!

Because the AdWords “click-through rate” is dependant both on the number of clicks and the number of impressions, you must not use “click-through rate” to determine statistical significance. Only the raw number of clicks can be used in the formula.

Read the rest at A Smart Bear.

A Smart Bear company logo