New Features in Google AdWords & Google Analytics

Intro by Rebecca: Coincidentally, Adam Green submitted this SEM post to YOUmoz last night, and it's very informative so I decided to move it to the main blog and have it kick off SEM Tuesdays. Enjoy!

There have been a number of updates to Google Adwords and Google Analytics lately, so I thought the SEOmoz community might want a summary of them.  For the most part, I am impressed with the new features and Google should be applauded for listening to their user base and responding with these additions. 

Improvement #1 - AdWords Geographical Targeting with Google Maps

Although geographical targeting is not perfect, this new mapping feature does make it easier for the average user.  Google has introduced a new system where users can see targeted areas using Google Maps.  I like this feature a lot because it allows me to see the surrounding towns and cities which I might want to include in my targeting for a particular local client.  This is especially handy for those who manage clients outside of their geographic area. 

Some new improvements include Google's creation of "bundles," where you can bundle together specific regions like Central America or Africa.

Where this system falls short, and this is a long standing issue with geo targeting, is the fact that a user sitting in City Example X, may not have an IP address registered to that location.  Thus, when developing campaigns it can be a good idea to develop campaigns with the city keyword as a geographic qualifier and even test the effectiveness of the polygon targeting tool. 

Here is what the map targeting looks like for a client looking to target the Toronto region in Canada:

Improvement #2 - Google Keyword Tool

Google has also improved the functionality of its keyword tool by adding features that allow you to filter results,  choose which statistics columns to display and select match types at the keyword level. They have also combined the ability to see keyword variations and site-related keywords into one tab, allowing you to see all keywords on one page.  This update isn't a huge breakthrough, but the increased functionality is nice for those of us who use this tool on a regular basis. 

Here is a screen cap of the tool, using the ever popular "blue widgets" example.   

Improvement #3 - Google Analytics Graph Comparison

I really like the increased functionality that Google has included with this update.  Comparing date ranges has always been helpful, especially when demonstrating improvements to clients or patterns of behaviour on a site.  This new update allows you to compare different metrics like average page views and time on site to each other, and display them graphically.  

The metric comparison options change depending on which area of Analytics you are viewing.  If you have an e-commerce site, you can compare conversion rates, transactions, revenue, and more.  

Here is a screen cap of a dashboard view in Google Analytics:

Hats off to Google for implementing these useful additions.  In my opinion, the new comparison feature in Google Analytics will be especially useful.  I would be interested to hear if anyone else likes these updates...or if there are features and functions that are sorely needed and should be implemented by Google.