Google is currently testing a new Google AdWords feature called Search Funnels. These are set of reports that describe the ad click and impression behavior on Google.com that results to conversion for ad campaigns. What makes Search Funnel different from the current conversion system in AdWords is that it gives you an insight of how customers interact with your ads before they complete the shopping process that translates to ad conversions for your campaigns.
Taking into account that customers may have conducted multiple searches before conversion, Search Funnels is composed of several reports – Top Conversions Report, Assisted Conversions, First and Last Click Analysis, Time Lag, and Path Length.
Stating it into the perspective of search ad campaign managers, Search Funnels give you a complete picture of the value of your keywords, ad groups and campaigns.
Search Funnels also helps you understand keywords that were both seen by converters and those that were not. It also provides you with the “Path Length” or the average number of clicks and impressions made prior to ad conversion. This is useful for understanding and targeting your repeat visitors. You can also learn about “Time Lag” or the time it took a customer to convert after seeing or clicking on your ads. This is useful for determining lead time for your seasonal ad campaigns and help you understand customer behavior. Now it’s up to you to create strategies that would cater to those behaviors.
Search Funnels will be rolled out in the next few weeks. It will appear under the “Conversions” section of your AdWords account’s “Reporting” tab.
Here are some restrictions and limitations of this new feature as enumerated by the Inside AdWords Blog.
Keep in mind that Search Funnels are only available in your AdWords account (not in Google Analytics), and will only show data for keywords that show up in at least one conversion path. Search Funnel data is currently limited to search ads showing on Google.com, for ad impressions and clicks within 30 days of the conversion.
