Google Analytics is only as smart as your tagging. To lower average CPA and increase conversions in a sustainable way, you need an in-depth view of customer acquisition channels. Accurate campaign tagging makes it possible to get the data needed to understand acquisition costs based on particular source and medium.

If you want to improve marketing ROI, it’s essential to get campaign tagging right in Google Analytics. But how does it all work? Follow the simple rules in this quick how-to video to make sure you’re getting accurate data about where your traffic is coming from.

Questions addressed in the setup video:

• What is a campaign in Google Analytics (GA)?
• What is UTM Parameter and how do I use it?
• Is it possible that a large volume of my ‘Direct’ traffic in GA is actually coming from sources such as email or social, but just wasn’t tagged correctly? How do I know?
• I want to see all email marketing campaign traffic as one line item in my GA reports. Do spellings matter? Are UTM parameters case-sensitive?
• What are the best practices for GTM tagging using the Google Analytics Link Builder?

For more info on custom campaign tracking, check out this detailed post about campaign parameters and how to use them.

Remember that when you set up new campaigns or marketing channels, things can change or get lost in the mix. It’s important to keep an eye on your analytics setup. Even once you’ve successfully set up campaign tagging in GA, we recommend auditing your analytics on a regular basis.

And don’t stop there. Once you’ve established data accuracy, follow in the footsteps of the most successful ecommerce sites and use Buyer Personas to get a clear view of which types of customers are more likely to convert in each channel. Now that’s smart growth, driven by data!