Google has announced a change in the format of the referring URL:

New format:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t
&source=web
&ct=res
&cd=7
&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fmypage.htm
&ei=0SjdSa-1N5O8M_qW8dQN&rct=j
&q=flowers
&usg=AFQjCNHJXSUh7Vw7oubPaO3tZOzz-F-u_w
&sig2=X8uCFh6IoPtnwmvGMULQfw

Since then I have found some interesting tricks you can do with Google Analytics and tracking your keyword rankings. Let’s start by summarizing the steps you need to set up a series of Google Analytics filters that will provide you with organic keyword ranking results displayed next to the referring keyword string like this:

keyword+keyword (Rank: 1)
keyword+keyword +keyword (Rank: 1)
keyword+keyword +keyword (Rank: 4)

Here are the steps I used on one of my sites:

1. Create a New Profile

In Google Analytics create a new profile so you do not interfere with the data you already have set up. 

Do this by signing into your Google Analytics account, click on”Add Website Profile” on the bottom of the page, choose “Add a Profile for an existing domain”, then choose the domain and give the profile a unique name.

2. Creating the Filters

NOTE : You really need to create these filters in the following order

2a. Include Organic Serps

Filter Type: Custom filter -> choose Include
Filter Field: Campaign Medium
Filter Pattern: organic
Case Sensitive: No

2b. Include Google Serps

Filter Type: Custom filter -> choose Include
Filter Field: Campaign Source
Filter Pattern: google
Case Sensitive: No

2c. Restrict to New Google Referral URL

Filter Type: Custom filter -> choose Include
Filter Field: Referral
Filter Pattern: google.com/(search¦url).*\bcd=\d*
Case Sensitive: No

2d. Construct Ranking String

Filter Type: Custom filter -> choose Advanced
Field A -> Extract A -> Choose Referral -> \bq=([^&]*)
Field B -> Extract B -> Choose Referral -> \bcd=(\d*)
Output To -> Constructor -> Choose User Defined -> $A1 (Rank: $B1)
Field A Required: Yes
Field B Required: Yes
Override Output Field: Yes
Case Sensitive: No

3. Viewing results

Once you created the new profile and filters, it may take a few of hours to start seeing your results. Once you do, you will find the new keyword ranking data in any report when you change the dimension to User Defined Value.

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One Response to Track Keyword Rank with Google Analytics

1. Pages tagged "rank" says:

   May 16, 2009 at 4:46 AM

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