Using Google Analytics data to track performance and find optimization opportunities is crucial for successful PPC campaigns. Getting Bing data to import into GA is simple with Bing’s auto-tagging. Bing campaign spend, however, does not automatically import into GA. If you are using cost per conversion or ROAS data to analyze performance in GA, you’ll need to get the spend data to report in GA as well. In this post, I’ll go over the steps to make sure Bing data is reporting accurately in GA and how to simplify reporting on CPA or ROAS data.
1. Turn On Auto-Tagging
As explained in the below Bing definition of auto-tagging, UTM tags are automatically appended to Final URLs throughout the account. Bing’s process is very similar to AdWords auto-tagging.
To ensure auto-tagging is enabled in your account, navigate to the Accounts and Billing section. Edit account settings as shown below to enable auto-tagging.
To replace all existing tags, make sure to select that option. If you currently have manual UTM tags on Final URLs or tracking templates, Bing will append your current tags with the below tags if the parameters are missing.
- utm_source
- utm_medium
- utm_campaign
- utm_content
- utm_term
2. Set Up Google Analytics Data Import
Since Bing cost data does not get reported in GA, you must manually import this data through GA’s Data Import function located in the Admin section of GA. After selecting to create a new import, you should see the below page. For CPA and ROAS purposes, we are interested in importing cost data only.
After selecting the “Cost Data” option in the data set type drop down, the below page will prompt you to select a view and name the data import. The import will only exist in whichever view you select in this dropdown.
Next, you’ll be shown the mandatory columns (date, medium and source) and will be given the choice to select two additional columns to the import. In the below example, we are using cost and campaign as the additional two columns. If you are interested in seeing cost by ad group, keyword, Final URL, etc. you can search for these options as well.
After you choose the two keys, the Data Import creation is complete. You should see the new import as shown below.
3. Import Your Data
Now that you have a Data Import created, the next step is to import the data. Download a campaign report segmented by day to show campaign spend for whatever date range you’d like to analyze. Format the data to look like the below example. The column headers must match the ids listed in the data set schema.
Save this data as a .csv file and select “Manage uploads” on the main Data Import screen. If the data is not processed correctly, you’ll receive the below screen showing a failed import.
Thankfully, GA provides reasoning for failed uploads. The below error was due to the dates not being in YYYYMMDD format.
Common import issues include:
- Date formatting
- Missing id column headers
- Total rows
- Missing content
Once you successfully import data, GA will take a few minutes to populate Bing spend.
4. Create A Custom Report
Now that Bing spend, conversions, and revenue data is populating in GA, you can use the different reports to analyze data. To simplify analysis, create a custom report in GA that can be revisited as needed.
After navigating to the Custom Reports section in GA, you’ll be prompted with the below screen. This set up will vary based on KPIs. In the below example, the goal is to compare ROAS by campaign and source. These metrics have been added to the Metric Groups for the custom report. The Dimension Drilldowns section provides the option to show these metrics by campaign, ad group, Final URL, etc. Only dimensions included in the Data Import can be used in the custom report.
Lastly, choose an optional filter to look at a specific campaign type, platform or medium. In this example, we only want to look at paid campaigns. By choosing regular expression (Regex) in the dropdown, we can include Google and Bing campaigns in this report.
Final Thoughts
The Data Import function can also be used for other non-Google platforms like Yahoo Gemini. Setting up the import and managing uploads requires little time. Once a custom report is set up using this data, you can save time and avoid human error when pulling performance reports for Bing. The automated graphs in GA can also help visualize and communicate performance changes rather than manually creating reports and graphs in Excel.
