Google announced yesterday that they will begin encrypting search query data for Adwords clicks.
“We’ve long worked to keep your searches on Google secure. We provided SSL encryption for signed-in searches in 2011 and have rolled that out to searches from the omnibox in the Chrome browser. Today, we are extending our efforts to keep search secure by removing the query from the referer on ad clicks originating from SSL searches on Google.com.
Advertisers will continue to have access to useful data to optimize and improve their campaigns and landing pages. For example, you can access detailed information in the AdWords search terms report and the Google Webmaster Tools Search Queries report.”
To understand what is happening, we must first understand the difference between keywords and search queries.
Keywords are the words an advertiser bids on in Google Adwords.
Search queries are the words used by the searcher to find something.
Here’s an example of how they work together:
Keyword = “Widget” which I loaded into Adwords and set a bid of $1.75 per click.
Search Query = “Best widgets of 2014” which was searched by a potential customer.
The search query, “Best Widgets of 2014” was similar enough to the keyword “Widget” to trigger the ad.
The data now being encrypted and thus inaccessible in Google is the search query. This will not affect your ability to access search query data in Google Adwords as has always been the case.
BringShare only uses keyword data for reporting so this change will not impact your reports.
Overall, the information provided by Google about this change is pretty vague. Use the links below for some additional information.
If you have any questions, let us know. We’re happy to help.
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Additional Resources:
Google Announcement
