Tracking visitor behavior by keyword in CJA

Understanding Visitor Behavior Tracking by Entry Keywords in Adobe Customer Journey Analytics

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing, understanding how visitors interact with your website is crucial for optimizing user experience and driving conversions. One key aspect involves tracking visitor behavior based on the keywords they use to arrive at your site. This insight allows marketers to tailor content, refine advertising strategies, and better understand their audience segments.

The Challenge of Tracking Keyword-Originated Visits

Many websites rely heavily on Google Analytics for detailed visitor behavior analysis. However, some organizations either choose not to use Google Analytics or are restricted from integrating it—for instance, due to privacy policies or data governance standards. Instead, they turn to alternative tools like Adobe Customer Journey Analytics (CJA), Adobe’s comprehensive platform for analyzing customer interactions across various touchpoints.

A common question arises: Can we track the pathways and page visits of users based on the keywords they initially used to find the site within Adobe Customer Journey Analytics? Specifically, is it possible to link the original entry keywords to subsequent visitor actions on the website?

Assessing the Capabilities within Adobe Customer Journey Analytics

Adobe Customer Journey Analytics offers robust features for understanding customer journeys across multiple channels and devices. However, tracking visitor behavior strictly based on the keywords they entered with requires some strategic setup, as it depends on the availability and accuracy of the original query data.

1. Availability of Entry Keyword Data:
   To analyze behavior based on entry keywords, you need to ensure that the source capturing this data—such as the referrer information, search engine data, or campaign parameters—is properly integrated and retained throughout the visitor’s session.

2. Data Collection Techniques:

3. UTM Parameters: If your marketing campaigns use UTM parameters, you can track keyword data by including these in your URLs.
4. Search Engine Referrals: When visitors arrive via organic search, referrer data may include the search query, but privacy restrictions (e.g., HTTPS encryption and privacy settings) may limit this.

5. Custom Data Layer: Implementing a custom data layer or JavaScript code to capture search terms on landing pages can enhance data collection.

6. Tracking Within Adobe CJA:
   Once keyword data is captured and stored as part of the visitor’s profile or session data, Adobe CJA can be configured to segment visitors based on these initial entry points. By creating custom attributes and utilizing Adobe’s tracking capabilities, you can trace the paths taken by visitors