Query string for keywords sent by Google when someone clicks on adsense link

[TechMan]

Hello,


When you search something on Google and clicks the URL, then the website whose URL was clicked can see which keywords that user searched when he was referred by Google.
I mean if you have a PHP or some other script you can check REFERER URL and in that URL will be keywords sent as query string. Google sends these keywords in query string "q"
My question is does anybody know if Google sends keywords or other code when someone clicks on an ad? Do you know which query string Google sends for adsense?


Thanks

 

[south]

I doubt it, but if you wanted to find out, you would have to put a packet sniffer on your server. I'm guessing it's encrypted also, which would make it a bit more challenging.

 

[Charles Sweeney]

Bear in mind it's the user's browser that passes the referer, if configured to do so.

When you click an ad on Google, they redirect it to the URL entered by the advertiser, so when the request comes in to your server, it will be the address you (the advertiser) entered as the URL for the ad.

---------- Post added at 02:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:07 PM ----------

Just did a quick test on Rex Swain's excellent header viewer: http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html

I entered the URL from an Adwords ad on Google. It redirected four times. The header viewer shows you the URLs and requests (and all query parameters) for each redirect.

The last redirect is to the advertiser's website, and will be the URL they entered for the ad.

 

[TechMan]

Ok what I want is basically this.

Let's say my website is www.dnf.com
I have placed and AdWord on Google for keyword "dnf" so when someone searches this, Google shows my ad link apart from the regular search listing that you see. Clicking on that link will take user to my website where I want to detect what words user entered when he searched on Google.
Had it been a regular search then Google will send me query string "q" which I can read. But I want to know what will be the query string (if any) when someone clicks on an ad to come to my site.

 

[Charles Sweeney]

Ok what I want is basically this.

Let's say my website is www.dnf.com
I have placed and AdWord on Google for keyword "dnf" so when someone searches this, Google shows my ad link apart from the regular search listing that you see. Clicking on that link will take user to my website where I want to detect what words user entered when he searched on Google.
Had it been a regular search then Google will send me query string "q" which I can read. But I want to know what will be the query string (if any) when someone clicks on an ad to come to my site.

I see what you mean. You can see that from your Adwords account. You can see which search phrases got clicked and how many. If someone clicked you ad, they must have entered the search phrase you had in your list of keywords in your Adwords account.