A month ago, I posted some details on the Google Print Ads test. Jeremy Mayes, a search marketer from Illinois, had been invited to participate in the latest wave of Google Print Ads tests running in US newspapers.

The results are in and here are Jeremy’s main findings from his blog:

1. “In the grand scheme of things the overall traffic delivered via our ad was low – less than 1,000 visitors total” (he had a tracking URL)
2. “Visitors who arrived at the site via the newspaper ad generated 70% fewer page views than visitors who arrive via PPC channels”
3. “Visitors who arrived at the site via the newspaper ad spent 30% less time on the site than PPC traffic”
4. “Visitors who arrived at the site via the newspaper ad registered at the site at a rate almost identical (just a touch lower) to those who arrive via PPC.”

He commented: “so overall the newspaper test delivered a small set of visitors who had metrics that were below average when compared to PPC traffic.”

He was nice enough to post a .pdf document that shows the ad (the Chefs ad in the lower right) and I thank him for that!

What it means: not really surprised the traffic delivered by the ad was low. I believe there’s a lot of inertia between looking at a URL in a printed ad and typing the URL in your browser. That’s why the phone number is such an important data element in any efficient local ad. And that’s also why trackable phone numbers are key to measure real ROI in any local media (print and online).