Receive new blog posts immediately direct to your email inbox!
The ROI Revolution Blog
Analytics Basics
Last Chance To Attend Miami Google™ Analytics Seminars For Success!
May 31, 2009
Register Before Midnight on Tuesday, June 9th To Save YOUR Seat For The Miami Google Analytics Classroom Training!
One last post before our June 10-11, 2009 seminars in Miami, to remind you that there is still time to take advantage of Seminars for Success, where we share our Google Analytics knowledge with you in person!
Which Google Analytics seminar day is for you?
The Introduction and User Training, on Wednesday, June 10th, is for you if you generate and interpret the reports in Analytics and would like some in depth user training so you can better understand how to really leverage Google Analytics as a powerful website and online marketing reporting tool.
The Advanced Technical Implementation Training, on Thursday, June 11th, is for you if you are the webmaster for your website, are comfortable working with html and javascript, and you either need the technical set up of Analytics explained/shown to you or you have an analytics account, but are not satisfied with the results from a technical setup viewpoint.
There will be plenty of time for Q&A so you can get all your questions answered in a dedicated learning environment.
Continue reading "Last Chance To Attend Miami Google™ Analytics Seminars For Success!" »
Posted by Kathy Scott, Product Marketing Manager at 8:14 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Training
Understanding Correlations in Google Analytics
May 28, 2009
Website traffic does not exist in a vacuum. Here's a simple example: Jack comes to your website on Monday after seeing one of your AdWords content ads and he likes what he sees. He's a careful shopper though, so he's not ready to commit quite yet and leaves the site for the day. He takes some time and does some comparison shopping throughout the week, talks to some of his friends and comes back to your site again after typing your company name into Google and clicking on an organic result. He sees an offer for a 10% off coupon if he signs up for your newsletter, so he does, and then leaves the site again. In a week, he gets an email about a sale you are having, and clicks on a link within the email, finally making a purchase on this, his third visit.
So the big question is - how does this show up in Google Analytics? Does AdWords get any credit for the sale? The simple answer is no. Depending on if you are tracking your emails in Google Analytics (and how you are doing it), you'll either see a conversion for the email, the organic branded search or even a direct visit. Wouldn't it be nice to know that at one point AdWords had something to do with the sale? Better yet, wouldn't you like to know the Campaign, Ad Group and Keyword that was responsible?
Jack's example is a very common one, and pretty simple in comparison to the way a lot of people use the Internet, so it is important to try and understand the relationships between your different traffic sources.
Still don't care? Let me give you a real-world example of what can happen if you ignore it:
Case Study: A company that deals in a software product noticed that it was getting what looked like a pretty poor return on Content Network traffic from AdWords (responsible for what Google Analytics reported as roughly 5% of daily revenue). In an attempt to reduce costs, they decided to pause this traffic completely. The result was that almost immediately they noticed a 15-20% drop in daily revenue!
What the heck happened? Well, it turns out a large percentage of that content traffic was coming back as either organic branded traffic or direct traffic. They never bothered to look at the relationship between their content traffic and other traffic sources, and it cost them.
Conversely, by understanding this relationship, they have been able to not only gain back the 15-20% that they lost, but improve the return even further!
So how can you learn from their mistake? Here are a few things you can do, ranging from fairly simple to more complex, to help you grasp the relationship between your marketing sources and mediums:
Continue reading "Understanding Correlations in Google Analytics" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 10:25 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Tracking
LIVE Google Analytics Training Event: June 10th-11th, 2009 in Miami, FL
April 30, 2009
ROI Revolution will be hosting Google Analytics Seminars for Success June 10th and 11th in Miami, Florida.
Google Seminars for Success is officially sponsored by Google. You can trust that you are receiving the most accurate and up-to-date information on the best practices for Google Analytics.
Wednesday, June 10th will be the Introduction and User Training session which helps users explore and understand their data in Google Analytics. Bottom Line: Take this class if you want to learn how to use Google Analytics to improve the results from your website and marketing campaigns.
Thursday, June 11th will be the Advanced Technical Implementation session which covers installation and customization techniques to suit the needs of your business. Bottom Line: Take this class if you are the webmaster and need to learn how to install and optimally configure Google Analytics on your website and are comfortable with html and javascript.
--Location and Cost--
- The seminar will be at the Embassy Suites Miami - International Airport.
- The cost to attend the seminar is $499 each day or $998 for both days.
- For attending a session you'll receive a $50 AdWords credit (so you'd receive $100 in AdWords credit for attending both sessions)
--Date & Agenda--
| Wednesday, June 10th: Introduction and User Training | Thursday, June 11th: Advanced Technical Implementation |
This session is designed to help users explore and understand their data in Google Analytics. |
This session covers installation and customization techniques to suit the needs of your business. |
- Google Analytics Features - Parts of a Visit - Data Types - Overview Reports - Overview Reports - Landing Pages - Scientific Method |
- Architecture and Google Analytics - Creating Profiles - The Basic Code - Creating a Goal - Exclude Filters - Online Campaigns - Custom Tracking Parameters - Advanced Filters - Google Website Optimizer |
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to best use and implement Google Analytics for your site!
Register now to save your seat for the June Google Analytics Seminar for Success in Miami, FL! You can register now in confidence, because even if you have to cancel for any reason, we will refund your money in full until 8 days before the event. After that, you can transfer your registration to someone else, if you need to.
Posted by Kathy Scott, Product Marketing Manager at 9:20 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Training
6 Tools You Can Use to Troubleshoot Google Analytics Yourself
April 17, 2009
It's nice to be able to find the tools you need when you need them. It's true for farmers and it's true for web analysts. Even if you aren't a web analyst, you have access to a lot of great tools on the web that can help you figure out if Google Analytics is working properly on your site. While my last article focused on tools you can use to get the most out of the reports in Google Analytics, this article is more for those of you that want to make sure that the data is right before it even gets there.
Bury your Google Analytics problems.
Read on for a list of 6 tools that you can use to find out for yourself what's going on with Google Analytics.
Continue reading "6 Tools You Can Use to Troubleshoot Google Analytics Yourself" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:35 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Tracking
Live Google Analytics Training Event in Miami, FL on June 10th-11th, 2009
April 1, 2009
To help you choose which Google Analytics Seminar for Success session is for you, I've broken down a few characteristics of the audience each session best matches up with below.
Shawn Purtell, above, teaches the Introduction Session.
You are most suited for this training if you meet any of the following bullets:
- You are considering using Google Analytics and need an introduction.
- You are new to an established Google Analytics account and need user training.
- You are in a marketing role and you need to understand Google Analytics as a reporting tool.
- You have a configured Google Analytics account already and need to better understand the reports.
Continue reading "Live Google Analytics Training Event in Miami, FL on June 10th-11th, 2009" »
Posted by Kathy Scott, Product Marketing Manager at 6:38 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Training
Google Analytics Seminar For Success in Miami, FL June 10th & 11th!
March 4, 2009
ROI Revolution is an Analytics Seminar Leader, authorized to conduct LIVE Google Analytics training. We'll be offering two full day seminars in Miami.
The first seminar is to help users explore and understand their data in Google Analytics. The second seminar covers installation and customization techniques to suit the needs of your business. Both sessions feature multiple Q&A sessions so you can get your specific Google Analytics questions answered.
--Location and Cost--
- The seminar will be at the Embassy Suites Miami - International Airport.
- The cost to attend the seminar is $499 each day or $998 for both days.
--Curriculum--
Continue reading "Google Analytics Seminar For Success in Miami, FL June 10th & 11th!" »
Posted by Kathy Scott, Product Marketing Manager at 5:10 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Training
6 Tools Every Google Analytics User Should Have
January 30, 2009
Google Analytics is a fantastic tool as it is - and it's always improving, but there are a lot of people out there that have created tools to make it even better.
In an effort to make everyone aware of these fantastic and easy-to-use tools, I've compiled a list of the ones we use everyday. If we missed one, or if you've got a great tool that we should add to the list, please let us know! We're always looking for ways to make Google Analytics easier to install and use. I hope you find them as useful as I do, and a big thank you goes out to each of the people responsible for these fantastic time-saving tools.
Here's the full list:
Continue reading "6 Tools Every Google Analytics User Should Have" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 9:34 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Google Website Optimizer , Reports
Avoiding Calamity: Google AdWords/Analytics User Access
August 19, 2008
One of my best mates recently tied the knot onboard a cruise ship. The day before the boat left dock, destined for international waters, the unfortunate groom discovered that he had overlooked one all-important detail. It was just one detail out of thousands, but one that nonetheless had the potential to scupper months and months of planning for the big day...
It turned out that he had failed to pack his passport! So while he should have been enjoying the company of his mates the day before the big event, he actually spent the time racing back home (a 10 hour round trip) to save his marriage even before it had started!
Why do I relay the events of this poor unfortunate? Because in the frenetic world of online marketing we often deal with so much information that we fail to stop, take a breather, and make sure that we have not overlooked one all important detail that might sink months and months of planning and implementation.
Last week I received a call from a client reminding me of this fact...
Almost a year ago, the client had granted administrative access to the Google Analytics reports to a trusted employee. For whatever reason, the relationship between employer and employee soured over the next 6 months and the employee ended up leaving the organization.
Continue reading "Avoiding Calamity: Google AdWords/Analytics User Access " »
Posted by Denis Coombes, PPC Strategist at 5:54 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Internal Site Search Reporting
August 11, 2008
Google Analytics provides you with a lot of information regarding the way visitors search to get to your site. What could be more important? Well, try asking yourself, "Are my visitors finding what they need once they get to my site?" This can actually be measured in several different ways, but one of the most insightful ways is to use the internal site search reports.
If you are using an internal site search tool (for example Google's Custom Search engine) you can track the searches that your visitors place on your site. By doing this, you can gain valuable insights into what your visitor is thinking, by actually having them tell you!
Not only can you see the keywords people are searching for (located in the Search Terms report) , but you can also gain more context by looking at the page from which they are searching.
Continue reading "Internal Site Search Reporting" »
Posted by Caitlin Cook, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 2:44 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Time on Page and Time on Site - How Confident Are You?
May 29, 2008
Ah, Average Time on Page and Average Time on Site - what strange metrics. They sound so simple, but as I hope to point out in this article, both must be treated with caution. Due to the way Time on Page/Site are measured, there is a certain amount of error that goes along with them. Fortunately, there's a way to measure this error.
In the interest of getting to the point, I've provided two versions of this article. The first version is the short version. No proof, just the final answer. For those of you who demand proof (as I hope you do) - I've also provided the long version, with diagrams and Algebra and everything. Feel free to choose the version that suits you!
SHORT VERSION
Time on Page is more credible when a page has a lower Exit Rate, and Time on Site is more reliable when a source/medium/etc. has a lower Bounce Rate.
Confidence in Time on Page
Applies only to a page or group of pages
Example: The Exit % for my home page, /index.htm, is 30%, so confidence in Time on Page is 70%.
In other words, the Time on Page only applies to 70% of my home page views, and I know absolutely nothing about the other 30% - other than they all resulted in exits.
True Time on Site
Applies to any source, medium, campaign, keyword, ad, or user defined value
Example: My AdWords traffic has a Bounce Rate of 40%, and Google Analytics has my Avg. Time on Site for AdWords as 00:01:00 (1 minute)
So:
True Time on Site is 1/(1-.40) = 1/.6 = 1.67 = 1m 40s
My True Time on Site is 1m 40s, which represents 60% of my AdWords traffic.
Also, the Time on Site is unknown for 40% of my AdWords traffic.
END OF SHORT VERSION
I don't expect anyone to take my word for any of this, and I love to talk about these kinds of things, so I've provided a longer version for those that might be interested in how I came to the above conclusions.
Continue reading "Time on Page and Time on Site - How Confident Are You?" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 4:04 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 41 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Reports
Google Analytics for Blogger in Private Beta
May 2, 2008
On Wednesday, Google announced that there will be a new Google Analytics interface for Blogger.
Measure Map, which was acquired by Google in February of 2007, has already done quite a bit for Google Analytics, which had its interface completely revamped. It looks like now the team is applying some of its lessons from that experience over to the blogosphere.
Although Google Analytics is already available to everyone, as a blog writer it's nice to have easy access to metrics that are tailored to your specific needs. Google seems to be addressing these needs with a new Google Analytics integration designed specifically for Blogger users.
According to Jeff Veen, Measure Map will be available 'as an integrated feature of both Google Analytics and Blogger'. That sounds pretty exciting to those of us that are obsessed with our blog statistics. And if the integration is being designed by the same folks that brought us the new Google Analytics interface, that means it should be simple to navigate and extremely useful.
This new interface is now in private beta (which means you probably won't notice it yet), but it looks like Google has plans to migrate all existing Measure Map users over to the new Google Analytics system. That means it could be a few months or even a year before it's rolled out to everyone - there's really no way to know at this stage. Since it's in beta, there's a good chance there will be some kinks to iron out.
So if you use Blogger for your blog, be sure to stay on the lookout for this neat new feature!
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 10:14 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Latest News , Tracking
New Graphing Options
April 4, 2008
Today Google released new graphing features to help make trends more visible. Previously, you could only view day-to-day trends in the timeline. Now in addition to viewing the data by day,
you can now see the data by week...
and by month...
This will help you compare long-term trends and make visualizing these trends much easier. You can also use these new graphing features to compare metrics. You can compare the last two weeks to the next two weeks, or even on a year to year basis.
These graphing features are found right below the date selection tool, above the timeline, and can be found on all reports within Google Analytics.
For more information on these features you can check out the Google Analytics Blog.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Caitlin Cook, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 8:51 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Latest News
All About Historical Data
April 2, 2008
Everybody makes mistakes at some point, but there are ways to help prevent those mistakes from making their way into your Google Analytics reports.
With Google Analytics, you do not have the option to reprocess data like you do with log file analytics systems, so it's important that you are cautious with the changes you're making to your profiles.
If you set up a new filter incorrectly and no one notices for two weeks that you are collecting the wrong data, there is no way to go back and reprocess that data. It's gone and it's not coming back. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you make your filter, goal, and/or funnel changes to a test profile before making them to your main profile. By collecting the results in a test profile, you can gauge whether or not you are receiving the outcome you anticipated.
Likewise, if you create a new filter or goal, it will only affect the data from that point moving forward. For example, if you only want to include visitor traffic to a specific subdirectory, your historical data will still include visitor traffic to the rest of your site. This can also make things tricky with goals and funnels.
Also, if you create a new profile for an existing domain, you will not have access to historical data within that new profile. Profiles only collect data that is processed after they were created, so you may want to create several profiles at once if you think you may want to use the historical data in a later profile.
Recently, Google Analytics had introduced a new feature called Benchmarking, where you can see your stats compared to others' in your industry. If you decide to opt-in to data sharing, Google Analytics will include historical data up to a month before your opt-in date.
And for those of you who haven't switched over from urchin.js yet, historical data will be kept when you move your site over to ga.js, so don't worry.
So don't forget to test before you implement anything new to your main profile, and consider keeping a change log of the changes to your profiles. Remember that any changes you make won't change your historical data.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Caitlin Cook, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 9:40 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Tracking Subdomains
March 27, 2008
One of the most important things to consider when trying to set up Google Analytics for your site is the integrity of your visitors' source/medium data. Keeping this data as accurate as possible will go a long way to helping you make useful decisions about your marketing efforts.
That being said, there is a silent enemy threatening to destroy the harmony of your Google Analytics data: the self-referral. You may first see it rear its ugly in head in the All Traffic Sources report. Not only is it rather disconcerting to see your own site as a visitor's referrer, but this entry in your reports represents irrevocably lost data. What's worse, you may even notice that the conversion rate for this segment of traffic is actually quite good. You may be putting lots of time and money in SEO, paid online adversing, e-mail campaigns and print ads, but when someone asks which of these was responsible for the conversion, you really don't know. Some of those sources may be getting overwritten by your self-referrals.
If your site has subdomains (domain.com and blog.domain.com, for instance), this might be causing the self-referrals to show up in your reports. The standard Google Analytics Tracking code is only good for sites with a single domain and no other structural complications. Anything beyond this and you'll need to make some kind of modification to the script. Subdomains are one such complication.
Whenever a visitor comes to your site, the Google Analytics Tracking Code on your pages asks the visitor's browser a question:
Continue reading "Tracking Subdomains" »
Posted by Jeremy Aube, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:30 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 30 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Some Basic Information About Lowercase Filters
March 20, 2008
Google Analytics allows you to create numerous filters. So how do you know which ones you need to implement for your site? Well, one you might want to explore is a lowercase filter. So what is a lowercase filter and what precisely does it do?
Lowercase filters change the selected field to all lowercase letters. If duplicate entries of the same page are appearing in your reports, one that contains uppercase letters and one that does not, you probably should set your lowercase filter. For example, if you have a page on your site that can be accessed by going to www.mysite.com/Products.htm but you could also access the same page by typing www.mysite.com/products.htm Google Analytics would track these as two separate pages.
Obviously, if these are the same page they should be tracked as a single entry in Google Analytics. Therefore, creating a lowercase filter will change the former URI to all lowercase letters. This can greatly affect your Google Analytics reports and prevent duplicate entries from appearing.
So how do you set up a lowercase filter?
Within Google Analytics on the Add Filter to Profile page select the filter type Custom. Then Click the radio button next to the lowercase filter. Select the filter field that you want to apply the lowercase filter to and click Finish. Your new lowercase filter has been applied! NOTE: This will only affect the data from this point forward, not the historical data that has already been collected. Your filtered results will begin to show up in the reports from this point forward.
So in the above example the lowercase filter was applied to the request URI but you can apply the lowercase filter to other fields. If you apply the filter to the Campaign Term field it will prevent, for example Cars, cars, and CARS from showing up as different fields within the keyword reports. You can also apply the lowercase filter to the User Defined Value to prevent duplicate entries with those as well.
Hopefully this has given you a quick insight into lowercase filters and how useful they can be for your site.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Caitlin Cook, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 10:12 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Google Analytics Benchmarking in Beta
March 5, 2008
Today, Google announced new benchmarking functionality within Google Analytics. Combined with a new data-sharing option, this will allow Google Analytics users to compare their site's data against aggregate data from other sites in various industries. These two new features are in beta, but should begin to show up in all Google Analytics accounts throughout the day.
Also briefly mentioned was the unveiling of the Audio Ads integration, with an official blog post to come tomorrow.
For more information, check out the official announcement at the Google Analytics blog, the benchmarking FAQs, and the data-sharing FAQs.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 4:24 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Latest News , Reports
Keep Track of Changes to Your Profiles
January 16, 2008
It's hard to get things right the first time. You may come up with a brilliant plan for your Google Analytics setup and think that you've thought of everything, only to have the data start coming in and realize that things are not looking quite like you hoped they would. Or perhaps your analytics just need a modification and you need to change your goal steps or create new ones. When these kinds of things happen, you may need to alter your Google Analytics profile settings.
And that's OK. While we recommend setting up a "sandbox" profile where you can test what effect changes to your profile might have on your data before editing your main profile, at some point you'll have to make those changes live in order to reap the benefits of cleaner, better data. When this happens, you will want to record those changes.
Continue reading "Keep Track of Changes to Your Profiles" »
Posted by Jeremy Aube, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 12:43 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Filters
Should You Join the Migration? urchin.js Migrates to ga.js
January 4, 2008
In mid-October Google announced the beta release of the new tracking code: ga.js. Then, in December, they released the new code to all Google Analytics users. So you might have noticed, within Google Analytics, that there is now a tab labeled 'New Tracking Code' within the Profile Settings > Tracking Code section.
You may be thinking, "Why should I care?" Well, here are a few reasons why the migration to ga.js is practically inevitable for those of you who want to remain on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest technology. And why, for those of you who don't want to rock the boat, it may not be necessary to switch over... yet.
With the upgrade to ga.js you will have access to several new features including Event Tracking, and Outbound Link Tracking.
Event Tracking will be especially useful for those who have Flash based sites, or for those who use multimedia on their site. An "event" is an action that a user takes on a webpage that doesn't necessarily involve a new pageview. Examples include clicks on buttons or images, navigation in embedded Flash, or Ajax events, like moving a map in Google Maps, or applying a label in Gmail.
Outbound Link Tracking will tell you which links visitors clicked on your site that direct them to another site without the manual tagging. This means that instead of adding urchinTracker to each and every one of your outbound links to see where visitors are going once they leave, you don't have to do anything.
A few other benefits of the updated ga.js include:
- Faster, smaller source file - which will allow for a faster download time
- Object oriented - instead of using functions
- Automatic detection of HTTPS
- Increased namespace safety
One question seems to keep surfacing about the migration, so I will go ahead and address that now. The new Google Analytics tracking code (ga.js) will NOT work with the previous tracking code (urchin.js). They are not compatible, so all pages on your site should be updated with the new code.
So the bottom line: Should you switch to ga.js?
Google is still supporting the urchin.js tracking code, and sources predict that that they'll continue support for another 12-18 months, so if you're happy with the current features and you're not worried about any new releases to ga.js (and the potential discontinuation of support down the line), then you're probably OK for another few months, at least. Eventually, though, you're going to need to switch to ga.js.
If you want event tracking and automatic outbound link tracking, as well as any new features that are released in the future, and you're willing to spend a little time and resources on getting everything set up properly, then you might want to consider joining the migration.
If you're looking for help, Google has written a reference guide for switching over to the code in pdf format, and if you need any assistance from ROI Revolution, an Authorized Google Analytics support partner, be sure to take a look at our Google Analytics support plans and we'll get you on the path to a seamless migration.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Caitlin Cook, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 5:17 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 14 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Goal Matching Revisited
December 26, 2007
Almost a year and a half ago, I posted a brief guide on the different match types that Google Analytics uses to define goals. For something that is so integral to a successful Google Analytics configuration, goals are easily one of the more confusing aspects of the tool, and we get more questions about goals than perhaps anything else.
Last week, Google quietly updated the Google Analytics Goal Settings page. They rearranged the order of the fields, and also clarified something that has long been somewhat under-emphasized. In the explanation text for the Goal URL:
For the goal page "http://www.mysite.com
/thankyou.html" enter "/thankyou.html"
Previously, the example text basically told users to just copy and paste the entire URL from their conversion page. Now, only the Request URI is required.
Actually, this isn't a change to the way that Google Analytics recognizes goals. It's always worked this way, targeting only the Request URI. It would simply discard anything in the Goal URL that wasn't part of the Request URI (anything after the dot-com, basically) and match what was left.
Now that the official recommendation is to use the Request URI, it looks like old-school goals are still backwards-compatible and will function with the whole URL. But for future reference, for a goal URL of:
http://www.mysite.com/thankyou.html
You only need to put:
/thankyou.html
Into the Goal URL field.
How do you use Google Analytics' Goal Matches? Are you a regular expressions junkie, or do you stick to tried-and-true exact match? Leave us a comment!
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?
Attend our LIVE Google Analytics Seminars for Success training in Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 and Thursday, September 17th, 2009 or get the latest tips and tricks sent to you via our free, twice-monthly Google Analytics newsletter.
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 2:07 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Excluding Internal Traffic the Easy Way
November 20, 2007
If you've done research on excluding internal traffic from your Google Analytics reports, then you've probably heard words like "user defined variable", "dynamic or static IP address", and "orphaned web page." While you may want to become familiar with these terms someday, the truth is that not everyone is a webmaster.
What's my point? Well, I'm not sure if anyone's come up with this before, and quite frankly I wouldn't be surprised as this method is very easy, but here's a quick and easy way to exclude any kind of internal traffic from your reports, regardless of IP-whats-its. All you have to know is how to write an email.
Here's how:
Continue reading "Excluding Internal Traffic the Easy Way" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:59 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 19 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Filters , Reports , Tracking
Tales of Overanalysis: My Organic Traffic Has Tanked!
September 4, 2007
Dear Michael,
I just implemented AdWords autotagging for my website, and now my organic Google traffic has dropped dramatically. What gives? Is Google Analytics ruining my search rankings? Who do I blame for this? Can you fix it?
Okay. Calm down and breathe. There's nothing to worry about.
First, the bad news: your organic search traffic wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
But, the good news: now that you've turned on autotagging, your Google Analytics profile is more accurate than it has ever been.
Continue reading "Tales of Overanalysis: My Organic Traffic Has Tanked!" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 3:38 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
More Work For the Webmasters
August 3, 2007
This post is dedicated to all of those hard working webmasters out there who have enough to worry about as it is without the marketing staff breathing down their necks about campaign tracking and revenue analysis and all sorts of other stuff.
Look, I'm a code monkey, too. I understand the dilemma. No one likes to ask permission from fifteen different people before they make the slightest change to a site.
But here's the thing: Google Analytics is script-based, and it collects live traffic and conversion data. If it's not on a page, and someone visits that page, they don't get counted. It's not rocket science (but I'm no rocket scientist, so I must defer to someone who is).
So if you know that the site you're working with has the Google Analytics script on it, then think twice before you make any major changes. Here's a quick list of what to consider...
Continue reading "More Work For the Webmasters" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 3:29 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Using utm_nooverride Part 1 of 3 - Branding
July 3, 2007
Click Here For Part 2 - Tracking Emails
Click Here For Part 3 - Through the Wormhole
Are you bidding on your brand name in AdWords, YSM, or AdCenter? If you are, there's a good chance your return on investment for those specific keywords is very good. People searching for your specific brand know what they want and are ready to convert, while your costs remain low. But what if these people are coming back to your site after already having visited from another keyword - maybe one that's costing you much more money?
Well, there's a way to limit conversions attributed to your branded keywords, so that you can get information on the original keyword source.
Continue reading "Using utm_nooverride Part 1 of 3 - Branding" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 5:04 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 22 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Tracking
Google Analytics Graphs and Charts
June 15, 2007
One of the new features of Google Analytics that hasn't really seen too much press in the past month (has it really been that long?) is the new and improved graph and chart view. These graphs and charts don't vary drastically from those seen in the old interface, but they're still different enough to warrant a bit of explanation.
Basically, all of the data tables in Google Analytics have alternate graph displays for easier visual analysis of your data. Accessing these additional reports is easy. There's a series of little "Views" buttons at the top right of your data table, and each button offers you a new view for your data.
More info on each view after the jump.
Continue reading "Google Analytics Graphs and Charts" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 11:05 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Top Three Misconceptions of the New Google Analytics Interface
June 13, 2007
Since the new Google Analytics interface has become widely available, the people we talk to generally share a few worries and misconceptions about the new interface and what it means for them. Here are the top three misconceptions about the new interface that we hear:
Misconception #1: Oh NO - there is no conversion data!
First of all, take a nice, deep breath. When people start cruising around the new interface, they don't see any conversion data in their reports and have a mini panic-attack. In the old interface you have a handful of set metrics that show up in the right-hand columns on each report, some of which include conversion metrics.
The reason people can't find the conversion data is because in the new interface you have the 3 tabs:
'Site Usage' tab
'Goal Conversion' tab
'Ecommerce' tab
Because the 'Site Usage' tab is the first tab you see and it doesn't include conversion data, some people assume there just isn't any conversion data there, period.
The new format actually gives you a much wider variety of choices on available data, including (but not limited to) conversion data. Surprise! You just have to know where to look.
Continue reading "Top Three Misconceptions of the New Google Analytics Interface" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 11:05 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Website Optimizer Integration in the New Analytics Interface
June 5, 2007
You may have read my previous article on the subject of combining Google Website Optimizer with Google Analytics. With the new Google Analytics interface, of course, there are some changes I'd like to address.
First things first, the integration remains unchanged. You can refer back to my previous post for these instructions.
Finding the information, however, is now a little different. Since there is no more Dynamic Content report (*sniff*), finding the data takes a couple steps. But don't fret, it's not too bad.
Here's how:
Continue reading "Website Optimizer Integration in the New Analytics Interface" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 2:02 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 1 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech , Google Website Optimizer , Improving Conversion , Latest News
Hallelujah! The Best New Google Analytics Feature
May 23, 2007
The new Google Analytics interface has so many great new features that using it is almost like a treasure hunt - you never know what you'll discover next!
Personally, my favorite new feature so far is the email functionality. I don't know about you, but I don't look into Google Analytics nearly as often as I'd really like to (let's keep that between us, though, ok?).
Apparently I'm not alone. According to a Jupiter report, "Key Performance Indicators - Using Analytics to Drive Action", a stunningly large percentage of companies don't bother to distribute analytic reports to the people within the company who can use them!
Less then 20% of the companies surveyed distribute analytics data to merchandising departments for review on a regular basis, and only 53% of marketing teams review analytics data. But surely the executives pay attention to the analytics data?
Actually, only 41% of executives review web analytics data.
And that is why the new email function is my favorite. You can use the little 'email' button found under the title of the report, and there you will find 3 tabs: Send Now, Schedule, or Add to Existing.
Continue reading "Hallelujah! The Best New Google Analytics Feature" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 8:03 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 11 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
View Entire Referring URL in Google Analytics
May 8, 2007
Jesper Rønn-Jensen, a usability specialist who writes for one of the best blogs on UI and web standards, takes a look at the new Google Analytics interface. Jesper's still a little concerned about the number of clicks it takes to show you referring URLs down to the referral path.
We've had the chance to work with the new interface for a couple of month and I have to assure Jesper and others that it is now a bit easier to find this information. Now, on the new Referring Site report, instead of clicking on the now-missing Analysis Options icon (the little purple guy over to the left of each line item) and choosing Content from the dropdown, you just click on the referring site. This immediately shows you all referral paths from that specific domain. Very handy, in my opinion.
Check out some screenshots after the jump.
Continue reading "View Entire Referring URL in Google Analytics" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 12:22 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Google Analytics: Get It Right the First Time
April 19, 2007
We have a client that recently came on board with us after having installed Google Analytics themselves nearly a year ago. Back then, they were skeptical about our services: "Do people really need help setting up Google Analytics? It's so easy!" We had to agree that, yes, for a lot of sites, this is true: configuration is easy. Sign up, take the script, put it on all of your pages, and then sit back and start collecting data.
Unfortunately, its simplicity can be a little deceiving. There are a lot of little ifs and buts with Google Analytics. If you set up your Google Analytics profile incorrectly, it can mean huge repercussions for your data, weeks, months, even years down the road.
So when Client X finally hired us, we hopped right into their account and audited their Google Analytics profiles. What we found just further confirmed what any Google Analytics Authorized Consultant already know: setting up Google Analytics is not always a cakewalk.
Here's what happened, and let it stand as a warning to ye who may venture forth in similar fashion. Our client has a single site with multiple subdomains. For those playing along at home, this requires the addition of a parameter to tell Google Analytics how to assign and manage cookie data.
Continue reading "Google Analytics: Get It Right the First Time" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 9:14 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
The Many Faces of Content
April 2, 2007
This is a follow-up to my last post, Testing AdWords Ads in Google Analytics. In that post, I talked about how you can cross-segment by Content in the AdWords Analysis report to find out more information about your AdWords ads (along with the limitations in doing so).
However, there are some more things this can show you, depending on the report you are viewing:
Continue reading "The Many Faces of Content" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:52 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Reports
Top 3 Google Analytics FAQ
We offer a free webinar and a free mini-course on Google Analytics, and we provide a space in the sign-up form for both where people can type in their most burning questions about Google Analytics.
This helps us to make sure we are providing information in the webinar and the mini-course that people want, but over time it also has ended up providing a sort of 'Google Analytics Frequently Asked Questions' compilation.
Here are three of the most frequently asked questions:
Continue reading "Top 3 Google Analytics FAQ" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 12:54 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Testing AdWords Ads in Google Analytics
March 26, 2007
It's easy to set up multiple ads for an Ad Group within Google AdWords, but how can you tell which ad is performing at a higher level? You may be using Conversion Tracker to make your decision, but that only tells a small part of the story using a single metric, cost per conversion.
Google Analytics allows you to get the entire story about the ads that you are testing, using multiple metrics. Here's how to get that story:
Continue reading "Testing AdWords Ads in Google Analytics" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:59 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Improving Conversion , Reports
Secure vs. Nonsecure Pages in Google Analytics
March 1, 2007
During our recent training series, we received a lot of questions concerning how to add the Google Analytics tracking code to a site. Now there are lots of different things to think about before doing this, but a very important and basic one is the security level of your domain. If you have a shopping cart or some kind of secure lead collector, then there's a good chance that part of your site resides on a secure server, which you may recognize as https:// instead of the normal http://
Why is this important? Because the regular Google Analytics script can cause errors on secure servers, that's why! Now there are long ways to make sure you don't run into this problem, and there are easy ways. Well, unless you're trying to build character or torture yourself (like all of you who aren't using a separate include for your Google Analytics script), then the easy way is the way to go. Let me share the two easy ways with you...
Continue reading "Secure vs. Nonsecure Pages in Google Analytics" »
Posted by Shawn Purtell, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 8:39 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech
Defining Bounce Rate
February 6, 2007
It is easy to take certain words and phrases for granted until something happens to make you question it, kinda like this old joke back from 4th grade:
"(sniff) My nose is running."
"Oh, yeah? Where's it running TO? Haha!"
Ok, that was much funnier in the 4th grade, trust me. Anyways, another word that I have been taking for granted is 'bounce'. This was brought to my attention when several people who are enrolled in our Google Analytics Quick-Start Course asked us about 'bounce' and 'bounce rate'.
Wikipedia defines a bounce as occurring "when a website visitor immediately leaves a website after viewing only a single page...The Bounce Rate for a website is the number of web site visitors who visit only a single page of a website per session divided by the total number of website visitors."
Continue reading "Defining Bounce Rate" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 12:46 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Track AdSense
January 30, 2007
We've had quite a few questions about how to track outbound AdSense clicks from a website using Google Analytics. There's an older post (from 2005) over on Aaron Wall's SEOBook blog, but it should still work. Check out how to track Google AdSense clicks in Google Analytics.
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 9:52 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
The Secret to Making Money with Organization
January 18, 2007
I'm addicted to organization. It's so satisfying to take a tangled-up mess of a situation (whether it's a shoe closet or a business process) and straighten it out into a neat and tidy condition. Another area of potential organization nirvana has recently come to my attention: Google Analytics.
Oh, I hear you laughing out there!
But it's true, and it can have a huge payoff. Comparing all of your online marketing campaigns will be MUCH easier if you remember to organize your marketing efforts from the campaign, medium, and source level.
Continue reading "The Secret to Making Money with Organization" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 4:42 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Understanding Google Analytics' Data Over Time Report
November 1, 2006
While the Google Analytics Help Center is, for the most part, well-written and comprehensive, I've gotten a lot of questions in the past about the Analysis Options feature. In case you're unfamiliar (and if you are, you're really missing out... this little 
button is one of the most powerful features of Google Analytics), I'll quote from the official source:
The Analysis Options icon provides access to:
- Data Over Time shows the values for the selected page over a selected date range.
- Overlay Page loads the Site Overlay report for the selected page.
- To-date Lifetime Value calculates that page's values since Analytics tracking began.
- Cross Segment Performance breaks the page's data down by the specified variable.
That's actually the entirety of the article that deals with Analysis Options. That's it. There's nothing more. Which is unfortunate, because it's such a downright effective tool. I get a lot of questions about each Analysis Option, so I'm going to spend some time over the next couple weeks detailing each individual report.
To start with, we'll go over Data Over Time. Contrary to the explanation given by Google, Data Over Time does more than display values "for the selected page" over time. You can also use it to measure visitor segments, campaign conversion rates, average revenue, and product performance, all over a customized period of time. This is very useful for trending, and for a quick at-a-glance view of your site's performance over the days and months.
Continue reading "Understanding Google Analytics' Data Over Time Report" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:10 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
The Dangers of the Dreaded Cookie Cutting!
Once you jump onto the analytics-bandwagon, its tempting to begin to worry about accuracy. What if visitors delete their cookies? What if they don't have javascript turned on in the first place? Oh NO!!
Ok, ok... let's calm down and take a look at the situation. Is it really worth all that worry and nail biting?
A lot of people think so, especially after Jupiter Research announced last month that 58 percent of users delete their cookies regularly, with 40 percent deleting them every month. That news definitely got people a little concerned, but it may not be as important as you think it is.
Continue reading "The Dangers of the Dreaded Cookie Cutting!" »
The Promise of Overseas Visitors
October 30, 2006
In general, people don't optimize their website for non-USA traffic. It never crosses many people's mind. Why would it? Who else would be looking for your site, anyway?
Surprise, surprise - there is a good chance that your site has a substantial number of foreign visitors!
Just how substantial, though?
Well, I took a look at the Google Analytics account we have set up for the ROI Revolution site, and the Geo Location report said we had a total of 37,823 visitors for a certain time period. Of those 37,823 visitors, 11,045 where from outside of the United States. That is nearly 30% of the traffic coming to the site!
Doubtless you are wondering why this even matters.
The fact is that this is often a great potential market. So many people overlook overseas market that any effort you make to optimize for this audience will probably have a pretty decent impact.
Depending on your situation, it might be a good idea to offer multiple language versions of your website. At the very least offer international shipping options.
What have you tried in an effort to market to a specific geographically-oriented market?
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 2:32 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Choosing Who to Bring to the Table
October 27, 2006
In the blog article "Start at the Beginning: Making Sense of the Google Analytics Toolbox" I outlined 4 steps to go through before trying to nail down exactly what to track in Google Analytics. What I didn't address was WHO to go through those steps with. Having this discussion with people 'in the know' is key.
But who exactly is 'in the know'? And what do we want them to know?
Well, I'm glad you asked!
I'll give you a hint: it's probably not your executives, or department heads. It's not your PR or IT person.
It's the ground troops.
Continue reading "Choosing Who to Bring to the Table" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 4:55 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Book review: "Google Analytics" by Mary E. Tyler and Jerri L. Ledford
October 25, 2006
A little over a month ago, I pointed out that a new Google Analytics paperback had hit the streets. I had just ordered my copy from Amazon and promised to post my review of it as soon as I finished reading it.
Released in early September, the book makes the following promises on its back cover:
- * Get familiar with the concept of analytics, what Google Analytics offers, and how it compares to popular site statistics programs.
* Learn to set up the program, navigate the interface, understand filters, and use goal-setting features.
* Integrate Google Analytics with Google AdWords.
* Make the most of reporting dashboards.
* Find out how to use analytics for marketing and content optimization.
* Understand what each type of report means and how to interpret it.
* Explore how other companies have used analytics to improve site performance.
* Investigate how to use Google Analytics for complete e-commerce analysis.
Here's my opinion on how it delivers:
Continue reading "Book review: "Google Analytics" by Mary E. Tyler and Jerri L. Ledford" »
Posted by Timothy Seward, CEO at 6:13 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
We Want YOUR 2 Cents!
October 13, 2006
Over here at ROI Revolution, Michael Harrison and I have been brainstorming ways to make the Google Analytics Training Webinar we offer even better and more beneficial to those who attend. The Training Webinar focuses on interpreting the reports within Google Analytics and explaining what information you can get out of those reports.
Currently we have the webinar organized by the sections in Google Analytics: Marketing Optimization, Content Optimization, and E-Commerce Analysis.
But we began to think "Maybe It would be better to organize this webinar based on the things people are really going to use Google Analytics for!" and the more we thought about it the more we liked that idea.
Example:
Online Marketing
With this example, we would list the major reports in Google Analytics that would help somebody trying to do effective online marketing, like the All CPC Analysis report.
So now we would like to ask YOU, our readers: what activities would you like to see addressed in a Google Analytics Training Webinar?
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 1:14 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Tracking Multiple Domains
September 26, 2006
Justin Cutroni has yet another great series of articles over at his blog, all about common Google Analytics configuration mistakes. His most recent post discusses third party domains, and getting Google Analytics to track across them. As usual, it's well-written and very informative.
One thing that many people don't know, however, is that, by default, Google Analytics will track only the request URI of its tagged pages.
What's the URI, you ask? Take a look at the URL below:
You see that the part of the URL that is surrounded by red is "/index.htm". So, when a visitor hits the page above, Google Analytics registers a unique visit to "/index.htm". Because the majority of Google Analytics profiles are focused on only one domain, the hostname (surrounded by blue) is ignored in the reports.
But what if you have two domains? And what if you have pages on both domains that have the very same URI?
Continue reading "Tracking Multiple Domains" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:26 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 13 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Tracking
Start at the Beginning: Making Sense of the Google Analytics Toolbox
September 21, 2006
I have a confession to make. I'm not really 'Mrs. Fix-it', if you must know. Oh, I can use a hammer and a screw driver to do basic stuff like hang a picture, but hand me a toolbox crammed with exotic and complex tools and I'll just stand there with a perplexed look on my face (You should have seen the time I tried to set up a lofted bed back in college...).
I've noticed that something similar happens to people when they get Google Analytics set up. There are so many gleaming reports, so many options, so many numbers running around on the screen that you're left standing there wondering, "Ok...Now what?"
The best way to prevent this is to sit down with the appropriate people in your company and figure out what you really want to get out of Google Analytics.
See, that sounds so simple, doesn't it? Well, I hate to break this to you, but it's a little harder than that (although I wish it wasn't).
The first thought most people have is to say they want more traffic coming to their website. However, I'd like to argue that what they REALLY mean is that they want more BUSINESS.
Continue reading "Start at the Beginning: Making Sense of the Google Analytics Toolbox" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 8:17 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Which Match Type Do I Use For My Goals?
July 25, 2006
When you set up a goal within Google Analytics, you have the option of including a funnel. The funnel is a series of the pages leading up to your goal action: each step in the path to requesting a whitepaper, for example, or the checkout procedure of your online store.
With traditional static websites, coming up with a funnel is a painless process. You plug in the static URL from your site into each field, give it a label, and then you're done. But if you're running a database-driven dynamic site, or need to include more than one page within a single step, you may be interested in the additional Match Types available for funnel creation.
Below the Define Funnel form of each Goal Settings page is a section called Additional Settings. Here you'll find a number of options to help you closely identify the steps of your website funnel, even if those steps are a bit more complicated than a series of URLs.
Continue reading "Which Match Type Do I Use For My Goals?" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 5:46 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 12 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Special E-Commerce Article: The Promise of Product Merchandising
July 17, 2006
Our last newsletter included a survey which asked people what kind of site they have, and as of the date of this writing a whooping 75% of those who answered have an e-commerce site! Taking that into account, let's discuss the Product Merchandising section of Google Analytics, which shows up under the E-Commerce Analysis tab.
The Product Keyword Correlation report is especially exciting: this shows you directly inside the thought process of your customers! This report correlates product purchases on the site back to the original keywords used in a search. So this answers the question when customers search for your products, did they search under the product's brand name, a description, an attribute? What were they looking for? Once you understand this, you can directly address the customer's needs in their own language. This report can also be used as an idea-generator for PPC keyword discovery.
The Product Performance report offers a wealth of information, including the number of items sold, the total revenue, the average price, and the average order quantity for each product you sell online. This makes it possible to do very interesting things, such as testing site elements or promotions to see how they impact specific products. If you owned a candle store, assume in June you sold 1.2 candles per average transaction. Then in July you launched a promotion where you could get 3 candles for $29.95, when individual candles sell for $12 apiece. During this promotion you sell an average of 1.9 candles per average transaction, which you tracked with the Product Performance report.
Continue reading "Special E-Commerce Article: The Promise of Product Merchandising" »
Posted by Meredith Smith, Director of Marketing at 12:22 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Say Goodbye to Expensive Analytics
May 19, 2006
Intuit's Avinash Kaushik started blogging earlier this week. The blog is called Occam's Razor after William of Ockham's famous principle: "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity."
Kaushik's blog has already proven to be a keenly written and enlightening read. In his latest post, Kaushik offers a few suggestions to those spending a boatload on web analytics:
- Apply for a free Google Analytics account at GA Sign Up Page
- Once you get the code implement Google Analytics on your website in parallel with your favorite expensive analytics tool
- Get a comfort level for delta between the two sets of key numbers (you know visitors, conversions, page views etc etc) and create a multiplier (my tool shows visitors 10% higher and page views 10% lower than Google). You will use this multiplier in future to compare year over year trends if you want to.
- Cancel the contract with your favorite expensive analytics vendor and take that $50k or $100k or $200k and: 1) Hire a smart analyst for between $50k to whatever maybe your areas great salary 2) Put the rest of the money in your pocket.
Makes a lot of sense when put that way, doesn't it? You can save a lot of money, just by switching to a free utility like Google Analytics. As Kaushik says, "Your smart analyst will be able to extract just as much value from GA than your old tool, in fact my prediction is that it will be a lot more."
So, basically, don't multiple your entities--in this case, your web analytics spend--beyond necessity. Turns out William of Ockham knew a thing or two about web analytics.
Hat tip to Andy Beal
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 1:16 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
Customize Your Google Analytics Dashboard
May 12, 2006
With over 80 comprehensive reports right out of the box, Google Analytics can get a little overwhelming for the average user. Since there is data within each Google Analytics account that can benefit each and every department of the typical organization, though, it's important that everyone have quick and easy access to the information that they need most.
That's why there are three handy predefined Dashboards available in every profile: Executive, Marketer, and Webmaster. Each provides a hand-picked selection of the most applicable Google Analytics reports for any given job. The Executive Dashboard gives fast, top-view analysis of a website's performance. Marketer Dashboard focuses on the various advertising and media campaigns driving to the traffic. The Webmaster Dashboard is a great resource for the creative department, giving them a snapshot of design-centric visitors metrics: screen resolution, browser version, operating system, etc. Each of these Dashboards gives quick and clear answers to the questions that every member of your organization has about your website, all in an attractive, easy-to-read format.
Now, for the great news for Google Analytics users: you can now customize the Default Dashboard of a specific Google Analytics user, giving them immediate access to the information they need to do their job. Here are the details:
Continue reading "Customize Your Google Analytics Dashboard" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 4:34 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 1 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Latest News
Collecting Web Data: A Look at Web Analytics Methodology
May 1, 2006
A few months back, I posted briefly on Script-Based Versus Log-Based Tracking, discussing the differences between various web analytics data collection methods. With more and more questions cropping up about reporting discrepencies between the two types, I felt the time was right to revisit the topic and put some key concerns to rest.
Logfile Analysis, the older of the two methods, simply counts the hits made in the web server logs and stores the data in an easily-readable, easily-managable format. This method is based on server-side data collection; there is nothing stored on the visitor's computer, nothing that runs in their browser.
In the late 1990s, search engine spiders were increasingly present on the web, and made a considerable impact on the logfiles of the sites they crawled. Along with web proxies, the popularity of consumer Internet service (and subsequent rise in dynamic IP assignment), and browse caching, it became apparent that logfile analysis needed a breath of fresh air. Supplementing logfile analysis with cookie tracking and robot exclude lists helped to solve some of the problem, but a second method was already being developed.
Continue reading "Collecting Web Data: A Look at Web Analytics Methodology" »
Posted by Michael Harrison, Analytics and Optimization Specialist at 4:45 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics , Analytics Tech
PC Mag article on "your site stats"
April 22, 2006
Matthew D. Sarrel, a consultant and former PC Magazine Labs technical director, wrote a nice overview of website analytics, published today on the ABC News website and had a bit to say about Google Analytics.
First his thesis:
By understanding a few simple metrics, you'll learn a lot about how your site is structured, how it functions, and the products and information that you offer. It's important to know whether your Web site is boosting your bottom line by bringing in new customers and visitors and retaining loyal ones.
Now the bit about Google Analytics:
Who should you choose to provide the right solution? One basic tool is Google Analytics. Free for AdWords customers, Google Analytics provides basic Web analytics. Ideal for pay-per-click advertisers, it provides excellent keyword reporting and AdWords return-on-investment reports, which advertisers can then use to tweak their ad campaigns. The service also includes executive summaries for traffic, e-commerce and conversion trends, and powerful trend-reporting features to help you understand how site traffic varies over time.
Continue reading "PC Mag article on "your site stats"" »
Posted by Timothy Seward, CEO at 3:58 PM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
How to link Google Analytics to your AdWords account
January 6, 2006
Recently, the Google Analytics engineering team added the ability to allow you to link your Google Analytics account to your AdWords account:
Just log in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com and click the Analytics tab. Then:
- Click I already have an Analytics account
- Enter the email address and password for your Google Analytics account. Note that you must be an Account Administrator on that account to be able to link it to AdWords
- Click Link Account
That's it! Your two accounts are now linked, and Analytics will start automatically tagging your AdWords links for detailed campaign tracking reports.
Here's the article at the Google Analytics Help Center.
Posted by Timothy Seward, CEO at 8:40 AM
Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )
Filed under: Analytics Basics
