flyingrose/google analytics

How to set up the new Site Search feature of Google Analytics.

I am trying to put a blog post that involves Google AdWords and Google Analytics to bed (i.e., get it published). Came across this interesting information about a year-long study of the accuracy of Google Analytics.
From the page: "At the beginning of 2006, I decided to undertake a year-long case study of Google Analytics. Many people praise the service, but I've always reserved my judgement. My experience with third-party statistical services is that they under-report traffic. I haven't finished my case study, as I prefer to look at data over the span of a year, but the numbers I'm seeing from Google Analytics are disturbing. If I had to make a decision today, I'd yank all the Google Analytics code and say, "Not for me."

But it's only time to ask for insight on why the numbers may perform the way they are. I can rationalize some discrepancies between third-party statistics and what my own server logs show by allowing for people who disable Javascript in their browsers, assuming some traffic is driven by proxy servers that may not refetch/reactivate Javascript, assuming some traffic is actually robots (not identified in my robots filter), etc. But what I cannot rationalize is how Google Analytics thinks I've lost 50% of my traffic when my server logs indicate that traffic has held steady.

What is even more curious is that some pages continue to perform well according to both Google Analytics and the server logs, whereas other pages show a severe dropoff in traffic from Analytics but either no dropoff or significantly less in the server logs. For the month of January, one page about a popular television actress led the Google Analytics report with 6000 unique visitors and 8100 page views. According to my server log, that page received 10,000 views (disallowing for known robots).

For July, Google Analytics says the same page received only 700 visitors and 900 views -- but my server logs indicate over 8,000 views. I don't have the opportunity right now to look at the raw logs. Sometimes I find that my server software lumps data together that I don't want lumped together, but nothing like this kind of discrepancy has ever shown up."

Google's system has slowed to a crawl and now just clicking on a link in Google Analytics returns this error. Google system is now so slow that it would take three PCs to use it effectively.

From the page: "An Error Has Been Detected - Please try again. If you are experiencing long delays, please reduce the selected date range or disable date comparison. Thank you for your patience."

David is absolutely correct. When will these major companies learn to get input from the people who actually know what their systems need to do from the end user's perspective?

ROI Revolution does have input into the Google Analytics people so they have been able to funnel our feedback to the right people at Google. If you want to keep on top of the latest news about Google Analytics subscribe to the ROIRevolution blog. I added a link to them in the next review here.

Eric [Peterson] wrote Web Analytics Demystified which is one of the best books on analytics. He is now an independent consultant so if you are SERIOUS about maximizing your success here is a golden opportunity.

The demand for people who understand Analytics is skyrocketing. It is extremely complex and most consultants are thinking too black and white and failing to consider all the variables that lie behind the numbers.

It takes an incredibly long time to get brilliant in implementing, analyzing, and applying analytics solutions. If your business is already viable, not spending money on this skill NOW is costing you a lot of money in missed opportunities.

From the page: "Anyone in the analytics community knows Eric Peterson. He's an author, blogger, consultant and general advocate for the community as a whole. Having recently struck out as a consultant, Eric is now vendor relationship free and spreading the gospel about web analytics process and, at this particular session of eMetrics, Web Analytics 2.0.

There was a time when the complications of an analyst were centered around more finite challenges like cookie deletion. But in a world of user generated content, an entire web experience inside one "page view", automated agents executing JavaScript, content distribution through XML and RSS feeds, and non traditional browsers like iPhone and Blackberry, you can see how the analyst's life has become a bit more complex. Eric notes that the markers of web analytics 2.0 are quantitative & qualitative, it captures multiple browsing sessions, measures content distribution, complex event tracking, data from multiple sources, focused on data analysis & optimization, and visitors are persistent as individual indefinitely. This isn't simple page or logfile analysis, it's a "website optimization ecosystem".

Within that ecosystem, web analytics 2.0 is meant to address actions and measures in both the traditional quantitative sense (web analytics, testing and targeting) and the qualitative sense (voice of the customer, personalization). For each stakeholder, designer or blogger, programmer or marketer, it's a lens to focus on the question, "How is my site helping or hurting my customers and prospects?"

For some businesses, web analytics 2.0 can include a measure of engagement, currently a hot topic in the analytics community. "There is no universal measure for engagement," says Peterson, but he did use his own company's site to demonstrate one way to tackle the measure (originally mentioned here). He suggests this equation:"

Two quick comments on Web Analytics:

1. The ideal solution MUST track EVERY VISIT to your Web site. Google Analytics only tracks LAST visit. Google conversion tracking uses FIRST visit. Ask this question BEFORE you buy ANY analytics package.

2. If you are willing to pay for analytics and want something suitable for a smaller business that is easier (relatively - they're all complicated by necessity) to use and install consider ClickTracks and IndexTools.

3. If you are a large company you will want to look at companies like WebTrends and Omniture. I do NOT recommend these for smaller businesses. You will need an IT and Analytics Staff.

From the page: "Google will also change how the product is packaged. Previously, Urchin consisted of a core piece costing US$895 and optional modules, including one that cost almost $4,000. The new version integrates all pieces in one product that will sell for $2,995."

From the page: "Summary of the Issue:

Around August 20, 2007 many clients' Google AdWords accounts saw their cost/conversion skyrocket -- in one particular case we saw it was over 100% increase. It was caused by a corrupted "Expanded Broad Match" algorithm.

What Caused it?

"Expanded broad match" was expanded by Google way too much. AdWords began showing ads for "expanded broad match" terms that were just not relevant to the broad keyword generating them.

What to do:

1) Stop using "Broad Match"! If you do use it Google kicks in "Expanded Broad Match" and you can not opt out of the expanded part.

2) Insist to your Google contacts that you be allowed to opt out of expanded broad match!
(We have tried for a couple years, but have made no progress.) UPDATE: 10/16 -- see 10/16 note below

BIG lightbulb just went on - now I know why Google Analytics uses LAST CLICK data instead of first which would make far more sense. Read this and you will too.

See that blank spot above the text? That is caused by companies so concerned with "bandwidth theft" that they're willing to give up highly targeted recommendations of their site - something FAR CHEAPER than buying the equivalent advertising - to save a few pennies. I use images because they are so effective at drawing attention and generating vastly more traffic to what I recommend.

I hope you and your company are wiser than they are and know the value of recommendations, viral marketing, and using their images to do both.