Introducing Google Analytics and some best practices for implementing it with your web content management platform.

1. Google Analytics
Best Practices for WCM
30/08/2012 – Joris Bekaert
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2. Table of contents
1. “Google Analytics” a short history
2. How does it work?
3. Initial setup & deployment
4. Advanced integration
5. Points of attention for implementation
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3. Google Analytics a short history
• April 2005: Urchin acquired by Google
• November 2005: First Rollout Google Analytics
• August 2006: Second Rollout
• April 2011: New version of interface
• March 2012: End of sales standalone Urchin
• June 2012: Mobile Google Analytics App
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4. How does it work?
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5. Initial setup: Creating GA Account
http://www.google.com/analytics
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6. Initial setup: Creating GA Account
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7. Initial setup: Getting GATC
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8. Initial setup: User interface
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9. The GATC explained
Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC)
• Asynchronous code
• Downloads ga.js
• Sets first party cookies
• Gathers and transfers basic analytics data set
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10. Deploying The GATC
• Before </head> or before </body>
• Needs to be added to 90% of the pages to get
usefull reports (troubleshooting tools available
e.g. Observepoint)
• Use a content management system to deploy
(flexibility)
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11. Advanced integration
1. Tracking File Downloads
2. Event tracking
3. Tracking Search Results
4. Tracking error pages and broken links
5. Rollup reports
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12. Tracking File Downloads
• Virtual PageViews
<a href=“mydoc.pdf”
onclick=“_gaq.push(‘_trackPageview’,’/downloads
/mydoc.pdf’);”>Download a pdf<a>
• Event Tracking
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13. Event Tracking
• Track in-page actions
• Flash movie player
• Exit links
• Ajax page elements (onClick, onSubmit, onReset, ...)
• File Downloads
• Event Tracking needs to be added in the HTML in a
consistent way (CMS)
• _trackEvent function
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14. Event Tracking
<a href=“#” onClick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,
‘Category’, ‘Action’, ‘Label’]);”>Label Link</a>
Parameter Condition Description
category Required The name you supply to the objects you
want to track
action Required A string that is uniquely paired with each
category and commonly used to define
the type of user action for the web object
optional_label Optional A string to provide addtional dimensions
to the event data.
optional_value Optional An integer that you can use to provide
numerical data about the user event
(time, amount)
optional_nonInteraction Optional The nonInteraction event is set to define
wether an event is treated as a non-
interaction.
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15. Event Tracking (examples)
gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘Video’, ‘Play’, ‘Alone in New York’]);”
gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘Video’, ‘Pause’, ‘Alone in New York’,
‘30’]);”
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16. Event Tracking (examples)
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17. Event Tracking (examples)
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18. Event Tracking (examples)
• Tracking Mailto
<a href=“mailto:info@amplexor.com”
onClick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,’Exit Points’,’Click
- Email’, ‘info@amplexor.com’]);”>
info@amplexor.com</a>
• Tracking embedded Video From Youtube
-> attach events to Youtube Javascript API
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19. Site Search
• Is the site search working?
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20. • Tracking Zero results?
• Additional _trackPageview
• Additional _trackEvent
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21. Error Pages & Broken Links
• Add GATC to Error page templates
• Add additional _trackPageview code
<script type="text/javascript">
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-33974358-1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview‘, ‘/error 404/’ + document.location.pathname +
document.location.search’]);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-
analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
</script> 21.

22. Rollup Reports
• Technique usefull for big companies with semi-
autonomous country offices
<script type="text/javascript">
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-33974358-1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
_gaq.push([‘t2._setAccount', 'UA-22334567-1']);
_gaq.push([‘t2._trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-
analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
</script> 22.

23. Points of attention for implementation
• Implementing Google Analytics needs extra
development
• Check Google Analytics features of the WCMS
• Create a tracking plan before the development
starts
• It can save work if the web agency can create the
tracking plan
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24. Further reading
http://www.advanced-web-metrics.com/
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