An introduction to Google Analytics

Google Analytics Joris Roebben ( [email_address] ) Tom Michiels ( [email_address] ) www.queromedia.com

1. Introduction
What is Google Analytics?
urchin.js GA.js 2004 2005 2007

Conventions
GA = Google Analytics
GATC = Google Analytics Tracking Code

Google Analytics advantages
Free
Sufficiant possibilities for most companies
Easy to implement
Easy to use
Easy to understand

Google Analytics disadvantages
URL and title based
No data history
Privacy ?
JavaScript and cookies
Only visitors, no crawlers or bots

2. Google Analytics interface
Dashboard
Add / remove elements
Personalized

Calendar

Reporting
XML
PDF
CSV
TSV
Send now
Schedule

3. Setup Google Analytics
Create Google Account
Free
No spam
Gmail = OK

Best practice for GA accounts
Create GA account on [email_address]
Add [email_address] as administrator
Add [email_address] as reviewer
Advantage: structure

Sign up
Login
Create GA account

Get the GATC
Google Analytics Tracking Code
Old vs. New one
urchin.js vs. GA.js

urchin.js
Old code
Can still be used
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-123456-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </body> </html>

GA.js
New code
New features not yet available
<script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");document.write("<script src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'></script>" ); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-123456-1");pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPaginaweergave();</script> </body> </html>

Host your own GATC
Possible
Not advised
<script src="http://www.mydomain.com/mytrackingcode.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-123456-1"; urchinTracker(); </script>

Check your installation
Put code just before </body>
Loads pages faster
No problem if GA offline

Easy implementation
All HTML-files: lot of work
Dynamic site: look for footer inclusion
CMS: look for templates
Put GATC on ALL pages !!!
Correct data = essential

Access manager
Give access to GA account
Must be Google account
Administrator or View Reports only

Add user

4. Adding AdWords to Google Analytics
Use GA in AdWords interface
AdWords reports in GA

Step 1: check GATC
Make sure every page on website is tagged with GATC

Step 2: Login to Google AdWords
www.google.com/adwords as Administrator

Step 3: Tab Analytics
Click on the tab Analytics

Step 4: Link to existing GA account

Step 5: Account preferences
Make sure auto-tagging is on !

5. Profiles and Filters
Are the real strength of GA
Segment data
Deep analysis
Depending on needs
Start collecting data when created

Best practices
Profile with ALL data
Testing profile

Data needed for profile
Website URL
Profile Name
Time Zone
Default Page
Exclude parameters
E-commerce website
Search

GATC for different profiles <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA- 123456-1 "; urchinTracker(); </script> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA- 123456-2 "; urchinTracker(); </script> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA- 654321-1 "; urchinTracker(); </script>

Filters
Applied to profile
Change data (forever!)
Segmentation
Business rules
2 sorts: predefined and custom
Test profile

How do filters work?
3 components
Filter Type
Filter Fields
Filter Pattern
Filter data before submitting it to GA DB

Multiple filters
No problem
Multiple filters applied to data
Data output filter 1 is input filter 2
Be careful !!!
Wrong conclusions

Filterfields
37 fields
Field = pageview attribute
Regular fields and user defined fields
Regular: request URI, hostname, referral, page title, browser, IP address,...
User defined: campaign name, source, campaign term, e-commerce variables,...

Possible values for Filterfields
Check GA reports !!!
Lists not yet available

Filter Patterns
Pattern is applied to filterfield
If ok, data registered
If not ok, data neglected
Build patterns using RegEx
RegEx = set of characters, representative for bigger set of data

Filter Type
10 different types
3 predefined
7 custom

5.1 Exclude all traffic from a domain

5.2 Exclude all traffic from an IP address IP ranges with RegEx !!!

5.3 Include only traffic to a subdirectory

5.4 Include / Exclude filter (1)

5.5 Search and replace filter (1)

5.5 Search and replace filter (2)
No RegEx !!!
Changes data !!!

5.6 Uppercase / Lowercase filter

5.7 Lookup table filter
Not available in GA
Only old Urchin customers
~Search and replace filter
Text file

5.8 Advanced filters
Change data fields
By combining elements
2 filter fields: Field A and Field B
Extract field = Constructor
RegEx !!!

Examples of advanced filters (1)

Examples of advanced filters (2)

6. Custom segmentation
Segment data
_utmv cookie
JavaScript function _utmSetVar()
On pages tagged with GATC
Applied to HTML attributes as onLoad(), onChange(), onSubmit()
Only 1 cookie per visitor (website)

Custom segmentation example

Custom segmentation code
Everyone = visitor (“not set”)
When registered = member
When completed buy = customer
Report: Visitors > User defined
<body onLoad=”javascript:_utmSetVar(‘member’);”> <body onLoad=”javascript:_utmSetVar(‘customer’);”>

User Defined Values

RegEx Regular expressions are used to match or capture portions of a field using wildcards and metacharacters. They are often used for text manipulation tasks. Most of the filters included in Google Analytics use these expressions to match the data and perform an action when a match is achieved. For instance, an exclude filter is designed to exclude the hit if the regular expression in the filter matches the data contained in the field specified by the filter. Regular expressions are text strings that contain characters, numbers, and wildcards. Note that these wildcard characters can be used literally by escaping them with a backslash ''. For example, when entering www.google.com , escape the periods with a backslash: www.google.com

RegEx
. match any single character
* match zero or more of the previous items
+ match one or more of the previous items
? match zero or one of the previous items
() remember contents of parenthesis as item
[] match one item in this list
create a range in a list
| or
^ match to the beginning of the field
$ match to the end of the field
escape any of the above
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regex

7. Goals
Conversions ?
Conversion rate
Reports
Success of site
“ Thank you” page
Max. 4 per profile
Contact – buy – download - register

Setting up goals

Goals howto
Match type
Goal value
Choose good name
Unique “thank you” page per conversion
Keep track of filters

Goals visualisation (1)

Goals visualisation (2)

Funnels
Extension of goals
Predefined steps
Track conversion process
Required steps ?

Funnel visualisation

8. E-commerce tracking
Not accounting
Use it to find trends
No absolute figures !!!

Implementing E-commerce tracking
Activate E-commerce tracking in profile
Add code below GATC
Extra reports
Data from transaction needs to be transfered to GA
1 Transaction
Multiple items
urchin.js vs. GA.js

E-commerce for GA.js <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/ga.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-XXXXX-1"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._addTrans( "1234", // Order ID "partner", // Affiliation "2500.25", // Total "200.25", // Tax "3", // Shipping "Brussels", // City "Brabant", // State "Belgium" // Country ); pageTracker._addItem( "1234", // Order ID "MTB25", // SKU "Mountainbike", // Product Name "Off-road", // Category "1500", // Price "1" // Quantity ); pageTracker._addItem( "1234", // Order ID "MTB44", // SKU "Mountainbike", // Product Name "Cross", // Category "1000.25", // Price "1" // Quantity ); pageTracker._trackTrans(); </script>

Complete process

E-commerce reports

9. Tips & Tricks: Site Search

Tips & Tricks: Event tracking
Downloads, clicks, ...
Urchintracker() generates pageview
Pageviews in reports
Naming !
<a href="http://www.webiste.com/pdf/document1.pdf" onClick="javascript:urchinTracker('/pdf/document1');">

Tips & Tricks: Multi-domain tracking
Website on multiple domains
Most often used for external checkout
Transfer content of first party cookies to other domain
urchin.js vs. GA.js

Multi-domain tracking urchin.js (1)
Change GATC
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct="UA-xxxx-x"; _udn="none"; _ulink=1; urchinTracker(); </script>

Multi-domain tracking urchin.js (2)
Change cross-domain links
<a href="https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters">Log in Now</a> <script type="text/javascript"> document.write('<a href="javascript:__utmLinker(' https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters');">Log in Now</a>'); </script> <noscript> <a href=" https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters ">Log in Now</a> </noscript>

Multi-domain tracking GA.js (1)
Change GATC
<script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? " https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write("<script src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js ' type='text/javascript'></script>" ); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-12345-1"); pageTracker._setDomainName("none"); pageTracker._setAllowLinker(true); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPaginaweergave(); </script>

Multi-domain tracking GA.js (2)
Change cross-domain links
<a href="https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters">Log in Now</a> <script type="text/javascript"> document.write(‘<a href="javascript:pageTracker._link('https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters');">Log in Now</a>'' );</script> <noscript> <a href="https://www.secondsite.com/?login=parameters">Log in Now</a> </noscript>

Tips & Tricks: Tracking outbound links
Creating pageviews
Using UrchinTracker()
Pageviews in reports
Naming !
<a href="http://www.otherdomain.com" onClick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outbound/otherdomain');">

Tips & Tricks: Tagging inbound links http://www.website.com/pagina.html http://www.website.com/pagina.html?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=nl&utm_term=zoekwoord
Adjust cookies
~Google AdWords auto-tagging
Not all parameters are required

10. Conclusion

11. Roundup 1. Create a Google Analytics account. 2. Analyze the website. 3. Create and Configure profiles. a) Create filters. b) Create goals and funnels. c) Create recommended profiles. 4. Edit the tracking code. 5. Modify the web site. 6. Add the tracking code to web site pages. 7. Tag marketing campaigns. 8. Enable e-commerce transaction tracking. 9. Implement custom segmentation. 10. Configure other administrative features. a) User accounts and report access. b) Automated email report delivery.

12. Q & A

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http://livngoodjewelry.blogspot.com	5
https://mashable.com	5
http://edu.liulizhi.info	5

An introduction to Google Analytics

by Joris Roebben

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