Google Analytics is one of the most valuable sources of information we can have to identify SEO opportunities, make decisions and optimize the sites we work for. However, we don’t generally use it to drive SEO benefit.
In this webinar, Alexander Holl (CEO of 121WATT & Leader of German Advisory Board, SMX Munich), will show you how to use Google Analytics to drive SEO Benefit.
You’ll learn:
* Why use Organic Search Sources Feature of Universal Analytics?
* How to Improve the data quality by detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
* How to use 404 Reports to Detect Lost Link Opportunities
* Reporting & Analyzing Google Panda
... plus, much more!
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How to Use Google Analytics to Drive SEO
Benefit?
March 31st, 2015 FREE Webinar by
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Our Speakers
Alexander Holl
Founder & CEO at 121WATT
@121WATTT
Ravi Pathak (Host)
Founder & CEO at Tatvic
@ravipathak
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About Alexander Holl & 121WATT
• Online since 1994
• Founder of the 121WATT (2008)
• Before 2008: director @Yahoo! and AltaVista
• professor at the Steinbeis University of Applied
Sciences
• member of the SEO expert committee of the
BVDW
• Chairman of the advisory board of the SMX
Munich
• Trainer for the german google partner academy
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SEO
SEO Questions
• User signals are getting more and more important? How can we
best measure user signals?
• How much organic traffic do we have?
• What about Content Marketing and getting (valuable) links?
• Are we missing interesting link oppurtinities
• How good is our content?
• ...
From Search Engine Optimization to Search
Experience Optimization
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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Configuration: Assigning Data Correctly at Property Level
• Regexp: searchIsucheIduckduckgoIecosiaIgoogle
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Addorganic: the problem
• Google Analytics identifies search
engines such as google, bing etc.
„automatically“ as a search engine
using the tag organic
• Examples: yahoo / organic or
google / organic
• Please find all default search
engines here:
https://developers.google.com/ana
lytics/devguides/collection/gajs/ga
TrackingTraffic?hl=en#searchEngin
e
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Addorganic: the solution
• In the Web Interface In Universal Analytics you can assign search engines which
were attributed to referral to become medium organic
• This setting can be changed as follows: Admin ->Property -> Tracking Info ->
Organic Search Sources
• Find more information here:
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/gajs/gaTrackingTraf
fic?hl=en#searchEngine
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Data after configuration
• Data cannot be changed in retrospective,
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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Detecting Spam Referrals
• Please use for testing first
you report on a acqusition ->
source / medium and filter
by using using a regular
expression
• (econom|darodar|ilovevitaly
|buttons-for-
website|semalt|makemoney
online|priceg|blackhatworth
).(com?|de|net)
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Detecting Spam Referrals
• Secondly create a filter on
view level to exclude referral
spam ->
• Please first test filter in a test
view before transfering to
your master view
• Filter works? If yes then
transfer to your master view
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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Excluding Bot Traffic
• Since the 30th of July, there is a box you can tick in the data view in order to exclude „Bot Traffic“ ->
risk -> there can be a drop in traffic
• The foundation is the IAB Bot Spidering List that is maintained since 2006
• Here a link to a Google+ post: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAnalytics/posts/2tJ79CkfnZk?
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Is there any more Bot Traffic?
• Here you can download a Google Analytics segment to check your own „potential Bot Traffic“
• http://www.jeffalytics.com/internet-service-providers-google-analytics-advanced-segment/ and
here:
https://www.google.com/analytics/web/importing#importing//%3F_.objectId%3DZxnJCS1rRuiJ1Zu-
SMmHQg%26_.selectedProfile%3D
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Exclude Bot Traffic Filter
• Find more here:
http://www.lunametrics.com/blog/201
3/09/05/filter-bots-google-analytics/
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Is there still any Bot traffic left??
• Step 1: creating a user defined report
• Step 2: open report -> additional filters > new sessions greater than 99% and goal value = 0 with
secondary dimension such as city or landingpage -> create link -> send once per week or once a day
• Please see: http://121w.at/6wui
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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404 Reports for detecting lost link opportunities
The issue
• broken links (404) are common for (big) websites
• 404 means that the server could not find the requested ressource
• In terms of SEO 404 could be a hint that somebody was placing a link on to your
website but the link is not working
• Solution: 301 the link or ask the source for correcting the link
• How can analytics help?
Imagesoruce: http://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-
connect/404-replacement-with-301-redirect-to-homepage.html
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404: Requirements
• Minimum: you have a 404 error page
• Better: you have a well-designed 404 error page must exist
• Even better: You have a clear pattern in your page title, i.e. page
not found, 404 etc.
• Optimal: you have a well-designed 404 error page , set up with a
Google Analytics tracking code and a unique website title (e.g. 404,
page not found, etc.)
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User-defined Report: Possible Solution
https://www.google.com/analytics/web/template?uid=Otr3CXphT3mVH9Pl0M4RoQ
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As an extra: Creating a 404 Intelligence Event
• aim: being alerted about potentially increasing error sources
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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Search is very important
% Search
88,13%
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But the bounce rate is very high!
Bounce
83,97%
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People are just leaving!
Time on Site
00:00:39
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How Big Was the Lost of Visibility?
http://121w.at/7ssx
By approximately by how much decreased the visibility of the domain wer-weiss-
was.de between August 2011 and today? Wer weiss was is a german Q&A Portal
like yahoo answers
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Visibility Development wer-weiss-was.de
• http://suite.searchmetrics.com/en/research?url=wer-weiss-
was.de#filter={"filter_home_chart":{"fxch":"organicpaidvisibility"}}
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Outline
Universal Analytics & Organic Search Sources
Detecting Spam Referrals & Bots
404 Reports for Detecting Lost Link Opportunities
Questions & Answers
Reporting & Analyzing Panda
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So my website is the next panda victim?
75,32 %? 74,32 %?
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>93% bounce rate. What is going wrong?
• Stop Facebook Ads right away?
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What is the bounce rate?
• Bounce rate is the percentage of single-page sessions ->
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1009409?hl=en
• For a more detailed and exact definition please have a look over
here
• But impacting factors on bounce rate are i.e. traffic source, page
concept, relevancy, are you a brand ...
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Send event after 75s
• But what if you knew, how many of your
visits are really engaging with you website,
and how many are really bouncing?
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Implementation Option 1: Tracking Code
• Step 1: Google Analytics tracking code -> setTimeout (this example showcases the
new Universal Analytics tracking code)
• Step 2: definition of the event as a goal
• Step 3: analyse „low performer“ pages report with segment „organic traffic“
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Implementation Option 1: Tracking Code
• Step 1: Google Analytics tracking code -> setTimeout (this example showcases the
new Universal Analytics tracking code)
• Step 2: definition of the event as a goal
• Step 3: analyse „low performer“ pages report with segment „organic traffic“
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Option 2: True Reader via Google Tag Manager
step 1: timer listener Step 2: timer listener -> event
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Option 2: True Reader via Google Tag Manager
Step 3: set up event in Analytics with a goal
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Summary
• Data is becoming more & more interesting for SEO Analysis
• User signals are more and important for Google‘s Algo
• Google Analytics helps to analyse user engagement
• Detecting lost link oppurtunities
• For properly analysing data, data quality must be good so best
clean up your data
• Exclude referral spam
• Exclude bot spam
• Attribute organic traffic correctly
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Resources
• Default Search Engine List - http://goo.gl/1tRLaf
• Excluding Bot Traffic - http://goo.gl/LMvW3g
• Common Internet Service Providers in Google Analytics and an Advanced Segment to
Filter Them Out - http://goo.gl/RU5o23
• Download Advance Segment Report to Filter major ISP - http://goo.gl/XuC2KW
• Excluding Bot Traffic Filter - http://goo.gl/GpruSS
• Download 404 Custom Report - http://goo.gl/FTpZor
• Search Analytics Tool Used - http://goo.gl/qJFmQK
• Watch Full SEO & GA Webinar Video
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Upcoming Webinar
Everything You Need to Know about Mobile App
Analytics
When: 28th April, 2015 – 3 PM IST
You’ll learn:
• How to do Campaign Tracking
• How to do Mobile App Uninstallation Tracking
• How to integrate Google Analytics & Play Store Analytics?
• Checklist: Things to Track while Implementing Mobile App Tracking
Register/ Watch Here
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Upcoming Webinar
How to Measure the Effectiveness of Print Media
Advertising
When: 26th May, 2015 – 3 PM IST
You’ll learn:
• Impact of Print Media Advertising on Your Website Traffic
• Which Print Media Platform gets most traffic
• How Long a user engages with your website once the advertisement is published
Register/ Watch Here
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Alexander Holl
Twitter: @121WATTT
Ravi Pathak
Twitter: @ravipathak
Thank You!