Everything You Didn’t Know
About Google Analytics

We place insane trust in Google

Prioritising marketing spend

Investing in regions, products or
technologies

KPIs by which we’re promoted or fired

Valuing businesses for sale or investment

So: You need to understand this

Hidden
Quirks
Misleading
Metrics
Tips &
Tricks

Hidden
Quirks
Misleading
Metrics
Tips &
Tricks

Hidden Quirks:
WTF is a Session?

Entrance
Alcohol
Aisle
Checkout
Machine
Visit to Tesco
(Source = Passing Trade)
Passing
Trade

/category /product /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle Google
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Google)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle Paypal
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Paypal)

Hidden Quirks:
Attribution

/category /productGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
Session
(Source = Google)
Direct
2-week
holiday

Direct Other Channels
Other
Channels
Direct

Hidden Quirks:
Data Integrity

A couple of years ago, I decided to
make a website

Naturally, I started by making a
measurement plan

...that’s as far as I got

Two easy ways to ruin Google Analytics data
● Measurement Protocol
● Using their tracking ID on some random pages on your
site

Two easy ways to ruin GA data
● Measurement Protocol
● Using their tracking ID on some random pages on your
site
Ways this can be used against you:
● Competitors sabotaging your data
● Falsified data in pitches etc.

GA data integrity is non-existent

If you need to be sure, cross check
with logs

https://www.distilled.net/resources/guide-to-log-analysis-with-big-query/

Hidden
Quirks
Misleading
Metrics
Tips &
Tricks

Misleading Metrics:
Time on Page

Define Average Time on Page

GA: “The average amount of time users spent viewing a
specified page or screen, or set of pages or screens.”
Define Average Time on Page

GA: “The average amount of time users spent viewing a
specified page or screen, or set of pages or screens.”
Define Average Time on Page

“Average Time on Page” =
(“Time on Page”) / (Pageviews - Exits)
Define Average Time on Page

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:
Scenario Intuitive Time on
Page
Google Analytics
Time on Page
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Click through to next page
20s 20s

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:
Scenario Intuitive Time on
Page
Google Analytics
Time on Page
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Click through to next page
20s 20s
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Leave site
20s 10s

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:
Scenario Intuitive Time on
Page
Google Analytics
Time on Page
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Click through to next page
20s 20s
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Leave site
20s 10s
0s: Pageview
20s: Leave site
20s 0s

Average Time on Page?
Scenario Intuitive Time on
Page
Google Analytics
Time on Page
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Click through to next page
20s 20s
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Leave site
20s 10s
0s: Pageview
20s: Leave site
20s 0s

Scenario Intuitive Time on
Page
Google Analytics
Time on Page
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Click through to next page
20s 20s
0s: Pageview
10s: Social plugin
20s: Leave site
20s 10s
0s: Pageview
20s: Leave site
20s 0s
“Average Time on Page”= (“Time on Page”) / (Pageviews - Exits)
“Average Time on Page”= (Total of 30s) / (3 Pageviews - 2 exits)

● Confusing prospective consultants in interviews
● Confusing conference attendees
● Seed for generating random numbers
Usefulness of Average Time on Page

Misleading Metrics:
Bounce Rate & Exit Rate

Engagement Metrics
● Avg. Session Duration
● Avg. Time on Page

Engagement Metrics
● Avg. Session Duration
● Avg. Time on Page
● Bounce Rate
● Pages/Session
● Exit Rate

Engagement Metrics
● Avg. Session Duration
● Avg. Time on Page
● Bounce Rate
● Pages/Session
● Exit Rate
● Social Interactions
● Scroll Depth
● Micro-Conversions (e.g. signup)

Hidden
Quirks
Misleading
Metrics
Tips &
Tricks

Tips & Tricks:
Checkout as Landing Page

/category /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
/product
Session
(Source = Google)

/category /checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
/product
Session
(Source = Paypal)
Paypal

/category sub.domain.com/checkoutGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
/product
Session
(Source = Self Referral)

https://moz.com/blog/cross-domain-subdomain-tracking-in-google-analytics

Tips & Tricks:
Landing Page (not set)

/category EventGoogle
Session
(Source = Google)
/product
Session
(Source = Google)

/category
Event
Google
Session
(Source = Google)
/product
Session
(Source = Google)
Analytics.js
Ga.js

Tips & Tricks:
Sequences

Tips & Tricks:
User Flow Reports

THE MOST POWERFUL
BUTTON IN GOOGLE
ANALYTICS

Takeaways

We place insane trust in Google Analytics

Some of its definitions are arbitrary

You can’t always trust it

Some metrics are basically useless

The user interface makes things
unnecessarily difficult

But it helps us with big decisions

To trust something, you need to know it

Detailed Resources
● Sessions
● Self referrals
● Metrics
● Cross domain/subdomain tracking
● Log File Analysis
@THCapper

Thank You
@THCapper