The document provides insights on optimizing Google Analytics through event tracking, custom reports, and advanced metrics to effectively analyze web traffic. It highlights the importance of careful tracking, reporting, and understanding limitations in attribution modeling for accurate data interpretation. The author offers various tools and techniques for better insights and integrating analytics with different platforms.

1. Making Google Analytics
Work For You
Mike Pantoliano
@MikeCP
Lead SEO Consultant
distilled

2. “Advanced” Analytics
Answers important questions regardless of
your web analytics package

3. GA‟s Increasing Flexibility
• Event Tracking
• Custom Reports _setCustomVar,
• Advanced
Segments „Whatever-The-Hell-
You-Want‟
• Custom Variables
• More

4. (not provided)

5. Rabble Rabble Rabble
(stupid not provided)

6. Extrapolate
or
Ignore

7. Extrapolation
• Imprecise and Untrustworthy
• Only going to get worse

8. Ignore
I know, it hurts.

9. Custom Reports

10. Custom Reports
This is annoying

11. Custom Reports
Build end-to-end reports for easier analysis!
http://dis.tl/ActldX

12. Events
_trackEvent(category, action, opt_label, opt_value, opt_noninteraction)

13. Checkout Errors & Alerts
<p>Please enter valid payment information.</p>

14. Checkout Errors & Alerts
<p onload=“_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Checkout
Errors', 'Please enter valid payment
information.‟]);”>Please enter valid payment
information.</p>

16. Other Event Ideas
• Video Plays - http://dis.tl/xq941K (google.com)
• Button Clicks - Same as above
• File Downloads - http://dis.tl/x56Qic (blastam.com)
• Content Scroll Analysis - http://dis.tl/y3urWb
(cutroni.com)
• Site Exits

17. Event Caveat
Watch Your Bounce Rate!

18. Event Caveat
Watch Your Bounce Rate!
_trackEvent(category, action, opt_label, opt_value, opt
_noninteraction)

19. Entourage.js for File
Downloads
http://dis.tl/xsT12z

20. Custom Variables
_setCustomVar(index, name, value, opt_scope)

21. Organic Ranking
How-to: http://bit.ly/90zcJT

22. Blog & Social ROI
_gaq.push(['_setCustomVar',1,'social','blog entrant',1]);

23. More Custom Variable Ideas
• Blog Post Author
• Blog Post Year
• Repeat Purchaser
• Logged In/Member

24. Custom Variable Caveat
Must be paired (above) with a _trackEvent or
_trackPageview

25. Custom Alerts

26. The Basics
• Traffic Drops
• Bounce Rate Increases
• Conversion Drops

27. Advanced Metrics
Long Tail Traffic Drop
RegEx for 3 or more keywords:
^s*[^s]+(s+[^s]+){2,}s*$

28. Advanced Metrics
Checkout Error Increases

29. Roll Up Accounts

30. Cross-(sub)Domain
• Can get complicated
• Don‟t forget to create secondary trackers
_setAccount(UA-XXXXX-1)
_trackPageview
b._setAccount(UA-XXXXX-2)
b._trackPageview
• Make sure your matched up exactly -
_setDomainName - _setAllowLinker

31. Using Filters
“/” “www.domain.com/”

32. A Specific Problem
Folding a new subdomain in
How to not mess with historical data
^(www.example.com|example.com)(.*)$

33. Multi-Channel Funnels

37. Assisted / Last Interaction
Ratio

38. But Wait! Let‟s Segment...

39. AdWords Awesomeness!
Campaign
Soccer Jerseys
AC Milan
AC Milan Away
JerseyTime.com

40. Affiliates Taking Too Much
Credit

41. Multi-Channel Funnel
Caveats / Limitations

42. It‟s Not Attribution Modeling
30 days only
No cost or impression data (outside of
AdWords)
No one size fits all!

43. Last Click
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

44. First Click
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

45. Even Attribution
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

46. U - Curve
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

47. Time Degrading
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

48. Watch for (not provided)
t.co is a referral in stock
channels!

49. Excel Magic
Excellent Analytics http://bit.ly/izpY69
http://bit.ly/excel-ninja

50. Thanks!
Mike Pantoliano
@MikeCP
mike.pantoliano@distilled.
net