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Optimizing your Google Analytics setup in 9 steps

@AlhanKeser Send questions: [email protected]

October 2, 2012 PRNews Social Media Measurement Conference NYC Alhan Keser, Blue Fountain Media


www.bluefountainmedia.com

Blue Fountain Media

Web Design / Development / Online Marketing

Why a good GA setup matters


•  Gather accurate data




•  Make GA work for you





•  Out-of-the-box vs. advanced setup





•  Out-of-the-box vs. advanced setup


When it’s decision making time, you’ve got the data you need.


Get the basics right •  Implement all the way •  Filter out internal visitors •  Only track your website

9 steps to a successful GA setup



Track more with GA •  404s •  Docs & external links •  Social actions •  Smartphone actions •  Tag all URLs •  Connect with AdWords



Implement all the way



Why:



Why: •  It’s easy to get it wrong




•  Track all visitors




•  Track all visitors

•  Avoid incomplete visitor paths



How:



How: •  The right account number



How: •  The right account number •  Asynchronous code




•  In <head> tag of html




•  In <head> tag of html •  On all pages, only 1x



How: •  The right account number •  Asynchronous code •  In <head> tag of html

•  On all pages, only 1x

•  http://bit.ly/ga-troubleshooting


Filter out internal visitors


Your website

Your staff Your target audience


Why:



Why: •  Making “real visitor” data less accurate



Why: •  Making “real visitor” data less accurate •  Leading to potentially erroneous conclusions



How:



How: •  Filter by IP (most common)




•  Filter by Custom Variable (more clever)


_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-XXXXXXX-1']); _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar', 1, 'Internal Visitor', 'Exclude', 1]); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);


Step 1: Create a visitor-level custom variable on a page that only your internal visitors would visit. (Intranet, special URL, admin area, etc.)

_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-XXXXXXX-1']); _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar', 1, 'Internal Visitor', 'Exclude', 1]); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);


Step 1: Create a visitor-level custom variable on a page that only your internal visitors would visit. (Intranet, special URL, admin area, etc.)

Step 2: Create a filter to exclude these visitors.



•  Filter by Custom Variable (more clever)


Only track your website


Your website Copycat 1 Copycat 2


Why:



Why: •  It’s easy for your GATC to be “hijacked”




•  Hurts accuracy




•  Hurts accuracy

•  Easy to fix



How:



How: •  Create a filter to only track your domain(s)


Track 404s via GA


Page Not Found

Track 404s via GA

Why:


Track 404s via GA

Why: •  Seeing error page ≠ good experience


Track 404s via GA

Why: •  Seeing error page ≠ good experience •  Become self-reliant


Track 404s via GA

How:


Track 404s via GA

How: •  Modify the GATC on your 404 page template


_gaq.push(['_trackPageview','/404error/' +document.location.pathname+document.location.search']);

Track 404s via GA

How: •  Modify the GATC on your 404 page template

•  404 views show up in Content reports


_gaq.push(['_trackPageview','/404error/' +document.location.pathname+document.location.search']);

Track docs & external links



Why:



Why: •  Better view of user paths




•  Ability to attribute value to non-html content




•  Ability to attribute value to non-html content

•  Easy to implement



How:



How: •  Track links as virtual Pageviews




Link without virtual Pageview tracking:


<a href="http://mysite.com/company-brochure.pdf”</a>



Link without virtual Pageview tracking: With:


<a href="http://mysite.com/company-brochure.pdf”</a>

<a href="http://mysite.com/company-brochure.pdf" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/pdfs/company-brochure.pdf']);"</a>

Track social actions



Why:



Why: •  Different from social sources



Why: •  Different from social sources •  See trends & impact over time



Why: •  Different from social sources •  See trends & impact over time

•  Attribute value to button actions



How:



How: •  Use GA’s trackSocial method

_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'Facebook', 'Like', targetURL]);



How: •  Use GA’s trackSocial method

_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'Facebook', 'Like', targetURL]); •  Instructions & examples:

•  http://bit.ly/gablog-social-plugin •  http://bit.ly/ga-social-interactions


Track smartphone actions


Call Locate


Why:



Why:

•  Attribute value to smartphone visitors



Why:

•  Attribute value to smartphone visitors

•  Set-up goals specifically for smartphones



How:



How:

•  Add event tracking to phone number and map links



How:


Without tracking:


<a href="tel:+12122601978”>Call Us</a>


How:


Without tracking:

With tracking:


<a href="tel:+12122601978”>Call Us</a>

<a href="tel:+12122601978" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Mobile', 'Call']);">Call Us</a>

Tag every URL


http://yoursite.com/page.html?

utm_source=newsletter-customers

&utm_medium=email

&utm_content=50offallMensCardigans

&utm_campaign=FallSale2012

Tag every URL

Why:


Tag every URL

Why:

•  Gather campaign-level information, across channels


Tag every URL

Why:

•  Gather campaign-level information, across channels

•  Find optimal ad copy/creative/messaging


Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign


Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign > Medium


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign > Medium


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

cpc

email

social

Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign > Medium > Source


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

cpc

email

social

Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign > Medium > Source


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

cpc

email

social

Bing

Customer Newsletter

Facebook

Tag every URL

How:

•  Campaign > Medium > Source > Content


2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

cpc

email

social

Bing

Customer Newsletter

Facebook

Tag every URL

How:



2012 Fall Sale

Photo Contest

cpc

email

social

Bing

Customer Newsletter

Facebook

Lowest Prices

Tell Us Your Story

Send us

Your Photo

Tag every URL

How:


•  Use Google’s URL Builder: http://bit.ly/gurl-builder


Tag every URL

How:


•  Use Google’s URL Builder: http://bit.ly/gurl-builder

•  Use tagged URLs when shortening:

Turn this: http://mysite.com/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=try%2Bus%2Bfree&utm_campaign=Free%2BTrial%2B2012

into: http://bit.ly/ex-free-trial


Tag every URL

How:

•  Use it for:

•  Social shares •  Emails – lists & signatures •  Digital documents •  QR Codes •  Non-Google advertising (such as adCenter)


Connect with AdWords



Why:



Why:

•  Integrate cost data, placement, & more into GA



Why:

•  Integrate cost data, placement, & more into GA

•  Manage access



How:



How:

•  Need user profile that is Admin in both AdWords and Analytics



How:


•  In AdWords, under Tools and Analysis > Google Analytics > Admin



How:


•  In AdWords, under Tools and Analysis > Google Analytics > Admin

•  Select profiles with which you wish to integrate



Track more with GA •  404s •  Docs & external links •  Social actions •  Smartphone actions •  Tag all URLs •  Connect with AdWords



Thank You. Alhan Keser, Blue Fountain Media Send questions to [email protected]

optimizing your google analytics setup in 9 steps › assets › file › social... · optimizing...

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