Google Analytics

Joris Roebben (joris.roebben@queromedia.com)

Tom Michiels (tom.michiels@queromedia.com)

www.queromedia.com
1. Introduction
2007
What is Google Analytics?
2005

2004

GA.js

urchin.js
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
customername@yourname.com
• Add info@yourname.com as administrator
• Add email@customername.com 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)
5.4 Include / Exclude filter (2)
5.4 Include / Exclude filter (3)
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 urchin.js

<form style="display:none;" name="utmform">

<textarea id="utmtrans">
UTM:T|[order-id]|[affiliation]|[total]|[tax]|[shipping]|[city]|[state]|[country]
UTM:I|[order-id]|[sku/code]|[productname]|[category]|[price]|[quantity]
UTM:I|[order-id]|[sku/code]|[productname]|[category]|[price]|[quantity]
</textarea>
</form>
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
E-commerce reports
E-commerce reports
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.co
m/?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