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Google Analytics

Best Practices for WCM

30/08/2012 – Joris Bekaert

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Table of contents

1. “Google Analytics” a short history

2. How does it work?

3. Initial setup & deployment

4. Advanced integration

5. Points of attention for implementation

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Google Analytics a short history

• April 2005: Urchin acquired by Google

• November 2005: First Rollout Google Analytics

• August 2006: Second Rollout

• April 2011: New version of interface

• March 2012: End of sales standalone Urchin

• June 2012: Mobile Google Analytics App

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How does it work?

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Initial setup: Creating GA Account

http://www.google.com/analytics

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Initial setup: Creating GA Account

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Initial setup: Getting GATC

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Initial setup: User interface

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The GATC explained

Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC)

• Asynchronous code

• Downloads ga.js

• Sets first party cookies

• Gathers and transfers basic analytics data set

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Deploying The GATC

• Before </head> or before </body>

• Needs to be added to 90% of the pages to get

usefull reports (troubleshooting tools available

e.g. Observepoint)

• Use a content management system to deploy

(flexibility)

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Advanced integration

1. Tracking File Downloads

2. Event tracking

3. Tracking Search Results

4. Tracking error pages and broken links

5. Rollup reports

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Tracking File Downloads

• Virtual PageViews

<a href=“mydoc.pdf”

onclick=“_gaq.push(‘_trackPageview’,’/downloads

/mydoc.pdf’);”>Download a pdf<a>

• Event Tracking

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• Track in-page actions

• Flash movie player

• Exit links

• Ajax page elements (onClick, onSubmit, onReset, ...)

• File Downloads

• Event Tracking needs to be added in the HTML in a

consistent way (CMS)

• _trackEvent function

Event Tracking

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Event Tracking

Parameter Condition Description

category Required The name you supply to the objects you

want to track

action Required A string that is uniquely paired with each

category and commonly used to define

the type of user action for the web object

optional_label Optional A string to provide addtional dimensions

to the event data.

optional_value Optional An integer that you can use to provide

numerical data about the user event

(time, amount)

optional_nonInteraction Optional The nonInteraction event is set to define

wether an event is treated as a non-

interaction.

<a href=“#” onClick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,

‘Category’, ‘Action’, ‘Label’]);”>Label Link</a>

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Event Tracking (examples)

gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘Video’, ‘Play’, ‘Alone in New York’]);”

gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘Video’, ‘Pause’, ‘Alone in New York’,

‘30’]);”

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Event Tracking (examples)

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Event Tracking (examples)

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Event Tracking (examples)

• Tracking Mailto

<a href=“mailto:info@amplexor.com”

onClick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,’Exit Points’,’Click

- Email’, ‘info@amplexor.com’]);”>

info@amplexor.com</a>

• Tracking embedded Video From Youtube

-> attach events to Youtube Javascript API

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Site Search

• Is the site search working?

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• Tracking Zero results?

• Additional _trackPageview

• Additional _trackEvent

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Error Pages & Broken Links

• Add GATC to Error page templates

• Add additional _trackPageview code

<script type="text/javascript">

var _gaq = _gaq || [];

_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-33974358-1']);

_gaq.push(['_trackPageview‘, ‘/error 404/’ + document.location.pathname +

document.location.search’]);

(function() {

var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;

ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-

analytics.com/ga.js';

var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);

})();

</script>

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Rollup Reports

• Technique usefull for big companies with semi-

autonomous country offices <script type="text/javascript">

var _gaq = _gaq || [];

_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-33974358-1']);

_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);

_gaq.push([‘t2._setAccount', 'UA-22334567-1']);

_gaq.push([‘t2._trackPageview']);

(function() {

var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;

ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-

analytics.com/ga.js';

var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);

})();

</script>

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Points of attention for implementation

• Implementing Google Analytics needs extra

development

• Check Google Analytics features of the WCMS

• Create a tracking plan before the development

starts

• It can save work if the web agency can create the

tracking plan

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Further reading

http://www.advanced-web-metrics.com/