Analytics Blog: January 2010

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FEATURED

Google Analytics 360 + Salesforce.

Google Analytics and Salesforce are working together to connect sales, marketing and advertising data, giving you the full view of what’s working across your ads, websites, emails, call centers, and more. Read the post.

Google Analytics Even More Global

January 29, 2010

Google Analytics Authorized ConsultantsPosted by Dai Pham and Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Google

Annotations Now Available In All Accounts

January 28, 2010

we announced

fantastic videoPosted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Google

We're raising the bar on Google Analytics IQ

January 26, 2010

Since the Google Analytics IQ launch, people from all over the world have taken the online course and test. Web analytics is increasingly important to all kinds of organizations. Online retailers, agencies, large consumer brands and non-profits are just a few of the many kinds of organizations that rely on people who are trained in Google Analytics. So, we've decided to raise the bar on what it means to be Google Analytics qualified and increase the minimum passing score from 75% to 80%.
If you're already Google Analytics qualified, but you received a score less than 80%, don't worry. This change doesn't affect your current qualification. But be sure to review the online course when it's time to renew your qualification (18 months after you initially qualified). At that time, you'll be expected to score at least 80%.
For details or to start the course, visit ConversionUniversity.com. There's a FAQ with details and a link to the Google Analytics IQ test. Best of luck to everyone!
Posted by Alden DeSoto, Google Analytics Team

Google

Upcoming Seminars for Success in Australia

January 22, 2010

Whilst I've been using GA for years and have also run AdWords campaigns I was becoming increasingly frustrated that there was newer functionality which I didn't have either the knowledge, skill or confidence to leverage in full. Above all, I've left the course hugely inspired, with a range of ideas which I'm keen to implement ASAP. This course has given many of the agencies we've dealt with a 'run for their money' and provided me with the confidence to not only demand, but do a lot more! SumiTriggseMarketingGoogle Analytics - Introduction and User Training
or

Sydney, Australia: Thursday, 11 March 2010

This introduction provides a complete overview of Google Analytics and available reports. Learn to identify the best reports for your role and make decisions that deliver results. Topics include:

Introduction to Web Analytics
Google Analytics Interface Features
Sharing and Customizing Reports
Understanding Visitors, Traffic Sources, Content and Goals
And Much, Much More...

Google Analytics - Advanced Technical Implementation
Melbourne, Australia: Friday, 26 February 2010

or
Sydney, Australia: Friday, 12 March 2010

The advanced day will show you how to use the full range of advanced features and reports within Google Analytics. Learn how to get the most out of Google Analytics with tips, tricks and technical setup options. Day 2 topics include:

Best Practices for Setup and Configuration
Using and Creating Filters
Setting and Configuring Goals and Funnels
E-commerce, Site Search, Event Tracking, Custom Reports and Advanced Segments
And Much, Much More...

Google Website Optimizer - Landing Page Testing
Melbourne, Australia: Monday, 1 March 2010

or
Sydney, Australia: Monday, 15 March 2010

Learn how to conduct landing page testing with Google Website Optimizer to identify, measure and improve key design elements and calls to action on your website to increase engagement and conversions. See how you can continually increase your conversion rates with testing by setting up and running A/B and multivariate tests.

Introduction to Landing Page Testing
Best Practices for Increasing Conversions
How to Run an Experiment
Understanding the Data and Running Follow-up Experiments
And Much, Much More...

Seats are limited, so register today!

Register for Sydney Seminars for Success
Register for Melbourne Seminars for Success

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Google

Clicks vs. Visits Revisited

January 20, 2010

a few reasons as to why this happensSolutions for Southeast Asia blogpostStep 1: Check that you have the basics covered.
Steps 2 and 3: Identifying the culprits. Look through the AdWords reports to identify campaign and keyword landing pages that are contributing to the discrepancy.
Step 4: Fix the problem. For each of the problematic landing pages check that:

The correct Google Analytics Tracking Code is implemented
The Google Analytics Tracking Code is in the right location in your HTML source code
The auto-tagging parameter is present in the URL of the landing page that the visitor ends up on
You are not using a combination of auto-tagging and manual campaign tracking parameters
Paid visits are not being filtered out in your profile

Head over to the Solutions for Southeast Asia blog for a full guide on troubleshooting Google Analytics visits and AdWords clicks discrepancies.

Posted by Prissilia Kho, Google Analytics Specialist and Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, Customer Solutions Engineer, Google Southeast Asia

Google

Google Analytics IQ: Make Sure You're Searchable!

January 11, 2010

If you've passed the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam, you probably want people to know. One thing you can do is publish a link to your test record. But, you should also make sure that you're searchable from the Google Testing Center.

Here's how to make sure that people can find you. First, log in to the Google Testing Center. (Note: Use the login information you created during your first visit to the Google Testing Center.)

Access your profile on the Google Testing Center.

In the "Google Analytics Individual Qualification" section under "Would you like your name added to the database if you pass this test?", select the Yes option.

Click "Save Changes."

That's all there is to it. Now anyone searching for you on the Testing Center site will find you!

Posted by Helen Huang, Google Analytics Team

Google

In Case You Missed It

January 8, 2010

Top Ten Ways To Get Your Business Ready For The Holidays

Seriously, these tips are applicable moreso now, when the holiday craziness is over and you have a second to optimize your campaigns and analytics, and also to take a look at some other free marketing tools from Google that you should really be using, such as Ad Planner, Insights For Search and Website Optimizer. 2010 will be much better if you take Avinash's advice early on.

For instance, here's numbers 1 and 2 from the list, to whet your appetite:

1. Update your wishlist:
Use the Search-based Keyword Tool to find keywords that you never thought of incorporating into your campaign for the holidays. (Here is a how-to guide for how best to use the tool: Monetize The Long Tail of Search).

2. Know what's hot this season:
Research on Insights for Search to see what the “Rising Searches” are and understand how people are searching for your brand (and your competitors!).

Make sure to read the rest!

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Google

Web Analytics TV with Avinash and Nick

January 7, 2010

Google Analytics Google Moderator site last week's questionsCarTalk
In this episode we discuss:

Tracking social media referrals in Google Analytics
Why do I see clicks with 0 visits in Google Analytics keyword reports
Does sharing data with Google Analytics have an impact on Organic Search rankings?
How to track Google custom site search engines in Google Analytics
In keyword reports how to change '+' characters into whitespaces
How advanced profile filters work
Best practices for reporting user "engagement"
What insights can you gain from the content drilldown report
How can one change the cookie duration of visits
How does one become excellent at web analytics

Here are links to resources we discussed in the video:

Tracking Custom Search Engine with Google Analytics help center article
An article discussing tracking custom search engine by Robbin Steif
Custom Advanced Filters explained by Robbin Steif
How regular expressions work in Google Analytics by Robin Steif
Why engagement is an "excuse" by Avinash Kaushik
Example Engagement API report using the Google Analytics API (check out the Solving Business Problems section)
Tracking methods to change the duration of the visitor, session and campaign cookies in ga.js

We'd love to hear your comments or questions in the comments section below, and let us know if you find this helpful.

Also, if you have a question you would like us to answer, please submit a question or vote for your favorite question in our public Google Moderator site. Avinash and I will answer your latest questions in a couple of weeks with yet another entertaining video. Thanks!