I have been writing a
'101 tips for using Google Analytics' article since late last year and it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of my priority list. Rather than letting them go stale in Google Docs I have decided to share a couple of tips with you - let's put them to work!
If you have a tip you would like to share or have a pressing Google Analytics question that might become a tip, then send an email to
analytics@mangoldsengers.com- Setup website goals. A website goal is a high value action that you would like your website visitors to perform. On a content or lead generation site, this could include subscribing to an email newsletter or completing a contact form. On a e-commerce site this could be the completion of a checkout process. You can access goal data across numerous reports within Google Analytics, plus you will have access to goal specific reports under the 'Goals' tab.
- Setup e-commerce tracking. If you have an e-commerce website make sure you enable e-commerce tracking within your Google Analytics website profile and add appropriate e-commerce tags to your website. If you don't have an e-commerce website you can still use e-commerce reports to associate a dollar value to particular website visitors.
- Link your Google AdWords account to your Google Analytics account. Once your accounts are linked you will have access to AdWords visitor data within Google Analytics.
- Track your marketing campaigns. Campaign tracking is a crucial element in understanding how your marketing campaigns are performing. By tagging online and offline campaigns you can begin to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives. Tag everything!
- Manually tag your CPC (Cost Per Click) campaigns. If you use a CPC system other than Google AdWords, you will need to manually tag your campaign URLs. CPC campaigns that are not tagged will be logged as "organic" (or unpaid) searches within Google Analytics.
Labels: Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Google Analytics Tips
Over the last few weeks I have been consulting with large companies on using Google Analytics for enterprise. I have been asked about the differences between Google Analytics and Urchin on a couple of occasions during these workshops, so this post is all about the differences. I have decided to include Urchin 5 in this comparison because a lot of people use Urchin 5 because it is provided by their hosting companies.
Brett Crosby on Urchin
"Urchin Software is a downloadable software product which makes it appealing to organizations with restrictive data policies or those wishing to analyze firewall-protected content, such as an internal company network.
"Urchin is also useful for those who want to perform ad-hoc historical log processing, who want to store their web analytics on local servers, hosting providers wishing to provide a value-added analytics service, and those requiring third-part audits." Brett Crosby, Google Analytics Group Product Marketing Manager
Compare, compare, compare
Here are the key features compared...
| Feature | Google Analytics | Urchin 6 | Urchin 5 |
| Install and manage on your own server | | | |
| Hosted and maintained by Google | | | |
| Reprocess historical data (from logfiles) | | | |
| Track content behind firewall | | | |
| Track search engine robots/spiders | | | |
| Goal tracking | | | Add-on |
| Campaign tracking | | | Add-on |
| Automatic Google AdWords tracking | | | |
| E-commerce reports | | | Add-on |
Break the firewall
One of the key differences between Google Analytics and Urchin, is that Urchin is installed on your own server, which allows you to track content that cannot be tracked by Google Analytics, for example a company intranet.
Google Analytics rocks Google AdWords
When it comes to tracking your Google AdWords campaigns, Google Analytics is your answer!Google Analytics is a critical tool if you are running Google AdWords campaigns, once you have linked your accounts you have access to reports that are not available within Urchin. These reports provide incredible insights into the success of your campaigns and where improvements can be achieved.
- Auto-tagging makes tracking easy (apologies to Avinash)
- See if your Ads are actually making you money
- Compare the success of Ad variations
- Compare other campaigns to Google AdWords
- See your best Ad positions on Google.com
- Understand the engagement of your paid visitors
- Segment and compare your data to site goals and e-commerce reports
Labels: Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Urchin 6
Google has officially launched the Urchin 6 public beta.
Urchin allows you to access Google Analytics style reports on your own servers. The new version of Urchin is aimed at enterprise customers and allows for both website and intranet user tracking.
Key Urchin 6 benefits:- Easy to use and understand
- No subscription fees
- Maintain control over log files
- Can be installed behind a firewall
- Compatible with Google Analytics
- Track non-human site visitors
- Automatically track error pages
- Audit Google Analytics figures
Urchin 6 will cost $2,995 USD once it is out of beta.
Download your own 90 day demo version of the Urchin 6 beta We provide professional installation and customization services.
Contact us for details.
Urchin 6 resources: Labels: new Google Analytics features, Urchin 6
