Google Analytics | Sue Brandreth's Learning Resources

Cutroni, J. (2010) Google Analytics, O’Reilly Media, Inc.

There is a more recent version of this book

Do you know what people do when they visit your website or web app? Or how much the site contributes to your bottom line? Google Analytics keeps track and makes it easy for you to learn precisely what’s happening. This hands-on guide shows you how to get the most out of this free and powerful tool — whether you’re new to Google Analytics or have been using it for years.

Google Analytics shows you how to track different market segments and analyze conversion rates, and reveals advanced techniques such as marketing-campaign tracking, a valuable feature that most people overlook. And this practical book not only provides complete code samples for web developers, it also explains the concepts behind the code to marketers, managers, and others on your team.

Discover exactly how the Google Analytics system works
Learn how to configure the system to measure data most relevant to your business goals
Track online marketing activities, including cost-per-click ads, email, and internal campaigns
Track events — rather than page views — on sites with features such as maps, embedded video, and widgets
Configure Google Analytics to track enterprise data, including multiple domains
Use advanced techniques such as custom variables and CRM integration

Table of Contents

Preface; Who This Book Is For; Who This Book Is Not For; What You’ll Learn; Other Learning Options; If You Like (or Don’t Like) This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; How to Contact Us; Safari® Books Online; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Introducing Web Analytics; 1.1 Defining Web Analytics; 1.2 What Google Analytics Contributes; 1.3 How Google Analytics Fits in the Analytics Ecosystem; Chapter 2: Creating an Implementation Plan; 2.1 Gather Business Requirements; 2.2 Analyze and Document Website Architecture; 2.3 Create an Account and Configure Your Profile; 2.4 Configure the Tracking Code and Tag Pages; 2.5 Tag Marketing Campaigns; 2.6 Create Additional User Accounts and Configure Reporting Features; 2.7 Perform Optional Configuration Steps; Chapter 3: Under the Covers: How Google Analytics Works; 3.1 Data Collection and Processing; 3.2 Reports; 3.3 About the Tracking Code; 3.4 Understanding Pageviews; Chapter 4: Tracking Visitor Clicks, Outbound Links, and Non-HTML Files; 4.1 About the Tracking Cookies; Chapter 5: Google Analytics Accounts and Profiles; 5.1 Google Analytics Accounts; 5.2 Creating a Google Analytics Account; 5.3 All About Profiles; Chapter 6: Filters; 6.1 Filter Fields; 6.2 Filter Patterns; 6.3 Filter Type; Chapter 7: Tracking Conversions with Goals and Funnels; 7.1 Goals; 7.2 Tracking Defined Processes with Funnels; Chapter 8: Must-Have Profiles; 8.1 Profile Roles; 8.2 Using Profiles to Segment Data; 8.3 Keeping Track of Your Configuration Changes; Chapter 9: Marketing Campaign Tracking; 9.1 How It Works; 9.2 How to Tag Links; 9.3 Tracking AdWords; 9.4 Tracking Other CPC Sources; 9.5 Tracking Email; 9.6 Embedding Campaign Tags Within a Page; 9.7 Understanding Conversion Attribution; 9.8 Tracking Internal Marketing Campaigns; Chapter 10: Advanced Tracking Techniques; 10.1 Tracking Across Multiple Domains; 10.2 Tracking Across Multiple Subdomains; 10.3 Tracking Across Multiple Domains with Multiple Subdomains; 10.4 Frames and iFrames; 10.5 E-Commerce Tracking; 10.6 Event Tracking; 10.7 Pulling It All Together; 10.8 Custom Variables; Chapter 11: Enterprise Implementation Considerations; 11.1 Issue #1: Roll-Up Reporting; 11.2 Issue #2: Unique Visitors; 11.3 Issue #3: Page Tagging; 11.4 Issue #4: Hosting External JavaScript; 11.5 Issue #5: URL Structure; 11.6 Issue #6: Campaign Tracking; 11.7 Issue #7: Data Integration; 11.8 Issue #8: E-Commerce Data; 11.9 Issue #9: AdWords Cost Data; Chapter 12: CRM Integration; 12.1 Using Regular Expressions to Extend Goals; Chapter 13: Tools and Add-Ons; 13.1 Reporting and Analysis Tools; 13.2 Debugging Tools; Google Analytics Compliance with WAA Standards; Regular Expressions; Wildcards; Quantifiers; Operators; Anchors; Colophon;|

Preface
Chapter 1: Introducing Web Analytics
Chapter 2: Creating an Implementation Plan
Chapter 3: Under the Covers: How Google Analytics Works
Chapter 4: Tracking Visitor Clicks, Outbound Links, and Non-HTML Files
Chapter 5: Google Analytics Accounts and Profiles
Chapter 6: Filters
Chapter 7: Tracking Conversions with Goals and Funnels
Chapter 8: Must-Have Profiles
Chapter 9: Marketing Campaign Tracking
Chapter 10: Advanced Tracking Techniques
Chapter 11: Enterprise Implementation Considerations
Chapter 12: CRM Integration
Chapter 13: Tools and Add-Ons
Google Analytics Compliance with WAA Standards
Regular Expressions

Miller, M. (2011) Sams Teach Yourself Google Analytics in 10 Minutes, Sams Publishing

Sams Teach Yourself Google Analytics™ in 10 Minutes gives you straightforward, practical answers when you need fast results. By working through its 10-minute lessons, you’ll learn everything you need to use Google Analytics to accurately measure your website’s performance–and improve it!

10 minutes is all you need to learn how to…

Quickly create a Google Analytics account and add Google Analytics to your site
Define goals and measure how well your site is achieving them
Track visitors from search engines, pay-per-click advertising, email, and other sources
Discover the pages your visitors view, how long they stay, and where they exit
Monitor specific user actions, such as playing embedded video, selecting Flash menu items, or downloading files
Identify your best and worst content, and fix poorly performing pages
Improve your site by tracking error pages and broken links
Measure AdWords traffic, position, and e-commerce performance
Manage Google Analytics through the Dashboard
Customize Google Analytics to work more effectively with your site
Capture more accurate information by filtering out internal traffic
Choose the right reports and data, understand them, and act on what you learn

Table of Contents

Introduction vi

1 A 10-Minute Guide to Web Analytics 1

2 Creating a Google Analytics Account 9

3 Adding Google Analytics to Your Website 15

4 Using the Google Analytics Dashboard 25

5 Customizing Data in the Dashboard 39

6 Tracking Visitors 51

7 Analyzing Traffic Sources 69

8 Analyzing Top Content 79

9 Tracking AdSense Performance 91

10 Viewing the Site Overlay Report 101

11 Tracking AdWords Traffic 105

12 Tracking Ecommerce 113

13 Measuring Site Search Usage 123

14 Setting Up Goals and Funnels 131

15 Using Event Tracking 139

16 Creating Custom Reports 145

17 Filtering Data 155

18 Customizing the Google Analytics Tracking Code 163

19 Creating User-Defined Visitor Types 167

20 Filtering Out Internal Traffic 171

21 Tracking Error Pages and Broken Links 179

22 Tracking File Downloads 183

23 Tracking Full Referring URLs 187

24 Identifying Poorly Performing Pages 191

25 Fixing Problem Pages with Website Optimizer 197

Tonkin, S., Whitmore, C. and Cutroni, J. (2010) Performance Marketing with Google Analytics: Strategies and Techniques for Maximizing Online ROI, John Wiley & Sons

An unparalleled author trio shares valuable advice for using Google Analytics to achieve your business goals

Google Analytics is a free tool used by millions of Web site owners across the globe to track how visitors interact with their Web sites, where they arrive from, and which visitors drive the most revenue and sales leads. This book offers clear explanations of practical applications drawn from the real world.

The author trio of Google Analytics veterans starts with a broad explanation of performance marketing and gets progressively more specific, closing with step–by–step analysis and applications.

Features in–depth examples and case studies on how to increase revenue from search advertising, optimize an existing website, prioritize channels and campaigns, access brand health and more
Discusses how to communicate with a webmaster or developer to assist with installation
Addresses Google′s conversion–oriented tools, including AdWords and AdSense, Google trends, Webmaster tools, search–based keyword tools, and more
Touches on brand tracking studies, usability research, competitive analysis, and statistical tools

Throughout the book, the main emphasis is demonstrating how you can best use Google Analytics to achieve your business objectives.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Competing for Customers on the Web.

Chapter 1: Swimming in the Digital Sea.

Understanding the Impact of Data Democracy.

Recognizing Customer Empowerment and Why It Matters.

Building an Online Strategy Based on Evidence instead of Hype.

Seven Basic Principles of Effective Online Marketing.

Chapter 2: Data–Driven Marketing Basics.

Making Online Marketing Measurable and Goal–Driven.

Tools for Understanding Visitors and Performance.

Chapter 3: Putting Google Analytics to Work in Your Organization.

Leading the Charge for Analytics.

Assembling a Google Analytics Dream Team.

GETUP and Go: Defi ning Your Measurement Strategy.

Part II: Google Analytics Essentials.

Chapter 4: Understanding How Google Analytics Works.

How Data Is Collected.

How Data Is Processed.

Accounts and Profi les: Data Organization.

Generating Reports.

Chapter 5: Installing and Administering Google Analytics.

Planning an Implementation.

Creating a Google Analytics Account.

Adding the Tracking Code.

Confi guration Steps.

Maintaining Your Implementations.

Chapter 6: Basic Analysis Features and Concepts.

Nine Tips for Becoming an All–Star Analyst.

Navigating the Google Analytics Interface.

Working with the Google Analytics Standard Reports.

Chapter 7: Advanced Analysis Concepts and Features.

Using Segmentation to Find Meaning in Your Data.

Analyzing Data with Advanced Segments.

Bringing Together Key Metrics and Dimensions with Custom Reports.

Visualizing Data Across Multiple Dimensions with Motion Charts.

Grouping and Analyzing Data with Pivot Tables.

Measuring Spikes and Trends with Intelligence Reports and Custom Alerts.

Part III: Controlling Costs and Planning Profits.

Chapter 8: Maximizing Web Site Performance.

Understanding Core Optimization Concepts.

Evaluating Web Site Performance.

Optimizing through Continuous Improvement.

Chapter 9: Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Search Engine Marketing Basics.

Planning for Success with SEM.

Preparing to Measure SEM with Google Analytics.

Analyzing and Optimizing SEM Campaigns.

Chapter 10: Measuring and Optimizing Display Advertising.

Display and Rich Media Advertising Basics.

Understanding Display Ad Tracking with Google Analytics.

Setting Up Your Ads for Tracking.

Analyzing Display Ad Performance.

Troubleshooting Common Display Ad Tracking Problems.

Part IV: Growing Organic Search and Conversions.

Chapter 11: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Google Analytics.

Knowing Truth from Fiction with SEO.

Understanding the Case for Web Analytics and SEO.

Measuring Effectiveness of SEO Efforts with Google Analytics.

Advanced SEO Analysis Techniques.

Validating That Your SEO Metrics Are Accurate.

Chapter 12: Social Media Marketing.

Social Media Defined.

Social Media Marketing Basics.

Measuring Social Media Activities and Campaigns.

Analyzing Site Traffi c from Social Media.

Measuring Social Media Tools on Your Site.

Chapter 13: Measuring E–mail Marketing.

E–mail: What′s It Good For?

Defining E–mail Measurement.

Tracking E–mail with Google Analytics.

Data and Analysis.

Part V: Extending Google Analytics.

Chapter 14: Tracking Offl ine Marketing.

Tracking TV and Radio.

Tracking Print Ads.

Tracking Direct Mail.

Chapter 15: Using the Data Export API, Community Additions, and Other Tools.

Hello Data! Understanding and Using the Google Analytics Data Export API.

Technical and Diagnostic Tools.

Reporting Tools and Analysis Tools.

Other Tools and Hacks.

Part VI: Appendixes.

Appendix A: Other Resources.

Blogs.

Books.

Appendix B: Glossary.

Common Google Analytics Terms.

Common Marketing Terms.

Google Analytics Dimension Definitions.

Google Analytics Metric Definitions.

Additional Glossary Resources.

Ledford, J., Teixeira, J. and Tyler, M.E. (2010) Google Analytics, Third Edition, John Wiley & Sons

Get the most out of the free Google Analytics service―and get more customers

Google Analytics allows you to discover vital information about how end users interact with their Web sites by collecting vital data and providing tools to analyze it, with the intention of improving the end–user experience and, ultimately converting users into customers. This indispensible guide delves into the latest updates to the newest version of Google Analytics―3.0―and explains the concepts behind this amazing free tool.

You′ll discover what information to track, how to choose the right goals and filters, techniques for reading Google Analytics reports and graphs, and, most importantly, how to compile this data and use it to improve your Web site and attract more potential customers.

Takes an in–depth look at Google Analytics 3.0 and walks you through the possibilities it offers
Explains how to read Google Analytics reports and graphs so that you can compile this data and use it to improve your Web site and attract more users
Shares techniques for converting end users into customers
Features tips and suggestions for getting the information you need from Google Analytics reports and then converting that information into actionable tasks you can use

With Google Analytics, Third Edition, you&′ll be well on your way to retrieving the information you need to convert visitors to your site into customers!

Table of Contents

Introduction xxiii

Part I Getting Started with Google Analytics 1

Chapter 1 What’s New in Google Analytics 3

Two Years Equals Lots of Changes 3

Betas Galore 5

Custom Reporting 5

Advanced Segmenting 5

Motion Charts 6

Chapter 2 Why Analytics? 9

What Are Analytics? 10

Collecting Raw Data 10

Measurement Techniques 13

How Did Google Analytics Come to Be? 14

What Can Google Analytics Do for Me? 15

What Google Analytics Is Not 16

Chapter 3 Creating Your Analytics Account 17

First, You Need a Google Account 17

Signing Up for Google Analytics 19

Adding Tracking Code to Your Pages 22

Google Analytics on Secure Pages (https) 24

The Easy Way 24

The Hard Way 25

Understanding the Tracking Code 26

Checking Tracking Status 27

Navigating Analytics 30

Chapter 4 The Settings Dashboard 35

Analytics Settings 35

Web–Site Profiles 37

Adding a Profile 38

Checking Status 40

Editing a Profile Name 41

Starring and Sorting Web–Site Profiles 42

Editing Profile Settings 43

Deleting a Profile 45

User Management 46

Adding a User 47

Setting User Permissions 48

Deleting a User 49

Chapter 5 Account Dashboard Basics 51

Navigating from the Dashboard 51

Standard Dashboard Modules 52

Interacting with the Site Usage Report 55

Adding Reports 58

Deleting Reports 60

Sorting Data with Segmentation 61

Enabling Segmentation 62

Creating Custom Segments 62

Working with Date Ranges 66

Using the Calendar 67

Comparing Ranges 68

Using the Timeline 69

Part II Analytics and Site Statistics: Concepts and Methods 71

Chapter 6 E–commerce Concepts and Methods 73

What Works in E–commerce 73

Understanding Your Customers 75

What Measurements Matter 76

Chapter 7 Basic Metrics and Concepts 79

Identifying People and Not–People 79

Visits and Visitor Metrics 81

Hits vs. Pages 81

Visits, Unique Visits, and New Visits 82

New, Returning, and Repeat Visits 83

Visit Duration 85

Bounces and Single–Page Visits 86

Traffic Metrics 87

Direct Traffic, Referrers, and Referring URLs 87

Keywords and Phrases 88

Chapter 8 Setting Up E–commerce 91

Enabling E–commerce within Your Profile(s) 92

The Google Analytics E–commerce Code 93

General E–commerce Coding Guidelines 94

E–commerce Tracking on Subdomains and Separate (Third–Party) Domains 98

Tracking E–commerce on Subdomains 99

Tracking E–commerce on Separate/Third–Party Domains 99

A Few Important Notes about Tracking E–commerce on Third–Party Domains 101

E–commerce Tracking with Google Checkout; Other E–commerce Platforms 102

Tracking Other E–commerce Platforms 104

Part III Advanced Implementation 107

Chapter 9 Advanced Dashboard Features 109

Creating Special–Purpose Dashboards 110

User Access to Dashboards 111

Sharing Your Dashboard Information 111

Suggested Dashboards for Specific Roles 111

Executive 112

Marketing 114

Webmaster 114

Small Business 117

Content Site 117

E–commerce Site 120

Local Business Only 120

Creating Custom Reports 123

How the Report Is Created 123

Editing and Managing Custom Reports 127

Chapter 10 Filtering Analytics Data 129

Using Filters to Further Segment Visitors 129

A Short Lesson in Regular Expressions 132

A Slightly Longer Lesson on Regular Expressions 134

Matching an IP Address 135

Matching a Directory Name 135

Matching a Variable Name/Value Pair 137

Managing Filters 140

Creating New Filters 140

Custom Filters 144

Advanced Filters 149

Creating Advanced Filters 149

Improve Your SEO/CPC Reporting with Filters 155

Organic Traffic Only 155

Editing and Deleting Filters 157

The Power of Filters 158

Chapter 11 Setting Goals 159

Understanding Goal–Setting 160

Why Set Goals? 161

Choosing Which Goals To Set 162

Monetizing Goals 163

Content–Site Goals 164

Tracking Dynamic Pages 170

Setting Up Goals 173

Choosing the Right Goal Information 175

Editing and Inactivating Goals 176

Measuring Goals That Result in Conversions 177

Goals Overview 178

Total Conversions 180

Conversion Rate 181

Goal Verification 183

Reverse Goal Path 183

Goal Value 185

And a Couple More… 186

Chapter 12 Funneling Visitors to Their Destination 187

What’s a Funnel and Why Is It Important? 188

Establishing Funnels 190

Creating Standard Funnels 190

Creating Nonstandard Funnels 195

Funnel Quirks 196

Tracking Funnel Results 197

Goal Abandoned Funnels 197

Funnel Visualization 199

Chapter 13 Google AdWords Integration 201

Why Sync in the First Place? 201

Syncing Your Google AdWords and Analytics Accounts 202

You Have Neither an AdWords Nor an Analytics Account 203

You Have an AdWords Account, but Not an Analytics Account 204

You Have an Analytics Account, but Not an AdWords Account 205

You Have Both an AdWords and an Analytics Account 205

Special Cases and the GCLID 205

Tracking E–mail, Banner, and Other Non–AdWords Marketing 206

Putting It All Together 207

Notes and Tips about URL Tagging 208

The Google Analytics URL Builder 209

The AdWords Report Section 210

The AdWords Campaigns Report 210

The Difference between a Visit and a Click 213

The Keyword Positions Report 213

The TV Campaigns Report 214

Other Reports Displaying AdWords and Non–AdWords Data 216

Chapter 14 Hacking Google Analytics 219

A Review of Subdomain/Cross–Domain Tracking 219

Tracking Subdomains 220

Tracking Multiple Domains 220

Tracking Multiple Subdomains and Multiple Domains 221

Setting up Duplicate Profiles 222

Why Create Duplicate Profiles? 224

Filtering Out Internal Traffic 225

Excluding a Single IP Address 225

Excluding Two (or More) IP Addresses 225

Excluding a Range of IP Addresses 226

Excluding Internal Traffic That Uses Dynamic IP Addresses 227

Other Neat (Advanced) Filters 228

Writing the Hostname in Front of the Request URI 228

Appending the Source after the Campaign 229

Three–Step Filter: Adding Campaign Source,

Visitor Country, and Campaign Term to the Transaction ID 230

Tracking Google Search Engine Rankings 231

Tracking PDF (and Other) File Downloads 232

Tracking PDF/Downloadable Files as Content 233

Setting Up Goals for Your Downloadable Files 233

Customizations with the Google Analytics Tracking Code 234

Tracking Virtual Page Views 234

Tracking Two Accounts Simultaneously 235

Custom Segmentation (User–Defined) 236

Modifying the Session Timeout 236

Modifying the Campaign Conversion Timeout 237

Modifying Conversion Attribution (Last to First) 237

Using the Anchor (#) Symbol in Destination URLs 238

Recognizing ‘Nonstandard’ URL Query Parameters 238

Counting Keywords and Referring Sites as ‘Direct’ Traffic 239

Setting the Cookie Path to a Subdirectory 239

Controlling Data Collection Settings 240

Tracking a New Organic Search Engine 240

Tracking Coupons and Discounts (E–commerce) 241

Tracking Social Media 241

Part IV The Reports 243

Chapter 15 Analyzing Visitors 245

Visitors Overview 246

Visitors 247

Visitor Segmentation 249

Technical Profile 250

Benchmarking 251

What’s Collected and Why It’s Needed 252

How Accurate Is Benchmarking? 253

Enabling Benchmarking on Your Site 253

Map Overlay 255

New vs. Returning 257

Languages 258

Visitor Trending 259

Visits 260

Absolute Unique Visitors 260

Page Views 265

Average Page Views 266

Time on Site 268

Bounce Rate 269

Visitor Loyalty 271

Loyalty 271

Recency 272

Length of Visit 273

Depth of Visit 274

Browser Capabilities 275

Browser 276

Operating System 278

Browser and Operating System 279

Screen Colors 280

Screen Resolution 280

Flash Version 281

Java Support 282

Network Properties 284

Network Location 285

Hostnames 286

Connection Speeds 287

User Defined 288

Adding a Variable 289

What to Segment 290

Chapter 16 Traffic Sources 293

What Traffic Analysis Can Tell You 293

Traffic Sources Overview 294

Direct Traffic 296

Referring Sites 297

Search Engines 299

All Traffic Sources 300

AdWords 303

AdWords Campaigns 304

Keyword Positions 308

TV Campaigns 310

Keywords 311

Campaigns 314

Source 317

Medium 317

Ad Versions 318

A/B Testing 319

URL Builder 320

Chapter 17 Content Overview 323

Determining the Value of Web–Site Content 324

Content Overview 324

Navigation Analysis 325

Landing Page Optimization 329

Click Patterns 330

Additional Content Reports 331

Top Content 331

Content by Title 333

Content Drilldown 334

Top Landing Pages 335

Top Exit Pages 337

Site Overlay 338

And One More… 340

Chapter 18 Site Search 341

Configuring Your Profile(s) 341

What If I’m Not Using Google Site Search? 343

What If I’m Not Using Any Search Tool? 344

Site Search Overview (Metrics) 345

Site Search Reports 347

The Usage Report 347

The Search Terms Report 348

Start Pages and Destination Pages Reports 350

The Categories Report 351

The Trending Report 351

The Philosophy of Site Search 352

Why Are People Searching on My Web Site in the First Place? 354

Chapter 19 Event Tracking 357

Why Bother with Event Tracking? 357

Implementing Event Tracking 358

The Event Tracking Module 359

Implicit Count: What It Is and What You Need to Know 360

Does Event Tracking Affect Bounce Rate? 361

Are There Any Limitations on What I Can Track? 361

Tracking File Downloads as Events 362

Can Events Be Tracked as Goals? 363

Event Tracking Reports 363

The Event Tracking Overview Report 363

The Event Tracking Categories Report 364

The Event Tracking Actions Report 365

The Event Tracking Labels Report 366

The Event Tracking Trending Report 367

The Event Tracking Hostnames Report 367

Using Events in Advanced Segments 369

Chapter 20 E–Commerce Tracking 371

Ecommerce Overview 372

Total Revenue 373

Conversion Rate 375

Average Order Value 376

Product Performance 377

Product Overview 379

Product SKUs 380

Categories 382

Transactions 383

Visits to Purchase 385

Days to Purchase 386

Appendix A Where To Go from Here 389

Google Resources 389

Navigating Google Help Files 390

Conversion University 391

Searching Help Files 391

Google Analytics Forums 392

Google Analytics Blogs 392

Cutroni, J. (2010) Google Analytics, O’Reilly Media, Inc.

There is a more recent version of this book

Discover exactly how the Google Analytics system works
Learn how to configure the system to measure data most relevant to your business goals
Track online marketing activities, including cost-per-click ads, email, and internal campaigns
Track events — rather than page views — on sites with features such as maps, embedded video, and widgets
Configure Google Analytics to track enterprise data, including multiple domains
Use advanced techniques such as custom variables and CRM integration

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Introducing Web Analytics
Chapter 2: Creating an Implementation Plan
Chapter 3: Under the Covers: How Google Analytics Works
Chapter 4: Tracking Visitor Clicks, Outbound Links, and Non-HTML Files
Chapter 5: Google Analytics Accounts and Profiles
Chapter 6: Filters
Chapter 7: Tracking Conversions with Goals and Funnels
Chapter 8: Must-Have Profiles
Chapter 9: Marketing Campaign Tracking
Chapter 10: Advanced Tracking Techniques
Chapter 11: Enterprise Implementation Considerations
Chapter 12: CRM Integration
Chapter 13: Tools and Add-Ons
Google Analytics Compliance with WAA Standards
Regular Expressions

Kaushik, A. (2007) Web Analytics – An Hour A Day, Sybex, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Written by an in–the–trenches practitioner, this step–by–step guide shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy. Web analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, in his thought–provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer–centric mindset without sacrificing your company s bottom line.

Table of Contents

Foreword.

Introduction.

Chapter 1 Web Analytics Present and Future.

A Brief History of Web Analytics.

Current Landscape and Challenges.

Traditional Web Analytics Is Dead.

What Web Analytics Should Be.

Chapter 2 Data Collection Importance and Options.

Understanding the Data Landscape.

Clickstream Data.

Outcomes Data.

Research Data.

Competitive Data.

Chapter 3 Overview of Qualitative Analysis.

The Essence of Customer Centricity.

Lab Usability Testing.

Heuristic Evaluations.

Site Visits (Follow–Me–Home Studies).

Surveys (Questionnaires).

Summary.

Chapter 4 Critical Components of a Successful Web Analytics Strategy?

Focus on Customer Centricity.

Solve for Business Questions.

Follow the 10/90 Rule.

Hire Great Web Analysts.

Identify Optimal Organizational Structure and Responsibilities.

Chapter 5 Web Analytics Fundamentals.

Capturing Data: Web Logs or JavaScript tags?

Selecting Your Optimal Web Analytics Tool.

Understanding Clickstream Data Quality.

Implementing Best Practices.

Apply the Three Layers of So What Test.

Chapter 6 Month 1: Diving Deep into Core Web Analytics Concepts.

Week 1: Preparing to Understand the Basics.

Week 2: Revisiting Foundational Metrics.

Week 3: Understanding Standard Reports.

Week 4: Using Website Content Quality and Navigation Reports.

Chapter 7 Month 2: Jump–Start Your Web Data Analysis.

Prerequisites and Framing.

Week 1: Creating Foundational Reports.

E–commerce Website Jump–Start Guide.

Support Website Jump–Start Guide.

Blog Measurement Jump–Start Guide.

Week 4: Reflections and Wrap–Up.

Chapter 8 Month 3: Search Analytics Internal Search, SEO, and PPC.

Week 1: Performing Internal Site Search Analytics.

Week 2: Beginning Search Engine Optimization.

Week 3: Measuring SEO Efforts.

Week 4: Analyzing Pay per Click Effectiveness.

Chapter 9 Month 4: Measuring Email and Multichannel Marketing.

Week 1: Email Marketing Fundamentals and a Bit More.

Week 2: Email Marketing Advanced Tracking.

Weeks 3 and 4: Multichannel Marketing, Tracking, and Analysis.

Chapter 10 Month 5:Website Experimentation and Testing Shifting the Power to Customers and Achieving Significant Outcomes.

Weeks 1 and 2: Why Test and What Are Your Options?

Week 3: What to Test Specific Options and Ideas.

Week 4: Build a Great Experimentation and Testing Program.

Chapter 11 Month 6: Three Secrets Behind Making Web Analytics Actionable.

Week 1: Leveraging Benchmarks and Goals in Driving Action.

Week 2: Creating High Impact Executive Dashboards.

Week 3: Using Best Practices for Creating Effective Dashboard Programs.

Week 4: Applying Six Sigma or Process Excellence to Web Analytics.

Chapter 12 Month 7: Competitive Intelligence and Web 2.0 Analytics.

Competitive Intelligence Analytics.

Web 2.0 Analytics.

Chapter 13 Month 8 and Beyond: Shattering the Myths of Web Analytics.

Path Analysis: What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing.

Conversion Rate: An Unworthy Obsession.

Perfection: Perfection Is Dead, Long Live Perfection.

Real–Time Data: It s Not Really Relevant, and It s Expensive to Boot.

Standard KPIs: Less Relevant Than You Think.

Chapter 14 Advanced Analytics Concepts Turbocharge Your Web Analytics.

Unlock the Power of Statistical Significance.

Use the Amazing Power of Segmentation.

Make Your Analysis and Reports Connectable .

Use Conversion Rate Best Practices.

Elevate Your Search Engine Marketing/Pay Per Click Analysis.

Measure the Adorable Site Abandonment Rate Metric.

Measure Days and Visits to Purchase.

Leverage Statistical Control Limits.

Measure the Real Size of Your Convertible Opportunity Pie .

Chapter 15 Creating a Data–Driven Culture Practical Steps and Best Practices.

Key Skills to Look for in a Web Analytics Manager/Leader.

When and How to Hire Consultants or In–House Experts.

Seven Steps to Creating a Data–Driven Decision–Making Culture.

Clifton, B. (2012) Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, Third Edition, Sybex

This book is intended for use by customers using Google Classic Analytics and does not cover the newer Google Universal Analytics or related Google Tag Manager.

Google Analytics is the free tool used by millions of web site owners to assess the effectiveness of their efforts. Its revised interface and new features will offer even more ways to increase the value of your web site, and this book will teach you how to use each one to best advantage. Featuring new content based on reader and client requests, the book helps you implement new methods and concepts, track social and mobile visitors, use the new multichannel funnel reporting features, understand which filters to use, and much more.

Gets you up and running with all the new tools in the revamped Google Analytics, and includes content requested by readers and users especially for new GA users
Covers social media analytics features, advanced segmentation displays, multi–dashboard configurations, and using Top 20 reports
Provides a detailed best–practices implementation guide covering advanced topics, such as how to set up GA to track dynamic web pages, banners, outgoing links, and contact forms
Includes case studies and demonstrates how to optimize pay–per–click accounts, integrate AdSense, work with new reports and reporting tools, use ad version testing, and more

Make your web site a more effective business tool with the detailed information and advice about Google Analytics in Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, 3nd Edition.

Master Google Analytics with This Complete Guide

Covering the very latest version of Google Analytics (GA), the third edition of this bestseller features more ROI–building tips and techniques than ever. Want to become proficient using all of Google Analytics′ powerful capabilities and reports? Measure the performance of your campaigns in real time? Discover the best way to track social and mobile visitors? Evaluate the impact of multichannel marketing? You′ll find all this and more in this complete practitioner′s guide. Learn how to use GA′s new features, why to use them, and how to apply everything Google Analytics has to offer to improve your website, your brand, and your bottom line.

Become quickly productive with the new user interface and exciting new tools such as Multi–Channel Funnels
Discover new capabilities, such as how to track mobile and social media visitors to your site and track embedded video usage
Learn super workarounds and advanced techniques and tactics you can put to use immediately
Follow best practices and learn from compelling, real–world examples
Optimize your search engine marketing, monetize a non–e–commerce site, and track offline marketing as well as online
Integrate Google Analytics data with third–party systems and applications, including your CRM system

Table of Contents

Part I Measuring Success 1Chapter 1 Why Understanding Your Web Traffic Is Important to Your Business 3

Chapter 2 Available Methodologies and Their Accuracy 23

Chapter 3 Google Analytics Features, Benefits, and Limitations 53

Part II Using Google Analytics Reports 87

Chapter 4 Using the Google Analytics Interface 89

Chapter 5 Reports Explained 117

Part III Implementing Google Analytics 163

Chapter 6 Getting Started: Initial Setup 165

Chapter 7 Advanced Implementation 207

Chapter 8 Best Practices Configuration Guide 267

Chapter 9 Google Analytics Customizations 315

Part IV Using Visitor Data to Drive Website Improvement 357

Chapter 10 Focusing on Key Performance Indicators 359

Chapter 11 Real–World Tasks 417

Chapter 12 Integrating Google Analytics with Third–Party Applications 503

Appendix A Regular Expression Overview 543

Appendix B Useful Tools 551

Appendix C Recommended Further Reading 557