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Google Analytics first impressions

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Subject:  Google Analytics first impressions
Author:   WilliamCharlwood:   view profile | all posts by this author | add to favourites
Date:   11:07:55 5 April 2006
 
I finally got my Google Analytics account today - Google has been rationing accounts due to supply constraints - so I immediately added my tracking code to a couple of sites. One provides free training for newbies to internet marketing (and is doubtless despised therefore by many real-world marketers!), the other is a blog I run that simply sets out roughly what I do each day as a full-time internet marketer. (Run AdWords campaigns, sell products and services for other businesses on commission, sell my own information products and publish an AdSense newsletter with a circulation of 16,900.)

My initial reaction to the Analytics, like initial reactions to many websites, depended on the look and feel of the site. I could sense the richness of the data available and navigation also looked typical of Google: clean, tidy and straightforward.

So I loaded up a couple of pages on the 2 sites I'd added the tracking to but couldn't see any results coming through.  Then I started to wonder if the statistics were delayed just like they currently are with Google's AdWords and AdSense reporting systems.

Turns out they are and that I might have to wait up to 24 hours to see anything at all which is a major disappointment. In the long term this won't really matter but online you kind of learn to expect everything to be near-instantaneous.

I've also read that tracking AdSense clicks is not as straightforward with Google Analytics as you might expect it to be. I did find an interesting article about this online though - Tracking AdSense clicks with Google Analytics. Tomorrow I should have more information about this.

But let's put all this in perspective: this tracking service is free and could put an end to many online businesses that currently sell tracking software. After all, why pay when you can get something free backed up by one of the sharpest IT implementers in the business: Google.
 
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  • Google Analytics first impressions, WilliamCharlwood, 5 Apr 11:07
    I finally got my (http://www.google.com/analytics/) Google Analytics account today - Google has been rationing accounts due to supply constraints - so I immediately added my tracki ...
    • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, Ashley , 5 Apr 12:47
      Will be interesting to hear how you get on William.  Worth remembering that Google bought Urchin and rebranded it Google Analytics so the interface wasn't really designed by the ...
      • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, GA-Experts, 17 Jun 13:16
        Sorry Ashley, you are incorrect with your comment in point 2: "And Google don't support their analytics tool." as the fact is Google do support GA as with all Google products. I ...
        • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, Ashley , 19 Jun 09:15
          Hi there Yes, you are indeed correct that I was referring to "support" that provides client hand-holding help and consultancy. Also, I couldn't agree more that as much money ...
          • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, GA-Experts, 19 Jun 09:32
            The full list of Partners is on the GA web site in the Support section: (http://www.google.com/analytics/support_partner_provided.html) http://www.google.com/analytics/support_p ...
      • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, JonBov, 19 Jun 10:41
        Other important thing that GA is not capable of (and neither are many vendors..) is the ability to extract super granular level information about specific users. For a lot of bu ...
        • RE: Google Analytics first impressions, GA-Experts, 24 Jun 11:28
          You are right that GA does not report on individual user behaviour - but that is a deliberate decision. Back in Jan 2005 I did see some this in action for a beta of Urchin On-Deman ...
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