Semalt Expert: Potential Problems In Google Analytics Data And Ways To Fix Them

23.05.2018

Semalt Expert: Potential Problems In Google Analytics Data And Ways To Fix Them

No doubt, Google Analytics has enhanced the effectiveness of decision making for website owners. Website traf c on the Google Analytics determines the performance of the site. Like any business data useful for decision making, information on the Google Analytics should re ect accuracy.

In the course of this article, Julia Vashneva, the Senior Customer Success Manager of Semalt, is going to discuss the most widespread problems that occur in Google Analytics and the ways to x them.

Self-Referrals De nition Pages within the website's domain can generate referral traf c. Real traf c sessions become interrupted registering incorrect visitors on the Google Analytics.

Causes https://rankexperience.com/articles/article1399.html

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Self-referrals may generate due to tracking errors including missing tracking code, improper tagging of crossdomain, etc.

Finding-Out An examination of the referral report on the Google Analytics may expose the problem.

Fixing Self-Referrals Make sure to report about the malicious data to a person handling the websites. Track the website using the con guration settings of the Google Analytics. Persistent self-referrals may require adjustment of the cross-domain implementation or removal of UTM parameters on the website links.

Referral Spam De nition Fake traf c recorded on the Google Analytics may result from traf c transactions repeated erroneously. They mess up the Google Analytics statistics resulting to loss of substantial data.

Cause Fake data from servers of the Google Analytics generated through Measurements Protocols or people crawling websites without blocking Actions from Analytics may register as website visitors.

Finding-Out Spam referrals can have no hostnames. The traf c has a bounce rate of 100 percent, average session duration of 0.00 seconds and a 1 page per session visitation. A Google Analytics report re ects new, unrecognized or false sources of the traf c.

Fixing Spam Referrals Exclude the Spam referrals using the Google Analytics settings using the following steps: Go to Filters.

For the type of Referral spam called "crawler."

Select "Add Filter."

Follow steps 1-3

Click on "Custom"

Select the "Exclude."

Click on "Include"

Choose "Campaign Source"

Choose "Hostname"

Enter the name of the source

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Specify all Hostnames to send data to Google Analytics

Apply

Click Apply

Personal Identi able Information De nition The PII is personal details used to identify the user. Google may shut down the account as it prohibits the inclusion of the PII in the Google Analytics.

Cause Forms and search bars requiring personal data may pass through the URL to the Google Analytics without encryption to create the PII data.

Finding-Out Get the Google Analytics report and do advancing search on the provided eld by pasting the following: Physical Contact: Paste\?.*\b(St(reet)?|Ave(nue)?|B(ou)?le?v(ar)?d|(High)?Way|Ln|Lane|Road|Rd)\b Bank information: Paste \?.*([=:,!]|%2[1C])(4[0-9]|5[1-5]|2[2-7]|6[05])(([\s+.,-]|%2[0B1C])*\d){12}($|[&#:,!%]) Social security: Paste \?.*([=:,!]|%2[1C])d{3}-?\d{2}-?\d{4}($|[&#:,!%]) Zip code: Paste \?.*([=:,!]|%2[1C])\d{5}(\s|\+|%2[0B])*-(\s|\+|%2[0B])*\d{4}($|[&#:,!%]) Phone numbers: Paste ([\s+]|%2[0B])*($|[&#:,!%])

\?.*([=:,!]|%2[1C])(\(|()?\d{3}([\s+.,)-]|%2[0B1C9])*\d{3}([\s+.,-]|%2[0B1C])*\d{4}

For email addresses: \?.*(@|@)

Fixing the problem Contact the developer immediately for assistance in case of PII parameters in the Google Analytics. However, the following steps using Google Tag Manager can remove parameters from the URL re ected in the Google Analytics.

Customize Pageview URL. Test the Google Analytics property. https://rankexperience.com/articles/article1399.html

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Taste the pageview tag on a test AU. Use tag #3 to test and publish the tag.

Review the URLs in the Google Analytics to establish their working.

Finish and publish the con guration.

Settings on the Google Analytics ensure exclusion of ghost and spam referrals to ensure data captured is accurate and reliable. So be free to use them.

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