Semalt Provides Step-By-Step Instruction On How To Eliminate Google Analytics Spam

23.05.2018

Semalt Provides Step-By-Step Instruction On How To Eliminate Google Analytics Spam

There is a general concern about traf c spam appearing in Google Analytics. In the following article, Max Bell, the Semalt Customer Success Manager, delves into what traf c spam refers to, what it means for your site, and actions one can take to remedy the problem.

Google Analytics Spam Referrer spam appears in the "Referrals" and "Pageview" section of Google Analytics. It depends on the type of spam directed to your site. They do not represent actual visits by people, and it is easy to spot some of them as they use suspicious URLs. Spam that appears on your analytics will take either of the two forms: Ghost Referrer Spam. The measurement protocol is a loophole in Google Analytics functions, which allows its developers to capture user activity when of ine, or on new site environments. Developers can, therefore, send information to GA directly without having to visit the site. It becomes impossible to block the ghost referrers using the .htaccess le as they do not physically access the site. The .htaccess le is a method used to https://rankexperience.com/articles/article1689.html

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remove speci c domains used to visit the site. A better way to remove ghost referrers is to lter them in Google Analytics so that it re ects data from valid hostnames.

Crawler Referral Spam. It is mostly the work of bots that visit the site, defy the rules set down in the robots.txt le, and end up in Google Analytics reports as part of the traf c. These bots visit the site repetitively in a short span, which consequently results in unrealistic peaks and valleys in traf c. For this type of spam, you can use the .htaccess le to block the bots' speci c domains. Alternatively, use the lter method to exclude speci c referral sources from showing up in GA reports.

What is the point of doing this?

The point of having bots visit the site repetitively is to show up in the GA reports. Their main aim is to have their domains appear in the list of referrers. When these links appear on the report, they spark the curiosity of the owner, wanting to see why they bring so much traf c. Immediately you click on the link, you record as a visitor on their site. Experts advise website owners not to click on unfamiliar links as they may also act as mediators for computer viruses.

Adverse effects of spam tra c on a site Spam traf c does not have that much of a negative impact on the site. For Ghost referrals, they never even reach the website so that bots will be there momentarily. However, profound implications are on the report statistics. Spam traf c will cloud the view of a marketer as to the speci cs of the site such as the visitor trends regarding content quality, how they interact with it, the best ways to engage them.

Spam traf c will also affect the bounce rates as they return a 100% bounce rate, making it look higher than it could be in reality. Nevertheless, it will not affect your overall ranking on the search results page since Google does not take into account any of the Google Analytics details as they determine rankings.

Are there any bene ts accrued on the site from spam tra c?

There is no bene t that spam traf c brings to the website or Analytics in general unless you like seeing an exaggerated increase in page views.

Getting rid of spam tra c Begin by creating a new "View" in Google Analytics to ensure that you do not lter some actual traf c. Always have an original view to act as a source of raw data, as well as a backup in case something goes wrong. Click on the "View" tab from the Admin section of your pro le. A drop-down menu appears and "create view." Add the website, an appropriate time zone, and complete creation of the new view. Click on "Home" to select the view you wish to apply the lter.

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The next step is to identify which hostnames are valid and those that are not. You can do this by selecting from a list that you can access from the original view. Follow the sequence (Audience >Technology>Network>Hostname).

It is now time to create a new lter for Ghost referrals. Choose the newly created view and select "Filters," where a prompt to add a new one will appear. Give the new lter a name, and ensure that it is "Custom." Check the box to "Include" and select "Hostname" from the drop-down menu in the "Filter Field." Insert all your valid hostname in the lter pattern separated by | without any space. The * before any domain should help capture any subdomains within it. Click save and exit.

For the Crawler Referrals, create a custom lter and select "Exclude."

Select "Campaign Source" from the "Filter Field." The "Filter Pattern" should contain the list of identi ed spammy domains.

Finally, there is a need to remove traf c from good bots such as Google bot since its activities on the site might also appear on the Analytics traf c. Under the new view created, select settings where there is an option at the bottom to lter all known bots and spider. Check the box, and you are set to go.

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