Semalt: Google Analytics Referrer Spam. Its Origin And Purpose.

23.05.2018

Semalt: Google Analytics Referrer Spam. Its Origin And Purpose.

Spam in the Google Analytics accounts is a common problem these days that always comes in two different forms: bot referral spam and ghost referral spam. Ryan Johnson, the Semalt Customer Success Manager, says that bot referral spam is a collection of real bots that visit your website or blog, making Google Analytics count its referrer information. The ghost referral spam is the collection of bots that bypass a website and hit the Google Analytics servers directly. They don't actually visit your website, and trick Google Analytics to count the page views and sessions. Hence, these two categories different from one another, but they both can spoil your analytics data to an extent.

Can referrer spam hurt our websites or blogs?

First of all, let me make it clear that the Google Analytics referral spam occurs when the hackers or spammers try to send fake data to your Google Analytics accounts. They use speci c Measurement Protocols to perform this action and collect the IP addresses of a large number of people. They regularly send false page views to the Google Analytics account with the help of your UA tracking IDs, supercharging them with the referral information for the low-quality websites and blogs.

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23.05.2018

The goal of spammers and hackers is to make you click on their af liate links and generate lots of revenues from their own ads. They either offer shoddy services or force you to go to the suspicious or infectious pages. The best option is not to visit the spammer websites or blogs if you want to ensure your safety and protection.

Is Google Analytics spam harmful?

There are no direct harms to your website, besides from the minor amount of hits you receive every day. Also, bots incur in the servers, and the SEO strategies cannot help you block them permanently. The spammers and hackers want nothing more than ranking their own sites in the search engine results and pushing your web pages behind the competition. Thus, they don't have anything to do with your site until or unless they decide to steal your personal information.

Is it a real tra c?

Just to be clear, the Google Analytics referrer spam is not an actual traf c. The guys behind this have never visited your website but sent fake requests to your analytics accounts via certain bots. They will show up in the Referrer Sites list if you check the Acquisition > All Traf c > Referral area. They increase your site's bounce rate and reduce its conversion rate. The spammers and hackers merely generate any UA-XXXXY-Z property ID and send fake hits or requests to destroy your business on the internet.

What can we do to combat the Google Analytics referrer spam?

You can begin with the essentials: go to the Settings area in your Google Analytics account and click on the "Exclude all hits from known spiders and bots" option. This is the best and most famous initiative by the Google, and you can use this method to x the problem within seconds. Alternatively, you can create lters and exclude the referrers or edit your .htaccess le and save the settings before closing the window.

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