[Web4lib] Google Analytics

[John Bickar]

Hi all,

I just wanted to add that, although GA is quite powerful and useful, one 
of its limitations is that it it only tracks usage for visitors who have 
Javascript turned on and aren't blocking it for your site.

Comparing and contrasting GA stats with server logs (using something 
such as AWStats for Apache) will yield more reliable data than GA alone.

Also, Google's Webmaster Tools 
<https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/> provides some data that GA 
doesn't.

-John Bickar
Stanford University Libraries



Kozlowski,Brendon wrote:
> Just as a followup to Stacey's solution to link tracking...  Using the trackPageviews method will also increase your overall visitor/visits/pageviews hit counts for your own domain.  Since this is probably what you want on some of your links, that's a great solution - just be sure that if you're tracking outbound links to other websites that are not your own you do one of two things:
>  
> 1. Set up your account to separate the external links as something separate
> ...or...
> 2. Use event tracking as suggested by someone else for external links not part of your own domain/website structure.
>  
> That way your overall stats figures aren't off their expected margin by leaps and bounds.  :)  Google Analytics is quite powerful, and there are books written specifically for it. See if your institution has one or two, and if not, perhaps it's time to get a copy.  Enjoy!
>  
>  
>  
> Brendon Kozlowski
> Web Administrator
> Saratoga Springs Public Library
> 49 Henry Street
> Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866
> [518] 584-7860 x217
> 
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