Archive for March, 2010

Google Announces Opt-Out for Google Analytics

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

The Google Analytics Blog recently announced that a browser-based opt-out for Google Analytics would be released in coming weeks. This plug-in would “allow users to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics”. (more…)

Google Analytics Reporting Homepage as “/” and “/index.html”

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

As of 16 March 2010, Google Analytics has being displaying homepage views as “/” rather than “/index.html”, “/index.php” etc. I have reviewed a number of client accounts on different hosting platforms and the problem exists for them all.

This situation typically occurs in Google Analytics accounts where a default homepage (e.g. index.html) has not been  specified for a profile. However in this instance the problem is occurring in long-established accounts. The problem is most likely on Google’s side. Hopefully it will be rectified shortly.

An example of a Google Analytics report showing two lines of data for the homepage - "/" and "index.php"

An example of a Google Analytics report showing two lines of data for the homepage - "/" and "index.php"

Setting up a Google Analytics Account

Friday, March 12th, 2010

The following are the steps required to set up a Google Analytics account. Don’t worry – it’s actually easier to carry out the process than read about it!

All steps are relatively straightforward – Google does a good job on guiding you through the process. The only step that may cause difficulty is inserting the tracking code into the HTML of your web pages. This is one of the last steps in the process. (more…)

Email Marketing and Google Analytics

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

The importance of email marketing to Irish marketing professionals was highlighted recently by AMAS in their State of the Net – Winter 2009 bulletin.  Their survey of members of the Marketing Institute of Ireland indicated that 65% of marketers surveyed use email marketing campaigns to get their message out and to drive action or uptake.

AMAS survey highlighting the importance of email marketing in Ireland

AMAS survey highlighting the importance of email marketing in Ireland

With such a reliance on the effectiveness of email marketing by Irish marketing professionals, it is crucial that campaigns are tracked successfully using Google Analytics so that return on investment can be successfully monitored. (more…)