An upcoming change to Google.com search referrals; Google Analytics unaffected

First, just a heads-up that if you don't analyze your own traffic logs, use Urchin web analytics software, or develop web analytics software, you probably don't need to read this post. We're writing this for the most geeky among us, because Google Analytics will not be affected by this information. On the other hand, we do want to let you know about some changes to Google search that are coming down the pike, before you start seeing (potentially) alarming headlines.

Starting this week, you may start seeing a new referring URL format for visitors coming from Google search result pages. Up to now, the usual referrer for clicks on search results for the term "flowers", for example, would be something like this:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=flowers&btnG=Google+Search

Now you will start seeing some referrer strings that look like this:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fmypage.htm&ei=0SjdSa-1N5O8M_qW8dQN&rct=j&q=flowers&usg=AFQjCNHJXSUh7Vw7oubPaO3tZOzz-F-u_w&sig2=X8uCFh6IoPtnwmvGMULQfw

The key difference between these two urls is that instead of "/search?" the URL contains a "/url?". If you run your own analyses, be sure that you do not depend on the "/search?" portion of the URL to determine if a visit started with an organic search click. Google Analytics does not depend on the "/search?" string in the referrer, so users of Google Analytics will not notice a difference in their reports, but other analytics packages may need to adapt to this change in our referrer string to maintain accurate reports.

The new referrer URLs will initially only occur in a small percentage of searches. You should expect to see old and new forms of the URLs as this change gradually rolls out.

If you are using UTM-based tracking with Urchin Software, you'll want to stay tuned for a software update that we'll be making available soon. If you are using IP-Useragent based tracking with Urchin, you won't be affected since this form of tracking can successfully process both current and new referral strings.

Posted by Brett Crosby, Google Analytics Team

Using Site Search Features in Creative Ways

The Google Analytics Site Search feature is a powerful tool for analyzing visitor interest and behavior on your website, but that's not all it is good for. Using Site Search in some creative ways can leverage this tool for advanced multi-dimensional analysis equivalent to being able to set multiple, simultaneous user-defined segments.

What is Site Search in Google Analytics?

The Site Search reports in Google Analytics are designed to provide a means to analyze how visitors search the content on your site if you have a site search tool, whether it be one from Google itself such as Google Site Search or a Google Mini Search Appliance, a site search tool built into your website's Content Management System, or of of the myriads of other site-search tools available today.



These reports compile information about how many of your visitors use site search, what they search for, what page they start searching from, what pages they click to after searching, and more. Moreover, the reports can track as many searches per visit as are conducted. As with most other dimensions in Google Analytics, site search dimensions can be used in Advanced Segments and Custom reports to create an extremely powerful analysis engine.

How does Site Search work?

Site Search in Google Analytics is based on identifying pre-defined query values and category identifiers from the Request URI. The parameters can be anything - simply define them in the appropriate field in the profile configuration screen within your Google Analytics account. In the screenshot below you can see that Site Search has been enabled and is looking for several potential query parameters and category identifiers.

Thus, if Google Analytics received a pageview to a Request URI of "www.analyticspros.com/results.html?q=email+tracking&category=support" and the settings above were active for the profile, the Site Search reports would record the following:

1. A visit used site search
2. The search term "email tracking" was used once
3. This search was conducted in the "support" category

Another key feature about Site Search is the "search term refinement" report. This report shows a drill-down of searches performed after the term in question was searched. This is an incredibly important feature because it allows analysis of progression and relationship from one independent variable (search term) to another.

Looks like someone was a bit hungry when thinking about email marketing...

Where the "creative" uses begin

This is where the fun really gets started. Since Site Search is based on contents of a reported Request URI, we can pass anything we want into the Site Search reports. Consider what we already know about how Site Search works:

• Site Search has two independent dimensions: category and keyword or term
  
• If multiple searches are performed during the same visit they will all be recorded under the Search Terms report and can be related by way of the Refinements report
  
• Any Request URI that contains a query string matching the defined parameters for search term and category will trigger a "site search" to be recorded

Thus, if we setup Site Search to capture meaningful data via the Request URI that wasn't site search but was still useful and relevant to analysis, the possibilities are endless!

Creative use in action: unlimited User-Defined segments

If you've been using Google Analytics for a while you may well have run into the fact that, currently, only one user-defined segmentation cookie value can be set at any given time. There are plenty of "alternative methods" to try and work around this reality one way or another. And note: this should not be confused with the recently released Advanced Custom Segments tool which is extremely powerful and can be used to create any number of custom segments. The user-defined and advanced segments features work as they are designed: however this method provides an additional way by which you can further extend your use of Google Analytics.

The Scenario

Let's say that you want to classify your visits by expressed industry and product interest based on the input of a form. Using standard user-defined segmentation would not work for this as it would only support industry or product interest. However with creative Site Search analysis, an unlimited number of "industry" and "product" interests can both be tracked for each session. A practical use of this would be tracking responses on a lead generation or sign-up form that had check boxes or select options for "Industry" and "Product".

How to make it happen:

1. In the example above (tracking fields in a form to create Site Search segments) you'll need to generate a virtual pageview with a defined Request URI syntax. For this example use:
   
   pageTracker._trackPageview('/custom/lead-form/segment.html?segcat=[segment type]&segterm=[segment value]')
   
   Where "segcat" is the identifier for a Site Search "category", "segterm" is the identifier for the Site Search "term", "[segment type] is either "industry" or "product", and "[segment value]" changes depending on the form field value.
   
   
2. For each industry and product field option on the form, create an "onclick" element that calls the pageTracker script with the corresponding values for "segment type" and "segment value" defined for that field.
   
   
3. The result will be a "pageview" hit each time a visitor selects a form option. Let's say you have 5 industries available and 10 products of potential interest, the resulting data would show which industries are most commonly selected and in what order, as well as which products are most desired, and how the products relate to each other via the Refinements report.
   

Why not use use Event Tracking for this?

It's a worthwhile question and has some merit, however at the time of this writing, you still need to request access to the Event Tracking beta before you can use it. Furthermore, Event Tracking can't be used in Advanced Custom Segments or Custom reports at the time of writing, nor does it have the Refinements analysis options and the "start pages" and "exit pages" reporting.

What are other creative uses for Site Search?

The example here is just one way in which Site Search can be used for more than, well, site search analysis. For example, a few additional uses include:

• Tracking Rich Internet Applications (RIA's) using this Site Search method rather than Event Tracking can provide some advantages,
• Tracking store product interest when the Category and Product name are persistently available in the URI or a Virtual Pageview can reveal new product interest trends for online retailers,
• And using Site Search in creative ways to measure Internal Ads and Cross-promotions will clear the mist on what promotions really drive sales on your site.
  
  

In Closing

Like many things, using something in a way other than what it was designed for can be a dangerous activity, but fortunately for us Web Analysts this method of creatively extending Site Search has a lot of upside and little downside. So, go out and give it a shot. It is highly advisable to experiment in a non-production environment first, and even in a live environment, use multiple trackers - one for normal pageviews and one for normal pageviews + site search segmentation pageviews.

And, to give credit where credit is due: props to Justin Cutroni from EpikOne for mentioning this concept to me when Site Search was first released, and Mike Plummer from POP for expanding the technique as a method for event and interaction tracking.

Posted by Caleb Whitmore of Analytics Pros, a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant.

Urchin.js is going dark!? No, it isn't.

There has been some chatter bouncing around the blogosphere and twittersphere that we are deprecating urchin.js sometime this summer. This is not accurate. To be clear: we have no immediate plans to decommission urchin.js. If and when we do, we will make sure users get clear, advanced notification from us and time to switch.

Now for the more nuanced story:
For about a year now, all new accounts have been set up using ga.js instead of urchin.js. Here some of the benefits to using ga.js:

• Faster, smaller source file
• Automatic detection of HTTPS
• Increased namespace safety
• More convenient set up for tracking e-commerce transactions
• More customizable code for interactive Ajax-based sites
• Ability to take advantage of the most up-to-date tracking functionality as it is added to Google Analytics

Generally speaking, there are good reasons to make the switch and we certainly encourage people to do so. However, there is no immediate need or requirement to do so. Make the switch to ga.js when it is convenient for you or when you are ready to start taking advantage of the improved functionality.

Posted by Brett Crosby, Google Analytics Team

Thursday reading

Today will be an odd day as so many of you will be out at various functions.  Here is a list of things to do (choose one or all):

• Answer the question from the Blogmeister David Warlick: “In maintaining a Facebook (Myspace, Beebo, etc.) presence, what do you strive to accomplish? What is your measure of success?”  I encourage you to write a blog post and possibly comment directly on his blog with a few sentences.  He has asked for feedback--lets provide it!
• I think this is kind of weird.  What do you think?
• Should cellphones be used as an educational tool in schools?  Check this blog out.  Its a long post--but worth it.  Check out the comments where the conversation is continued.  What do you think?
• This guy would be fun to have at a dinner party.  What do you think about his house?  Watch the slide show too.
• Or find a story that you find interesting and blog about it.
• Any of you twittering?  My twitter ID is brandtschneider.  Who do you follow?  Twitter is in the news.

April Seminars for Success - Boston, Orange County and Honolulu

We promised Hawaii when we first launch and now we can deliver! If that doesn't work, we will delivering seminars in Orange County and Boston! That's 3 cities to choose from in April.

It's your choice.. Pacific sun and surf in Orange County or Honolulu, flowers blooming in Boston. These seminars are brought to you by our Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer experts.

Learn how to truly leverage the power of Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer through Seminars for Success this spring in Orange County and Honolulu. These full day, interactive seminars are led in person by the experts and designed to give you the skills necessary for a competitive edge in today’s tough competitive landscape. Understanding the wealth of data provided by your website and your visitors, coupled with systematically rising conversion rates through landing page testing will put you one up over the competition!

Google Analytics – Introduction & User Training
Orange County - Wednesday, April 15
Honolulu – Tuesday, April 21
Boston - Monday, April 27

Day one offers an introduction to Google Analytics and then some. Learn how to turn the sea of web analytics data into information that you can use to make the decisions that drive your bottom line. Day one topics include:

• Introduction to Web Analytics
• Common Interface Features
• Dashboard Reports & Customization
• Understanding Visitors, Traffic Sources, Content, Goals and Ecommerce
• Motion Chart Visualization
• Analytics Best Practices for Branding, Lead Generation & Ecommerce
• And much, much more…

Google Analytics – Advanced Technical Implementation
Orange County – Thursday, April 16
Honolulu – Wednesday, April 22
Boston- Tuesday, April 28

The second day will show you how to install and configure the advanced features and capabilities of Google Analytics. We'll show you how to use every ounce of this tool with tips and tricks, technical aspects, and how to avoid common problems. Day two topics include:

• Profiles and Strategies
• Filters – Uses and Implementation
• Goals & Funnels - Configuration & Setup
• Ecommerce Implementations
• Site Search, Event Tracking, Custom Reporting and Advanced Segmentation
• And much, much more…

Landing Page Testing with Google Website Optimizer
Orange County – Friday, April 17
Honolulu – Thursday, April 23

Learn how to make the most of the visitors to your site with landing page testing and get hands-on experience in designing, setting up, running, and analyzing A/B and multivariate tests with Google Website Optimizer. The experts will show you how to improve your users’ experience and continually increase your conversion rates through testing. The Website Optimizer Seminar includes:

• An overview of testing and Website Optimizer
• How to identify problematic pages and estimate sample sizes
• Loads of testing best practices drawn from real tests and case studies
• Hands-on lab experience in setting up, configuring, & launching both A/B and Multivariate tests
• How to interpret the data and run follow up experiments

Seats are limited, so register today for the April seminars!

• Boston Seminar Registration
  
• Orange County / Honolulu Seminar Registration
  

Posted by Eva Woo, Google Analytics Team

Evaluation

Complete your Flash replication today.  Don't worry if it is not done or perfect.  Be sure to save both the Flash document and export the movie to your folder.  Then copy the folder to the Udrive as normal.

Please complete this blog post today, either in class or at home.  Your grade for the project will be a combination of me looking at the Flash movie, evaluating your blog post analysis, and classroom observations.

1. What are three skills or techniques you developed or improved during this project (tweening, movie clips, buttons, collaborating with classmates, etc...)?

2. Did you do a good job?  What went right? What went wrong?  

3. If you started over would you tackle the problem differently?

4. Did any student, tutorial, or other part of your network assist you? How? Or....did you show assistance to others?  How?

Overall, I am really impressed by your work.  This wasn't easy.

This just in from the BlogMeister David Warlick:

“In maintaining a Facebook (Myspace, Beebo, etc.) presence, what do you strive to accomplish? What is your measure of success?”

Can we answer in our blogs?

Regular Expression Tips and Tricks

What are Regular Expressions and Why Use Them?

Regular Expressions (RegEx) are a set of characters you can use match one or more strings of text. The main reason to use Regular Expressions is that they support wildcard matching, letting you capture a lot of variations (in URLs for example) using a single string of characters.

Here are a few examples when Regular Expressions are useful in Google Analytics:

1. Matching multiple pages when defining a goal or funnel page
2. Exclude a range of IP addresses when defining a filter
3. Defining complex advanced segments
4. Including and excluding multiple URLs from reports such as the Top Content report
   

Check out this help center article for some basic definitions of Regular Expressions and how they work.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips, tricks and flourishes to make your RegEx sing.

1. USE TRIAL AND ERROR: There is only one really, really good way to write Regular Expressions. You can use all the testing tools in the world, but the only good way is to get them wrong, and then rewrite them and rewrite them until you are sure that they are right. So... be sure to have a profile that you can use just for testing.
   
   
   
   
   
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE: If you need to write an expression to match "new visits", and the only options that you will be matching against are "new visits" and "repeat visits," just the word "new" is good enough.
   
   
3. REGULAR EXPRESSIONS ARE GREEDY: They will match everything they possibly can, unless you force them not to. If your expression is "visits", it will match "new visits" and "repeat visits." After all, they both included the expression "visits." To make them less greedy, you have to make them more specific
   
   
4. DON'T OVER DO IT: (See #3 above.) For example, many people use a Regular Expression only when creating an IP address filter. If the IP address is 6.255.255.255, they create an expression like this: 6\.255\.255\.255 -- and forget that that will also match 26.255.255.255, etc. So in a situation like this, you really do need to start with a beginning anchor, ^6\.255\.255\.255 . A beginning anchor (called a carat), says, "To be a match, it has to start here."
   
   
5. MATCH EVERYTHING WITH .*: Some combinations of Regular Expressions are very special. Perhaps the most useful combination is a dot followed by a star, like this: .* And don't forget about a dot followed by a star, but in parenthesis, like this: (.*) The first one means, get everything. It is your ultimate wildcard. On the other hand, (.*) means, get everything and put it in a variable. You'll find that (.*) is very helpful when you are creating custom advanced filters.
   
   
6. BACKSLASH TO ESCAPE: Backslash is the most frequent RegEx you will probably use. It means, take this special character and turn it into an everyday character. So if you are trying to match to "www.mysite.com?pid=123," you have a problem -- unless you use your backslash. The question mark is a Regular Expression, and only by using a backslash, like this: "www.mysite.com\?pid=123" can you take away its special powers. If you aren't sure whether something is a Regular Expression or not, go ahead and use that backslash -- it won't do any harm.
   
   
   
   
   
7. WHITESPACE IS WHITESPACE: The most frequent question you might ask is, "How do I create a white space with Regular Expressions?" The answer is usually, just use white space. So if you need to match to "Google Analytics," you can make your Regular Expression be "Google Analytics."
   

Other Resources

Most of the basic Regular Expressions (RegEx) needs are covered in the Google Analytics documentation (you should start here if you want to learn those basics). Watch out though, just because something is not in here doesn't mean Google Analytics doesn't support it.

Other good sources are regular-expressions.info and RegEx Coach, an interactive tool for testing Regular Expressions.

How do you use Regular Expressions? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Robbin Steif of LunaMetrics , a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant