Google analytics

Draft

Google analytics is a a google services that allows insights into website traffic with Advanced Segmentation, Custom Reporting, Motion Charts, and more.

See also

• Google webmaster tools which gives you very different information, i.e. its data is based on the google search engine.
• Google website optimizer which allows to create so-called A/B or multivariate tests (i.e. some kind of light-weight quasi-experimental playing with variants of landing pages)

Tool overview

The services includes several groups of tools, that allows a website owner to learn about the users and their behavior.

As of March 2012, Google Analytics includes five group of Tools plus a custom reporting tool that allows to do more fine grained analysis.

• Audience (demographics, behavior, technology, social, mobile, and visitors flow tool)
• Advertising (not explained here, since we don't use that)
• Traffic sources
• Content
• Conversions

The DashBoard

A default Dashboard shows some key data like daily visits, average time on site), conversions, traffic type and time on site by country.

Site owners can configure their own dashboards (in the plural).

Audience tools

(to do)

Traffic sources

(to do)

Content

(to do)

Conversions

In EduTechWiki, there is some advertisement about our Master program in Educational Technology. Although the purpose of EduTechWiki is not to make propaganda about this program, it could help attract future students, in particular in the french version. We therefore could define the goal that users should click on the above propaganda site. The amount of users / vistors that click is called the conversion rate.

How to

Goals can be added by clicking on the Admin Tab (top right). Then select the Goals tab. You can set a total of four sets of goals that include each five goals (either URL Destination, Time On site, Page/Visit, or Event).

How to register a site

• Get a Google account and sign up to analytics
• Modify all your web pages to include a javascript fragment

A simple Mediawiki extension

In the past, I edited the skin files and place the "old" Google code just before the </body> tag.

We now use extension code (makes updating easier for example). Currently, for MW release 1.16.4, we use the following simple extension code found in Extension talk:Google Analytics Integration page at Mediawiki. Its author is unkown.

File 'extensions/GoogleAnalytics.php' (change "UA-xxxxxx-x" to your own key):

<?php
global $wgGoogleAnalytics;
$wgGoogleAnalytics = false;

$wgHooks['ParserAfterTidy'][]  = 'efGoogleAnalytics';

function efGoogleAnalytics() {
	global $wgOut;
	global $wgGoogleAnalytics;

	if (!$wgGoogleAnalytics) {
		$funcOutput = <<<GASCRIPT
<script type="text/javascript">
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
try{
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxxx-x");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
</script>
GASCRIPT;
		$wgOut->addScript($funcOutput);
		$wgGoogleAnalytics = true;
	}
	return true;
}
?>

Add in LocalSettings.php:

require_once($IP.'/extensions/GoogleAnalytics.php');

Links

At Google

• Google analytics homepage
• Google Conversion University. A set of lessons to prepare for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) test or to simply become a more knowledgeable Google Analytics user.
• The Google Analytics Blog

Videos made by Google

• Google Analytics (9 min. video at YouTube). An older version is here

• Google Analytics in 60 Seconds (You Tube playlist)

There are many videos about Google Analytics. A good short list of videos is [http://www.squidoo.com/ultimate-google-analytics-guide The Ultimate Google Analytics Video Guide

Introductions

• Google Analytics (Wikipedia)
• How to Use Google Analytics for Beginners Includes installation tips. A bit outdated, but still useful.
• Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics Small introduction on how to use the data made in 2088. Good, but as of Feb 2012 refers to the older interface.

Resource web sites (links)

• 50 Resources for Getting the Most Out of Google Analytics