For Google Analytics novices, the amount of data you are presented with can seem daunting. With such a wide and overwhelming range of metrics available to you, it can sometimes feel like you can’t see the woods for the trees. Here’s our guide to making sense of some of the most important parts of Google Analytics...

A good place to start when determining the success of your SEO campaign is to take a look at the ‘Keywords’ and ‘Search Engines’ sections of the Traffic Sources tab. This will show you the search engines your traffic is coming from and for which search terms. If you’re running a paid search campaign (a.k.a. Pay Per Click) as well as organic SEO, then you should be sure to click the ‘Organic’ tab, which will ensure you are presented with the data derived solely from organic traffic. On this page you will be presented with the keywords that have brought you the most traffic, with the number of visitors decreasing as the list progresses.

In this list the keywords your website has been optimised for should appear. If the keyword research you carried out in the first instance was accurate then the key terms chosen for your homepage should be at the top, or certainly very close to it. This list will also show you variations of your key terms that brought in traffic, including those that have been entered in a different order or pluralised etc. There can be thousands of variations used, and as you’re not paying for each click as you would in a pay per click campaign, then the more the merrier!

An important method of measuring the success of an SEO campaign is to understand which of your pages are attracting the traffic. It may be that a product specific page which has not been optimised is bringing in a good proportion of your visitors. In most cases it will be the category pages or homepage that visitors are landing on. Firstly click on the ‘Content’ section, then under ‘Site Content’ you can choose to look at the landing pages and see those all important page specific stats. If the entrance pages are those that have been optimised, then your SEO strategy is showing signs of having an effect.

Blog posts are an excellent way of using long tail keywords to attract particular niches. This traffic can often have a high conversion rate as customers are specific about the product or service they are looking for and at a more advanced stage in the buying decision. It is important to see how much of an impact your blog posts are having. If they aren’t brining in traffic then maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the keywords being used when writing them, or time to build some deep-links that go straight to them.

On closer inspection you may find that guest blog posts you have written for external sites, industry specific links you have obtained or reciprocal links from related businesses are bringing in good quality traffic. This is a key side-effect to SEO work that is often overlooked in headline statistics.

Of course the primary aim of most websites is conversions. Conversions can vary widely from site to site; some will regard a purchase as a conversion, whilst others may ask customers to fill out a request form. So long as you have set-up your Goals, by clicking the ‘Conversions’ tab you will very quickly be able to ascertain which keywords have the highest conversion rates. As conversions will have a direct impact on your business’ bottom line, you may well decide to focus your SEO efforts on your best performing keywords, depending of course on the available budget.

For further information from a specialist and experienced online marketing team why not give us a call on +44 (0)29 2076 6467 or email info@libertymarketing.co.uk

You may be aware that EU regulations governing the use of cookies on websites are changing. As of 26th May 2012 you’ll need to have given some thought to how you’re going to change your approach to using cookies on your site. The new regulations were laid out on 26th May 2011 and the one year ‘grace period’ is about to expire. It’s now time to implement your new cookie policy.

Whether you are up-to-date with the ICO’s (Information Commissioner’s Office) new guidelines or don’t know your cookies from your shortbreads, you can find out all you need to know here to help you plan for your future.

So what are cookies?

Let’s start from scratch. Cookies are small text files which are sent from your web server to your visitors’ web browsers. These files are then used to collect information from your visitors and store it so it can be used later.

What’s the problem?

The key problem is that very few users understand what cookies are or what they do. This means that the vast majority of websites are essentially ‘taking’ information from visitors without their knowledge or permission. The percieved morality of this depends on whether or not the information taken is being used for the visitors’ benefit or for the benefit of the website’s owners. 

For instance, some cookies are used to help guard against forgery. They can help users assemble and save a shopping basket or remember settings that users have chosen. These types of cookies are clearly in the user’s interests.

Whilst many cookies are helpful to users, others are very helpful to advertisers and website owners. Cookies can be used to show users targeted adverts that follow surfers across the net based on their previous browsing, leaving some to feel like their privacy has been invaded. These are the main types of cookies the new regulations are legislating against.

Google Analytics and cookies

Whilst some cookies are clearly helpful to either visitor or website, others fall into a grey area. One of the biggest problems with the changing regulations is just how helpful cookies can be for both parties. They make it possible for websites to assess performance, improve usability and boost business too. With Google Analytics on your side you can keep track of:

• Where people view your site from
• What technology people use to browse your site
• How often visitors return
• Areas of most interest on your website
• Along with so much more

Over 60% of the top 10,000 websites make use of Google Analytics, and it has been suggested that in excess of 15 million other sites make use of the tool. As Google Analytics relies on cookies to gather information about website usage, the change in EU regulations is a big worry for a vast number of sites. SEO and Pay Per Click teams are especially reliant upon good analytics to create effective online marketing campaigns for your website.

Are my cookies ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

The type of information cookies collect and how this information is used varies and will affect how you need to roll with the changes. Below you’ll find the different categories that cookies broadly fall into. Some of these are integral to the running of your website and these will not be regulated. Some cookies, however, are not essential and the new regulations will affect how you use them.

• Category 1: Strictly Necessary

These are cookies used for vital parts of websites. This includes information like anti-forgery tokens, shopping basket references and user account sessions. The new regulations will not affect the way that these are used and you will not need to have the consent of visitors to use them.

• Category 2: Performance

These cookies are used to assist performance. They help with tasks like showing a particular version of a site to the relevant visitor. Although you’re unlikely to need consent, these cookies need to be mentioned in the terms and conditions of your site.

• Category 3: Functionality

Analytics is the big one here. These category 3 cookies store information from visitors to your website which can be analysed to gauge usage and develop your website accordingly. This is the category you should be most concerned with when it comes to SEO and Pay Per Click advertising. These cookies will also remember customisable user settings like font and colour preferences. 

ICO states that you should have the consent of users before these cookies are downloaded to their browsers.

• Category 4: Targeting/Advertising

These cookies are one of the main reasons people are nervous about cookie usage. They track visitors from site to site, collecting information which makes it possible for websites to display specific, personally tailored adverts – this is known as targeted advertising and many people are uncomfortable with it. You must notify visitors if you want to use category 4 cookies. You must also obtain each user’s consent before downloading them to any browser.

What’s changing?

Awareness and consent are at the centre of the new EU e-Privacy Directive’s regulations. Extensive research has revealed that very few people actually understand how cookies work, what they’re for, what they do or how to opt out of using them. For instance, one study commissioned by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, revealed that 37% of respondents had heard of cookies but had little or no understanding of how they work or what they do.

With this in mind, the EU has stated that websites must make all visitors aware of any cookies used and obtain user consent for any cookies of category 3 or above. If websites fail to do this, they risk being lumped with a civil penalty of a maximum £500,000 per cookie. Ideally the ICO would like to see an ‘opt-in’ policy, where users must actively choose to use cookies instead of an ‘opt-out’ policy, where users must actively disable cookies themselves.

What does this mean for my website?

If you’re using anything higher than Category 1 cookies on your website then it is time to rethink how you use them. To be compliant with ICO guidelines you will need to do some of the following:

• Inform visitors immediately that cookies are in use on your website
• Give visitors the option to opt out of using cookies before proceeding
• Provide visitors with thorough information about which cookies are in use, what they do and how they are used

Although these steps will ensure that users are fully aware of and complicit in your use of cookies, there may well be some negative effects. For example, it is likely that many users will not opt-in and choose to use cookies when presented with the choice, particularly if they are unsure about a cookie’s purpose. If many people fail to accept your cookies, you could start to see flawed Google Analytics statistics and may find you are forced to work in an entirely new way.

Many experts advocate split testing a few pop-up options in order to design an informative, cookie opt-in service with a high opt-in rate which causes the fewest bounces from your site.

What should I do?

Here at Liberty we aren’t legal experts; if you want to be absolutely positive you are sticking to the letter of the law, get your solicitor to look over the ICO guidelines. That being said, the ICO regulations document has the following to say about Analytics cookies:

“The Regulations do not distinguish between cookies used for analytical activities and those used for other purposes. We do not consider analytical cookies to fall within the ‘strictly necessary’ exception criteria. This means that in theory websites need to tell people about analytical cookies and gain their consent.

In practice we would expect you to provide clear information to users about analytical cookies and take what steps you can to seek their agreement. This is likely to involve making the argument to show users why these cookies are useful. Although the Information Commissioner cannot completely exclude the possibility of formal action in any area, it is highly unlikely that priority for any formal action would be given to focusing on uses of cookies where there is a low level of intrusiveness and risk of harm to individuals. Provided clear information is given about their activities we are highly unlikely to prioritise first party cookies used only for analytical purposes in any consideration of regulatory action.”

As you can see, this is a very flexible statement which appears to state that those using cookies for purely analytical purposes are very unlikely to face any type of formal action, provided they supply clear information on their site about which cookies are being used and why.

If you are using cookies which are more intrusive, it would probably be wise to ensure you are completely compliant with the regulations. However, if you are using analytics cookies, you are very likely to be safe as long as you update your terms and conditions to ensure:

• Your users have easy access to information about which cookies you are using
• Your users understand which cookies are at work on your site and why
• Your users know they have the option to turn cookies on and off
• Your users know how to turn cookies off if they so choose

This is the way Liberty intends to progress; how you decide to work with the guidelines is entirely your call. 

Another consideration is the fact that many experts are of the opinion that it is only big names and persistent, aggressive ‘regulation-flouters’ who are likely to face heat from the ICO. Many people from within the web industry believe the ICO is likely to make an example of a handful of large internet presences that make no effort to comply as well as those that repeatedly and unconscionably flout regulations and use invasive, aggressive cookies without warning visitors. 

These regulations are going to be extremely difficult to enforce across the internet so, unless a direct complaint is made against you, a good, honest information policy regarding cookies is likely to stand small-to-medium enterprises in good stead.

What’s everyone else doing?

There have been a range of different responses to the changing cookie law across the internet. Some sites have done nothing at all, whilst others have expanded their terms and conditions to include an explanation of the cookies used on-site. Meanwhile, some sites have taken a more direct approach to ensure they are fully compliant with the new regulations. By and large it is the big brands and big names who have taken compliance most seriously.

BT, for example, have taken it to the extreme. If you look in their footer menu, you will see they have provided a clear, thoroughly informative pop-up and toolbar which gives each visitor all the facts they need as well as the opportunity to opt in or opt out of using cookies. They even allow visitors to decide whether they want to turn specific cookie types on or off. This gives users the choice to use any combination (or no combination) of:

• Strictly necessary and performance cookies
• Functional cookies
• Targeting cookies

Meanwhile, websites like the BBC and John Lewis have opted to meet the ICO halfway by providing very thorough help sections on the cookies used on their website. This at least shows willing, which is much more than many sites are doing. 

Should I panic?

We wish we could give you a definitive answer here, but unfortunately all we can say is ‘probably not’. If you’d like to make sure you’re on the safe side, an informative and helpful guide to your site’s cookies is a very good move. Taking this step will not harm your website and also shows your visitors you are responsible and honest. If you do want to be as compliant as you can be, you may like to look into implementing a pop-up system to give users up-front, immediate information and options, yet compared to the majority of small to medium businesses online, this would be a fairly extreme response.

So how does the cookie crumble?

In summary, before the 26th May you should perform a thorough audit of the cookies you are using on your site. 

• If you decide they are intrusive, either stop using them or (if you just can’t keep your hand out of the cookie jar) implement instant pop-ups which warn and inform users, then give them the option to turn cookies on or off.
• If your cookies are analytical, you might like to implement an instant pop-up strategy, although you are likely to remain compliant without it so long you provide all the requisite information somewhere on the site. 
• If your cookies are for functional, user-centred purposes only, you are fine and can sit back and relax!

Best of luck with your new cookie policy!

Google has released its first Analytics Benchmarking Newsletter, which highlights data collected anonymously from hundreds of thousands of Google Analytics accounts that opted-in to sharing data.

Comparing data from 1st November 2010 to 1st February 2011 against the same period 12 month prior, some very interesting changes are taking place in the way people use websites. A couple of highlights…

People are spending less time on websites. They are also visiting slightly less pages. From an average visitor looking at 4.9 pages in late 2009, we are now seeing 4.5 page views per visit. Average time on site is down from 5 minutes 49 seconds to 5:23. 

Bounce rates have fallen. Even though people are spending slightly less time on sites, they must be finding what they want as bounce rates have dropped by 1.2%, from an average of 48.2% to 47%.

UK websites enjoy high quality traffic. Sites in the UK see a higher than average number of pages per visit and lower bounce rate than those in France, Brazil, China, Japan and the US. They also see an above average time on site, second only to US websites.

Search engine traffic is up. Traffic from search engines grew over the period by 1% whilst traffic from referrals fell by 1.6%. This will probably surprise a lot of people as there is a growing belief that social media sites are sending more traffic than search engines.

If you have Google Analytics installed on your webite, but don't quite know how to work out if your site is performing or not, then give us a call. We'l happily run through the figures and tell you if there are any things that you should be concerned with. The number for our search engine marketing team is 029 2076 6467.

On the official Google blog there is a new announcement that the Beta version of an encrypted Google search is ready for use by general web users.

In a nutshell, by visiting https://www.google.com (rather than http://www.google.com) an encrypted connection is put in place which means third parties are not able to see the search terms you use and search results you view.

Immediate differences between the standard and more secure versions of Google are highlighted in the blog post: “The service includes a modified logo to help indicate that you’re searching using SSL and that you may encounter a somewhat different Google search experience, but as always, remember to check the start of the address bar for “https” and your browser lock indicators: Today’s release comes with a “beta” label for a few reasons. First, it currently covers only the core Google web search product. To help avoid misunderstanding, when you search using SSL, you won’t see links to offerings like Image Search and Maps that, for the most part, don’t support SSL at this time. Also, since SSL connections require additional time to set up the encryption between your browser and the remote web server, your experience with search over SSL might be slightly slower than your regular Google search experience. What won’t change is that you will still get the same great search results.”

The article also states “Google will still maintain search data to improve your search quality and to provide better service. Searching over SSL doesn’t reduce the data sent to Google — it only hides that data from third parties who seek it. And clicking on any of the web results, including Google universal search results for unsupported services like Google Images, could take you out of SSL mode. Our hope is that more websites and services will add support for SSL to help create a better and more consistent experience for you.”

This has been implemented after Google suffered recent criticism over data security when it collected information from open Wi-Fi connections. How the general public will react to encrypted Google search and how large the uptake will be is anyone's guess, though it is easy to see, even within a day of release, that this will make life more challenging for website owners and search engine marketers.

Early tests show that in the website analytics data, the referrer field isn’t complete when vistors come from the https version of Google. This means that the more people use encrypted search, the less you know about where they came from and the keywords used to bring them to your site.

If you use Google Adwords for pay per click advertising and Google Analytics to keep an eye on your website activity then it's worth having a look at the stats, as you may see some discrepancies in the reports between them. A couple of Liberty clients that buy traffic in this way are paying for, and receiving, clicks as usual but Analytics is listing only a fraction of these visitors as coming from google / cpc.

Evidently quite a few other people are also seeing this, their complaints are as shown here.

Google has pointed out that the error could be down to the recent changes in the way Adwords and Analytics accounts link together. You can check that all is well by following this guide. Doesn't help our clients though as their accounts are linked up perfectly, so all we can do is cross our fingers that it's just a small bug and it gets ironed out soon.