Evaluate Your Content with Google Analytics
Ben MacNeillUser Interface Designer, eXtension
October 22, 2009
Google Analytics
• Traffic analysis tool
• Free (Need a Google account. No public view unfortunately*.)
• Who (Visitors), What (Content),Where (Traffic)How (Bounces)
What's the most
popularcontent?
Whereare yourvisitorscoming from?
*82% from search
How areyour
readersfinding
your content?
How many visit your page and
leave? (and is
that good or bad?)
boiiiiiiing
boiiiiiiiiiiiingboiiiiiiiiiiiiing
boiiiiiiiing
boiiiiiiiing
boiiiing
boiiiing
boiiiiing
boing
bo–
What about my content?
• the Public site GA data is aggregated
• No way to look at a single category of content(until recently!)
Top-Level Categories in GA
• Available in content reports
• Top Content (Most Popular)
• Top Landing Pages (Arrivals)
• Top Exit Pages (Departures)
• Look at all content or limit to specific types (Articles, FAQs, Learning Lessons, Events)
What Does it Look Like?
How it works
• Actual url: http://www.extension.org/faq/824
• We pass an extra parameter to GA when the visit is recorded
• Extra parameter = Top-level categories
Using the 'Find Page' Filter
• Select a report: Content > Top Content
• Choose any CoP resource area tag
• No spaces. "beef_cattle" not "beef cattle"
• View all content: fire_ants
• View only FAQs: (faq).*(fire_ants)
• View only Articles: (pages).*(fire_ants)
Let's Go to the Browser
Analysis: Bounce rate
• the percentage of visitors to a page who leave without visiting any other page
Bounce rate: 41%
Bounce rate: 91%
Bounce rate: 41%
Under-performers?
• Don't unpublish a piece of content
• Destroys all the Google page rank built up for that page
• Generates a "Page not found" for all new visitors coming from search
• Damages the reputation of the site
• Breaks all links that point to your page
Content, check. What about my visitors?
Let's Go to the Browser
Set up a Category Segment
13
5
4
2
Advanced Segments
• A slice of all traffic
• Great for Visitor-based reports(Visits, geography, traffic sources)
• Page-level metrics will be skewed(Pageviews, Average Pageviews, Time on Site)Because the segment includes all pages the visitor viewed – not just your pages.
Get Reports by Email
Schedule Email Reports
• If you need access to eXtension GA, send me your gmail address or the email associated with your Google user ID.
• thanks!
Getting Access to GA
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