Google Analytics has a beta feature called "Intelligence". I noticed it recently when I took a look at my blog's statistics. Not a pretty sight since I stopped posting on a regular basis and lost Page Rank. Much of my blogging time was spent on my team blog over at BloggingWithSuccess. The other co-founder was occupied with studies and another has been missing for a very long time. I've also spent a lot of time converting some clients from traditional websites to WordPress content management, adding a blog for the first time. More about that later...
Here's where the new feature sits on the Analytics dashboard:
A quote from the Google Analytics announcement late last year:
Analytics Intelligence constantly monitors your website's traffic. Anytime something significant happens, it adds an automatic alert in your Intelligence reports. If your bounce rate suddenly jumps on one of your referrals, Analytics Intelligence creates an alert. Of course, it's up to you to go find out that the bounce rate jumped because someone inadvertently changed the landing page. But you might not have noticed that there was a problem that needed fixing if your trusty assistant hadn't alerted you. - Google
Analytics Intelligence posts the alerts automatically within your account after it analyzes your historical data. You can opt to receive an email notice as well. Take a look at this quick video for an overview of how it works.
In my case, since the bounce rate has been pretty high lately I created an alert for whenever the rate goes below 70%. I plan to take some actions to entice you to jump over to another post! Most of the visitors lately have been new readers (80%).
I know which posts get the Google search engine traffic and I'll add an action event there to see when and if the rate goes below 70. The current bounce is 89% for Google hits!
The Intelligence feature also includes 7 templates for common alerts. You can copy the template and customize with your own name and time period, etc. Neat!
Have you tried this yet?
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It's easy for a new blogger to forget that Google Analytics and other popular traffic monitors will record every visit, including your own. That is unless you specifically state "count me out!"
You need to make that clear when you first install the tracking code. If you forget, you'll be shocked to see so many page loads for your very first post. Then shocked again to realize it was just you finding those spelling errors, re-reading that great content, or going back twenty times to see if you have any avatars in your recent reader widget! This tip shows how to remove your sites from three of the more popular traffic monitors.
What is your IP address IP stands for Internet Protocol and this is how statisics programs 'know who you are'. The IP is a unique number associated with your computer's connection that looks like '85.90.0.115' (four sets of numbers with periods in between). I use What is my IP address and save it on my iGoogle homepage for easy reference. You can even install a gadget to do the same thing.
Where is the feature to remove my visits? The problem is finding which button to push in the statistics dashboard to remove your visits --- you need to do that for each computer you use. Some programs may use cookies and require action for each browser. If you have started logging your visits, they will continue to show in your statistics. Removal only works going forward. Just make a note so you take that into account as you review historical trends.
For each program, first log into your account, select the project or feed you want to change, then do the following for each:
Google Analytics Go to 'Analytic Settings', then click 'Filter Manager' in the lower right hand corner. Then 'add filter' where you must key the IP(s) to exclude.
Feedburner From the 'Analyze' tab, click the 'feedburner pro' button on bottom left. Then 'for my site traffic', check the box next to "Exclude visits from this computer." You don't have to key your IP, but you must go through this step for each computer you use.
StatCounter Press the 'blocking cookie' link to set IP exclusion for all of your projects. You can also do this for individual projects with the customize icon (wrench). Find the blocking link in the left-hand bar and follow the instructions to turn blocking on or off.
Summary This tip is basic, but can save some time and headaches trying to find the right button. Many programs are so feature rich and tab heavy with decidedly unhelpful 'help' screens, that you end up pulling your hair out. Forget about an intuitive interface approach and rely on your notes and bookmarks! What do you have to add? How about Sitemeter --- do you use it?
Feedjit provides a widget you can add to your blog to display incoming traffic. I originally had this live traffic feed in the sidebar, and tried to replace it with a link to a post containing the script (see update below). The widget does take up valuable space if shown on the sidebar (the height can not be customized.) Many bloggers use such space for ads or to push content.
Although Feedjit loads very quickly, there is the potential of a slowdown or complete freeze --- like most java script widgets, it's hosted remotely and can fall prey to busy periods or other down time. Any increase in your page's load time could mean a loss of first-time visitors, who may be impatient to begin with.
I find the widget is fun and very useful for getting a quick update on most recent traffic and has the advantage of showing people who are not in any of the other social network widgets. The data for visitors who arrived via a search shows the exact term used. The live feed probably does not interest most visitors. Some may feel it invades their privacy by showing the location and which site they came from. Although there is no personally identifiable data.
One blog lists this widget as one of the five that "look ugly on your blog." It's really a matter of personal taste. My goal was to streamline the sidebar.
Update: Moving the widget into a regular post did not work, since it only registers if the person visits that page --- "Duh!" So I improvised by shoving it into a scroll box at the bottom of the side bar. I made the background white, the size 215 wide and 75 high to accommodate the live feed data using just a vertical scroll. For your own Feedjit peek-a-boo, read how to create a scroll box, but use my settings as a starting point! That way you too can still take a peek at the live data whenever you want to. You can always scroll to end of box and click 'watch in real time' to open a separate window for full viewing.
Update: The FeedJit script did not work as a separate post --- it must be in the sidebar, effectively on each page the reader visits. So a scroll box was used to contain the data in a smaller space. See Peter Chen's post on how to create a scroll box. I made the background white, the size 215 wide and 75 high to accommodate the live feed data using just a vertical scroll.
About This Blog
I'm Shirley, aka SBA. Follow along as I explore the world of blogging. Learn how to better chart your path. Read my tips for creating and growing your blog. While you're here, grab my next post.
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