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26
Aug 11

Recent Google Analytics Changes

Filed Under: E commerce, Online Marketing by Admin — View Comments

Google Analytics Changes

On the 11th August, Google implemented a major update to the way sessions are reported in Google Analytics. The change helps determine which traffic sources result in the most conversions. To get an accurate idea of how a site visitor behaves each time they reach your site, Google and other analytics tools determine when a user has reached a new “session.” Each session counts as its own visit, impacting key metrics such as page views, time on site, and total visitor count

Google Analytics sessions used to be worked out using the below criteria:

•             When the user has been inactive on the website for 30 minutes

•             At the end of the day all sessions are considered closed

•             When the user closes their web browser

Earlier this month Google Analytics have changed to the below criteria

•             When a user has been inactive for 30 minutes & also at the end of the day all sessions are considered closed

•             When the source campaign for the user changes – this information relates to campaign tracking information – which can be set up manually in links – for example on your email newsletter, or is sent via AdWords auto-tagging.

What does this mean?

If the user leaves the site and then re-enters from a new source, it counts as a new session. For example, if a user landed on a page through your PPC campaign, left to do some research, then arrived at the same page within 30 minutes through another source (let’s say Twitter) and converted, Google Analytics would count it as one PPC session.

Now, this activity will merit two separate sessions, and marketers can see that the hypothetical visitor converted when he or she came from the social source. Also if a user checks out an article on your site because they found it by searching for one term, then leaves your site and finds another article based on another term, each visit counts as a new session.

Note that sessions will no longer end just because a user closes their browser. Google now assumes that users who close the browser and then return to your site may be experiencing any number of internet phenomena, including a browser crash or casually browsing around a site while engaging in other activities. By continuing a session when the user closes their browser for only a very short time, sessions will more accurately model a user’s engagement with the website.

How does this affect my stats?  What changes will I see?

All historic data in Analytics will be measured by the old session definition. As for new data, MAD are seeing, in some cases, a sizeable increase in the total number of visits (i.e., sessions) and a correlating decrease in other metrics (e.g., time on site, page views, etc.). There’s no impact on unique visitors, page views, conversions and time on site.

This update also helps M.A.D in using the new Multi Channel Funnels in Analytics, that Google has released this week. For a great overview video from Google, visit http://www.google.com/analytics/analytics-funnels.html

While we’re on the topic of Google Analytics updates, you may have noticed an increase in your organic traffic. Traffic from images.google.com is now being registered as organic traffic not referral traffic. This update allows you to report on what search terms visitors came to your site on when referred to by Google Image Search.

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13
Jul 11

Google +1 the Next Step?

Filed Under: E commerce, MAD News, Social Media by Admin — View Comments

Google are launching their new social sharing button with their Google +1 rating. When you are signed into your Google account you can “+1” websites that you and your friends have liked.
The plan is that other people can then see whether or not a website has received lots of +1 votes and you can choose whether or not you want to visit it based on the reviews of others. You have to have a Google account in order to +1 websites otherwise there will be no difference to your Google experience.

The +1 and SEO

Social metrics and Google are now going hand in hand and are having a greater impact upon the rankings. Google have been gradually getting in on the act and are using social media and bookmarking to determine rankings. The customer has become the total focus of the search engine and the site; sites are there to provide a service after all so they should be providing the best possible service to all its customers.

It is believed that the +1 button will affect search rankings, and therefore it will be an important tool for all website owners. It is thought that this will encourage website owners to create a site that is functioning well with all of the relevant information that the customer would need.

Lots of sites are already replacing the Google Buzz button with Google +1 button so that people can rate their sites and have this available for other people to see to both boost their rankings and encourage people to visit their sites.

The Negative Side of +1

Plenty of people are concerned that this will become abused easily. Having this rating system of course means that there is the possibility that people will create accounts to boost the amount of +1s on their sites. People are already offering these services online +1s and it remain to be seen how well Google will be able to keep an eye on these “bogus” accounts and how severe the punishment from them will be.

Like with so many new introductions by the search engines it becomes a waiting and guessing game to see how much effect the changes will have to page rankings and customer interaction.  M.A.D  will certainly be watching developments closely.?

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16
Jun 11

EU Directives Look Set to be Dropped

Filed Under: E commerce, MAD News by Kevin Galway — View Comments

As the law continues to tighten around ecommerce more and more directives are being brought in to improve the shopping experience of the customer. On the whole the online retailers have complied and agreed with the changes made because they have been concerned with fair business practise. However, some new directives that the EU were hoping to introduce were completely nonsensical and therefore received a huge level of rejection from the ecommerce industry.

The proposal of an EU directive that would see all online retailers having to sell to every EU state without question would be impractical and hard to regulate. Payment processing would become a more complicated task and some have argued that it leaves sites open to a greater level of fraud. The second blow then came in the shape of returns, the EU planned to have online retailers pay the return postage for any item with a value over 40 Euros, £34.80, which would be a stretch without the potential added pressure of having to post items to countries all over Europe.

The final proposal was a refund within 14 days which is something that most companies already offer but to make it legislation would mean no leeway and put further pressure on online retailers.

Many online retail associations strongly objected to these new proposals going ahead because they would cause significant problems for the ecommerce market. It is currently being rejected by the EU because of the huge numbers of objection and the fact that it was an unjustifiable change. This has yet to be fully finalised but it looks like this time the online retailers have triumphed over the EU madness.

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08
Jun 11

Google PPC “AdWords”

Filed Under: E commerce, Online Marketing by Admin — View Comments

Google have announced changes to Google AdWords regarding the use of personal information of the website visitor, and are making it a requirement for all sites advertising through AdWords to have a valid SSL certificate – already a pre-requisite for any MAD Productions E-Commerce site.

From the 17th of May it must be clear in any ad served through Google Adwords asking for personal information how this information will be used. Any ad failing to do so will be suspended by Google and could lead to your AdWords account being deactivated.

This ties in with the recent changes made by Google regarding ads banning them from requesting information in return for free gifts and survey results. With so many recent cases of personal information being misused and easily accessed Google is under pressure to ensure total protection of all of the customers using the sites advertised by them.

It must also be very clear how customers can opt out of emails, phone calls and direct communications so that they can freely enter their information without being hassled in the future. This gives the customer greater control over the use of their personal information without the company creating a complicated process for opting out meaning that they continue communication.

Google are making it a requirement to have an SSL certificate to ensure that all sites have secure payment protecting customers from fraud and ensuring that personal details cannot be taken and used by any 3rd party.

To make sure that your site is covered it is important to make it clear what your intentions are regarding personal information and that you have a valid SSL certificate that will protect the personal information gathered during payment.

The regulation of the internet continues to be tightened in response to the growing demand from users to protect them from fraud and unlawful use of their personal information. Any failure to comply with Google’s new requirements can have serious consequences including AdWord account and domain suspension so it is important to make sure that you follow their latest guidelines.

All current MAD PPC clients ads should comply with these regulations due to existing content written into the privacy policy however, if you would like any further information please take a look at the websites below:

adwords blogspot

adwords support

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08
Jun 11

Update on European Cookie Law

Filed Under: E commerce, MAD News by Admin — View Comments
Latest Industry News on Eu Cookie Directive: Part II
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is making changes to the way websites use/store cookies in the future, this was originally going to be enforced by the end of last month (May 2011).
However due to no clear route forward the enforcement has been extended and companies have been given another 12 months to make the necessary changes to their site. This change of approach has come about because the ICO realise that the procedure is not as straight forward as they originally believed.
The rights of the customer to have control over their personal information and where it can be stored is vital but not at the expense of the customers experience of the website. The extra 12 months is to give both developers & website owners the time to work out a solution to the new rules which will continue to make sense for both the website owner and the customer.
Although this does buy more time for all website owners, any sites that do not appear to making steps to change the way they use cookies and any that have not made the necessary changes by the final date will be penalised.
For further information please see the link below http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/pressreleases/2011/enforcement_cookies_rules_news_release_20110525.ashx
These new rules will affect all ecommerce website owners so it is important to start making the necessary changes once the appropriate strategy is established. Over the coming months MAD will keep our clients up to date, both providing recommendations and proposing the required changes.
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