SEO ~ Web Design ~ Internet Marketing
I Got A Serious Scare From Google Analytics
I have been logged into Google analytics working on clients sites etc. I like how Google gives you a calculation for how well your site is performing by giving you a percentage. My percentage was around a 20% improvement about a week ago. However, I noticed that it was starting to drop. Traffic comes in waves so I wasn’t concerned.
Anyway, I was doing a search to see the cache date of a recent link I had acquired. I happened upon a document by the government of Australia that had a link to me. This peaked my interest of course because it is not everyday you get a .gov link unsolicited, or solicited for that matter.
I had noticed a recent surge in traffic for pages about headings and title tags on my site already and since the .gov link was pointing to one of those pages I saw a direct correlation.
I hurriedly logged into Google analytics with the sheer glee of what awaited me…only to have my heart drop and shatter in a million pieces. I went from having one of the best days ever last week to 0 and 1 traffic days. Surely I did not lose this site…I don’t do anything black hat.
So I checked my rankings, and my keywords were still there. I then realized that I must have inadvertently hosed the Google analytics code on my site. I checked my footer file and it was not there. The weirdest thing about all this is that I initially checked Google Analytics to see if it was receiving data. Google reported that it was still receiving data.
I forgot about another wordpress install that still receives a couple of visits every once in a while and that must have been where they were receiving the data from.
To keep this from happening again I decided to add another stats script as a backup. I did not want a heavy script because load time can already be a problem. I added WP Stats to start tracking blog traffic. I think it will actually be easier to use than analytics for quick reference.
What were to happen if all of Google’s free services were to disappear? It would not be pretty.
16 Responses to “I Got A Serious Scare From Google Analytics”
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I would probably cry if I saw this! That’s really scary. I’m glad you found the source of the problem!
I always have awstats running on the server - both as backup and as an additional source of stats.
.-= Anne @ b6s.net´s last blog ..Lists on Your Blog – Five Things to Consider =-.
it’s weird anyway !
If Googles free services were to disappear I think that would seriously suck! I mean its amazing how many people still don’t know the things Google has to offer other than a awesome search engine.
Ha ha It felt like I was reading an adventure comic strip. Don’t worry, Google free services wont disappear not in the coming 100 years
.-= Bestlink4u´s last blog ..How to increase site Pagerank? (Free SEO Tips) =-.
I am Robert Stanley, a search engine marketing consultant. I am extending my skills and knowledge in search engine marketing.Anyways,if all of Google’s free services will disappear it would be a disastrous.But i know it would be impossible.
I use wassup on my blogs as a back-up. It eats a lot of resources, but mostly works nicely.
.-= Tampa SEO Consultant´s last blog ..Time Frame of a Search Engine Optimization Project – Google #1 in a Week? =-.
I have to admit that I rely too much on Google tools. And going back not using them makes me want to quit working SEO. Ofcource there are dozen other tools in my arsenal but taking for instans GA away would make a hole in my strategies.
@Bestlink4u
I am agree with you. It doesn’t seems that Google will discontinue their free services. Their source of income even keep grower every day.
Hmm, I have never thought about the fact that Googles services could disappear someday. It’s actually scary to think about!
This once happened to me .I unknowing created 2 accounts for google analytics for one of my client site as usually i could not see the traffic was in the same position as of u
Yep, something like this would certainly give you a scare. Sort of like when you check a keyword you rank well for and your site not there, only to find you mis-spelled the keyword, …
Mark, I’ve taken to using GetClicky as an analytics service. It’s not free but you can watch the interactions with your site in real time.
Warning: this can cause a serious traffic watching addiction to which there is no known cure.
But personally i feel that google analytics is a God for me for keeping the statistics information updated.If it is not free at all,then it will become very difficult for us…
I rely too heavily on Google Analytics…if it just disappears one day without notice or a trace I would be devastated
.-= Darren@New Honda CRV Philippines´s last blog ..Tweeters =-.
It is really is. Thanks for letting us know regarding the use of Google Analytics. This is a great tool that most of webmaster use for tracking things.
I’ll be here more often to know more information. Thanks for sharing this.
.-= Camile@ Hands Free Pumping Bra´s last blog ..Welcome to Simple Wishes! =-.
You might want to try out Google Analyticator. It uses the new asynchronous code and you don’t have to edit your theme files for anything. It even keeps track of downloads, outgoing traffic etc.
I also use WP-Stats for backup