The Changes to Google Analytics

By Andrew Handley on 12 April 2012 @ 2:01 PM.

Tags: google analytics, web analytics, analytics, google analytics changes.

Protecting user privacy is at the heart of many businesses on the internet. As of February, Google is taking steps to protect the privacy of users by splitting search queries into two camps. The change is coming to the users that have a Google universal login so that their searches are not directly attributed to their user identification. The keyword level data from users that are logged in will be returned as "not provided" or "not set". All other search data will be reported as normal.

Money vs. Privacy

Privacy may not be the only motivating factor for Google’s welcomed change. Speculation from professionals cites that the difference will push Google’s new paid analytics further apart from the free tools. It may help to drive more users to take advantage of Google AdWords or purchase the new set of tools. Other changs may include easier processing requirements for the servers to handle all this information or even a change in some SEO strategy.

This change is not so predictable that Google is able to stand behind an iron-clad statement of how big of an affect it will have. Their engineers estimate that it should not impact more than approximately 10% of searches. That number can only be verified after more time passes. A couple professional, third-party onlookers appear to agree with this approximation.

The Near Future

Google Analytics is expected to provide a more refined experience. The new tool aggregates the keyword information much faster. A slider let’s the user find the optimal point for analytic data and its interpretation. The system provides a very high rate of accuracy on rate interpretation through a sampling of the number of hits calculated. Google has also slimmed down the number of hits to calculate from 500,000 to 250,000 to help boost the speed of reporting.

Significant changes have come down for 'Customised Reports'. The Google Analytics SEO report will now reflect the initial position of a link to your site. The report would formerly only provide the average position of the links to your webpage. The Customisation selection readily allows the user to tweak their reports to provide whatever information is most relevant to their effort.

Puma Gains

A great example of the power of Google Analytics is the success that PUMA generated for their website. Refined testing allowed PUMA to enhance their overall website experience for the customer. The result was a 7% gain in order rate on an already impressive quantity. PUMA treats its website as the extension of their business that it is. Constant refining of tactics, approach, and service can generate great results with information Google Analytics can provide.

The use of Google Analytics to help connect with the right audience provides necessary insight into the nature of rankings. Keyword targeting continues to build in importance with search results for related terms and interconnected content. There is some speculation from onlookers that closely affiliated websites may have taken a slight hit in regards to relevance.

The future of Google Analytical tools is as diverse as the engineers behind them. We should expect to see continued development for Google Analytics to let the user accurately weigh the success of their advertising campaigns. More speed for aggregation will produce accurate reports of consumer behavior on the website that the corporation can use to more effectively promote their product. 

The separation of specific keyword search terms from Google users may have an effect on overall PageRank. This point is another that will need verified once the system has had some time to be put through its paces by webmasters.

About the Author

Andrew is a junior SEO specialist trying to keep in touch with recent developments in SEO tools. Currently focused on websites covering escalator companies in New York.

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