Unique Visitors vs. New Visitors in Google Analytics – What’s the Difference?

Date: 2010.02.22 | Category: Google Analytics Definitions | Response: 11

Quite simply, what is the difference between Unique and New Visitors in Google Analytics? I trawled the Web for ages to find a good example of how to explain this. Ultimately, I decided it was best explained as a flowchart.

A visitor is defined as Unique upon their very, very first entry to the site.
A NEW visitor is a visit that is new in the selected time scan, say 1 – 31 March 2009 – if a user is re-entering the site for a second or nth time during the timespan, then they are recorded as a returning visitor.
Hopefully, you will find this flowchart a succinct explanantion.

Flowchart for Unique vs. New Visitors - Google Analytics

Google Analytics Link Tagging Toolkit for SEO

Date: 2010.02.13 | Category: General Web Analytics, Google Analytics, Google Analytics Tools | Response: 17

The two main url builder tools that I am aware of are:

1. Google Analytics URL Builder

2. Justin Cutroni Link Tagging Tool

What’s great about these Google Analytics tools is that they are simple, yet effective.  They make life a lot EASIER!

I was asked if I would take a look at a new tool called Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder which again is perfect in its simplicity. Like the original URL builder, you can tag your URLs as standard.  However, you can also;

1. Decide if you want to add utm_nooverride=1 to the as part of your tracking.

2. Decide if you want to use ? or # in your URLs.

Conveniently, then you can shorten your URL or if you want to 301 the page, it will provide the code you need to stick in your .htaccess file.

I have also come across a tool that goes one step further and is a hybrid of the three afore-mentioned tools as it also offers the ability to export and edit in excel.  Well done Av Eivind Savio for your Google Analytics Link Builder.

How to Find Out The Real Referring URL – Google Analytics

Date: 2010.02.08 | Category: Google Analytics, Google Analytics Hacks | Response: 11

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to work out which page of a site is the one  actually referring to yours.  Google Analytics tells us the name of the domain, but not the exact referring URL.  There is a filter that can be used to give you what you need.

Field A -> Extract A – Referral  (.*)

Field B -> Extract B – (Leave Blank)

Output To -> Constructor – User Defined $A1

See image to help.

To view, go to visitor reports and select ‘user-defined’

My David Cameron Poster – The Conversion Analysts

Date: 2010.02.07 | Category: Giggles & Grumbles | Response: 1

Want to make your own? http://www.andybarefoot.com/politics/cameron.php

Women In Media – Jenni Lloyd

Date: 2010.02.06 | Category: Google Analytics | Response: 1

Went to a Women In Media event hosted by Wired Sussex. The subject was ‘networking’ and this session was presented by Jenni Lloyd from Nixon McInnes – Social Media Experts in Brighton.

I enjoyed the relaxed vibe of the event (based at The Sanctuary Cafe in Hove) and the choice of croissants, cereals and fruits supplied for our breakfast.  Yum. With copious amounts of Orange Juice and Coffee (however, not together in the same cup!).

Jenni discussed how networking can feel uncomfortable because you are approaching someone as they have something you desire.

She also led on to discuss that it helps if you know why are networking whilst giving great examples to get the message home.

1.   Learn from my peers and be recognised by them – linkedin.com

2.   International recognition as experts in our field (presenting at international conferences)

3.   Broaden my interests – Upcoming

4.   Staying in touch and keeping sane – friend twitter.com/Emm who is at home with 2 kids but wants to stay intouch with her colleagues

5.   Need a new job – www.linkedin.com

6.   Sell things – mashupupevent.com (Haven’t linked as site down at time of writing)

7.   Bring local people together – projectbrighton.com

8.  Want to stay in touch with people I used to work with – facebook

9.  Want to talk to like-minded people –  Likemind Brighton

10.    Want to find influencers and maybe join them – Twitter

11.   Want to capitalise on my expertise – http://tv.winelibrary.com/

12.   Publicise my unioque business – English Cut

13.   Want to be a thought leader and build my own brand – http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/

Thanks Jenni – it was great!

Nikki Rae in a SwimWear Thong – Google’s Wonder Wheel CV

Date: 2010.02.01 | Category: Giggles & Grumbles | Response: 5

Aaaah, nothing better than Googling one’s own name – a shameful, hidden pleasure. But this time, I have done it to investigate my ‘attributes’ and ‘personality’ as profiled by Google’s Wonder Wheel – my Google CV.  What is perceived as connected to my name as a topic?

Firstly, I perform a general web search for ‘nikki rae’ and are returned these results:

According to Google Wonder Wheel, my Google CV can contain the following:

• Conversion  Specialist – (Got this one right)
• Calculator Specialist – (Casio is my middle name)
• Rates Specialist – (Currently, 0.625300 dollars to the pound)
• Prices Specialist – (What is that?)
• Sales Specialist – (Yeh, ice to eskimos an’ all that)

and here follows the process…..






Have a go and let me know your Google CV!

The P.A.N.I.C Model of Search Behaviour

Date: 2010.01.29 | Category: Giggles & Grumbles | Response: 5

Introducing the P.A.N.I.C. Model of Search Behaviour,  almost named, N.I.C.A.P. (to be pronounced, ‘knee cap’, but as is cyclical I think P.A.N.I.C. works far better!
Here’s the theory.

1. Searcher has a ‘notion’ about something they want to search (internal bias)

2. Searcher starts an investigation around search aim

3. Searcher draws a conclusion

4. Searcher delivers an action

The action could be to click on the site, drill-down search terms etc,.. but feeds back into cycle,

5. Searcher has a reinforced notion

etc,…

All of these elements are influenced by ‘persuasion’ whether that be brand influence, search positioning, offline, etc.

P.A.N.I.C. Model of Search Behaviour, Nikki Rae, http://www.analyticstraining.co.uk, Copyright 2010

Push My Button!

Date: 2010.01.27 | Category: Other Analytics Tools | Response: 2

Every now and again I will be running tests on this blog (in fact, probably most of the time!).  This week I am testing the Kampyle feedback form.  I would really appreciate you all ‘pushing my button’ so I can see how the data looks in Google Analytics.  Once I have this, of course I will share my review.

How to listen to your customers online from Kampyle on Vimeo.

Google Analytics Training Cheat Sheet

Date: 2010.01.19 | Category: General Web Analytics, Google Analytics, Google Analytics Hacks | Response: 0

Google Analytics Cheat Sheet

Thanks Ian!!

Google Analytics Notations (or Notes as you may prefer)

Date: 2010.01.15 | Category: Google Analytics | Response: 3

Google Analytics have publicly announced ‘Google Analytics Notations’. Quite simply, this is the ability to add notes to graphs within your Google Analytics Interface and it is simple genius.
I have struggled for soooo long to try and get GA users (clients and administrators) to keep a record of changes so that any unusual behaviours can be cross-referenced for an explanation and managing this task is not easy and has not always been successful.

Now, Google Analytics have kindly, with a click of a button, given us the facility to add it straight into the system which is saving so much time and confusion and here is the button….

which opens up into this…

Really easy, huh?

You can * them for easy finding, share them or keep them privately all to yourself – it’s up to you.