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Is google analytics a good idea

by gjd6599
20 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I am being told by several marketers that it is not good to list you website with google analytics. They say google will use the information to affect your rankings. If they don't like the bounce rate, or other data, they will punish you for it. Is this true?

I have about 50 blogs for low competition niches, and have always put them in analytics, and a lot of my sites don't perform like I think they should. Could this be the reason?

Thanks Glenn
#analytics #good #google #idea
  • Profile picture of the author owol
    I don't believe Google makes use of this data for rankings at this time. However, I am still very careful about that sort of thing - avoiding webmaster tools for tying my sites together, distinct Google accounts with clean cookies/IP addresses, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author bigcat1967
    If they don't like the bounce rate, or other data, they will punish you for it.
    I think there is some truth to that. It's more than likely a small part of their algorithm. However, I still wouldn't worry about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan79
    I don't think it is true. I am using analytics on many websites and it help me a lot to track keyword ranking, adsense earning... so I can improve my sites and make them btter.
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
      As always with analytics or webmaster tools, only the people who have something to hide with their sites will give you such advice.

      It is better to approach this from another angle and ask yourself, how can I improve my visitor bounce rate and the time my visitors are on my site? Google analytics and webmaster tools are fantastic tools for helping us improve our sites.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mrs S
        Originally Posted by Steve Crooks View Post

        As always with analytics or webmaster tools, only the people who have something to hide with their sites will give you such advice.

        It is better to approach this from another angle and ask yourself, how can I improve my visitor bounce rate and the time my visitors are on my site? Google analytics and webmaster tools are fantastic tools for helping us improve our sites.
        I agree with Steve on this one. Sure if you're running a lot of black hat sites that you don't want linked back to you then don't use it. But if you're building a legitimate business then take advantage of the free tools that can actually help you improve that business.
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  • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
    Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

    I am being told by several marketers that it is not good to list you website with google analytics. They say google will use the information to affect your rankings. If they don't like the bounce rate, or other data, they will punish you for it. Is this true?
    My observation is that they don't use the data collected automatically for ranking purposes. It is possible that this information could be used should you come under scrutiny, such as having a competitor report you for something falsely when they're trying to take you out.

    I only use it on a handful of sites, mostly ones using Adsense, myself for privacy reasons. Mainly, I don't see any good for me when it comes to sharing my private business data on my websites with a large corporation that's had issues with privacy and market monopolization unless I'm doing business directly with them as is the case when I'm using Adsense or Adwords. I only use Webmaster tools if I have an issue with a domain, such as getting a pre-existing penalization removed from a domain I purchased.
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  • Profile picture of the author 2d0k
    That would be very unprofessional of Google, if they do that.. Analytics is a free tool.. Always maximize its use by you..
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  • Profile picture of the author McBrett
    Hi @gjd6599 - I've heard rumors of this before, but I don't believe Google punishes anyone for using their software.

    I use their software on a number of my own websites and clients websites and have never experienced a drop in rankings after installation. Plus, if installation did result in negative rankings, it would be hard to get people to start using their software.

    Trust me, Google already knows a lot about your website. Got Google adsense installed? Do visitors have the Google Toolbar installed? Is big G sending traffic to your website? These are all ways Google will gather info about your site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryback
    Great Video!
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  • Profile picture of the author jacky212
    I don't think they can see our mail and hear our conversations from the g-phone. The only thing that google fetches is what we search when we are logged into our gmail account. They show the ad of the topics which we have searched while we were logged on to gmail.
    Google is a corporate company and they have no need to use the free tools provided by them to find out whether you are spamming or whatever...
    These are all mere guesses....
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    • Profile picture of the author jandmich
      I think Steve is bang on . Nothing to hide?...Use Analytics!
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  • Profile picture of the author jaratvit
    Google Analytics is a valuable tool. For new companies just getting started in online marketing, a free analytics program can be worth enough to offset the downside of Google Analytics.
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  • Profile picture of the author DrGUID
    I've never had problems linking all my different sites together, there is way too much paranoia in this.
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    • Profile picture of the author RichardHK
      Originally Posted by DrGUID View Post

      I've never had problems linking all my different sites together, there is way too much paranoia in this.
      Agree. Seems the very mention of Google sends shivers down many folks' spine! Looking at it another way, Google could credit you for using their software to better understand your market and results, and to make more money for yourself AND Google. Relax.
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      • Profile picture of the author Anteela
        Matt Cutts himself answered this question on tape in February. Google: Matt Cutts Google Analytics and Ranking. I found it on the SEOMoz link. I'd embed it, but I haven't reached the post count to do so yet (I tend to lurk more than post).

        And while his speech is simply talk, I do think he's telling the truth and the two are not related. We run analytics on all of our websites. Some are nothing more than a page with pictures for niche areas and the bounce rate is quite high (the sites are placeholders), yet we're still outranking the competition. Analytics is so incredibly useful, I can't see any reason not to use it. And if it is a factor, it isn't big enough to cause your sites to rank poorly.
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  • Profile picture of the author discgolftraveler
    I use analytics all the time. If you have a solid reputable website you should not worry. In fact, monitoring my website for keywords and searches is one of the most valuable tools I use. I could not image going without it.
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  • Profile picture of the author RipeBanana
    If you don't want Google to know that your sites are all linked together (you have a network of sites you interlink, you do some shady stuff, etc.), i wouldn't use it. Otherwise, go head.
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  • Profile picture of the author Goatboy
    I run analytics on all of my sites and I have never had a problem. I also suspect google could gather data on bounce rate, daily visitor count, etc. whether you run analytics or not.

    I think the choice to run analytics comes down mostly to a yes-or-no business decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisfromthelc
    Google does not use Analytics data in the search algorithm whatsoever. Even in the case (someone mentioned this) where your site was reported to be spammy, they've got far more extensive data in the ranking databases than GA provides. Additionally, those requests are viewed by a person, so having the GA data wouldn't even be necessarily useful.

    You'd be an idiot not to use GA. It's free, it works excellently, and you're able to tie all of your Google properties together with it. Not to mention that you can do some sweet version testing with Website Optimizer and Analytics data.
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