haha, funny - how google analytics could be 'hurting' you...
- SEO |
Oone thing that is REALLY funny (and sad in a way)... is that...
Wwith the expression 'there is no such thing as a free lunch', seems to be quite true with google analytics...
In *essense* -- for a *free* webtraffic report -- you are giving google unfettered access to your search queries, your user search patterns -- your landing/squeeze page, your 'backlink' partners, etc, etc...
In otherwords -- if you are trying to game Google with link farms, autoblogs, paid links, and so forth -- and running google analytics at the same time...
Its like inviting a police cop over to watch you as you install illegal mods on your car, from nitro, to 90% tint windows, while he is sitting there, watching you putting everything on step by step... and then you wonder, why as soon as you put the key in the ignition to get started -- you get pulled over by a cop...
That's what running google analytics for "free" on your site is like... especially if you are using any "potentially" 'questionable' tactics to promote it...
While google did 'buy' Urchin a long time ago (a really fantastic piece of logging software -- the best at the time) -- there are much better alternatives nowadays -- without revealing the 'secret' sauce of your website...
Something to think about...
Johnathan
EDIT:
I decided to cut & paste one of my responses, because it seems there were a few misinformed individuals here, and this should help clarify a few things...
1. Google Analytics data is not used by Google's ranking algorithms. |
google.com/analytics/tos.html
Specifically section 6, "Google and its wholly owned subsidiaries may retain and use, subject to the terms of its Privacy Policy (located at google.com/policies/privacy/ , or such other URL as Google may provide from time to time), information collected in Your use of the Service."
Reading the privacy policy, they go into the details of the information they collect, plus include this:
"We use the information we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads. "
In other words, if you are spamming them, they can figure it out.
And... on a different note -- do you think Google would offer a service that would use bandwith, cost them money (albeit maybe not that much), --just because they are 'nice' guys and want to be your friend?
2. Web master tools does not give Google 1 bit of information that they can't get by crawling your web site. |
If a search engine "crawls" your site, it really only has access to the "structure" of your site, the "content", and of course information (structurally) that it cleans from other websites (i.e., backlinks).
If you have a log analyzer (such as Google Analytics), installed on your domain, then it can see the *following* additional information:
- how long people stay on pages on your site ("bounce rate", a good metric in determining whether your page has "useful" content, because they can compare it to hundreds of thousands of other web pages)
- who your "real" link referrers are. (In other words, the ability to discern if a link is a "paid" link (i.e.,gets no traffic, but is high ranking), or is a "real" link (not necessarily 'high' ranking, but sends you traffic).
- "how" people use your site. (I.e., do they just visit the main home page,or do they read 5-10 articles on it, a video, then go to your contact form?)
- Plus MANY, many other metrics.
This means that google, using this information, can *very* easily tell if you are a spam site, or a legit site.
It also gives them the ability to "mass" update their algorithm, if they say see a "trend" in certain activity... (i.e.,say 1000 internet marketers all purchasing the 'same' backlink package)...
Johnathan, what are the better alternatives to Analytics? I'm interested. |
If you don't know how to analyze (or store) your own web logs, getting a programmer from fiverr or an outsourcing site is an inexpensive, yet effective alternative.
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