The Network Location Metric

Let’s take a look at one of the widest used and free web analytics tools (Google Analytics) and see what it can tell us. This data could, of course, be extracted from other web analytics services as well. Looking specifically at Google Analytics, however, under the ‘Visitors’ tab there is an interesting sub tab called ‘Network Properties,’ and under that sub tab there is another one called ‘Network Location’. That is the metric we are interested in.

When looking at this metric, you are likely to see some network locations such as ‘comcast cable communications inc’ and ‘at&t internet services.’ These represent broad internet providers and are not particularly useful. However, you may notice some that can be helpful to us, perhaps something like ‘3m company’ or ‘dell computer corporation’ or ‘raytheon company executive office.’ These represent actual companies (hence potential clients) crawling you website. Why not use advanced segments to find out what content interests them, how long they spend on certain areas of your site, and whether or not they are completing your site goals? (In Google Analytics, the metric ‘network location’ is under the ’system’ tab the in Dimensions section of advanced segments)

Using This Insight

Knowing what companies are looking at your site and what they are looking at, you can then know who to contact and can form an idea of how to package services for them according to their needs. Why not also contact them to ask how their experience was on the site and get their feedback? You can also potentially connect with all of these companies through social media channels such as Twitter to help them keep interest and let them know what you have to offer them.

Keep in mind as well that these companies may not be potential clients, they may also be competitors. Perhaps you will find competitors you were unaware of, and you will be able to gain insight into their company by what content they look at on your site.

On the other hand, these companies may not be potential clients or competitors, but potentials for business partnerships. The same principles of getting to know where their interests lie are the same.

These are a few simple ideas of what you can do with network location information from your web analytics. What are your ideas?

A lot of our friends on Twitter have recently asked us several questions regarding Google Analytics problems. This post will walk you through the steps to solve the following common questions/problems with sharing or moving Google Analytics data/profiles:

• How do I install Google Analytics on my website?
• How do I share my site analytics with another user?
• I want to transfer my site profile to another account. How do I do that?
• When I try to transfer my Google Analytics profile to another account, the new account doesn’t have any of the historical data. Why?
• How do I install Google Analytics on my blog? (See our next post for this answer)

Step 1: Sign up for Google Analytics and Install Tracking Code

Sign up for GA:
• Go to the Google Analytics site: http://www.google.com/analytics
• Sign in with your Google account
• Follow the set-up instructions

Install tracking code:
• Google will give you the html text to paste before the body tag on your site
• If you are not the site administrator, email the code to the person who can update the site.

Step 2: Adding or Transferring Profile Data

After you have installed the tracking code, you will see the following table on your Google Analytics page:

Google Analytics account overview

Click the name of the account you wish to share with other users. In the picture above, I would click on the blue “My Web Site.” You are taken to a page with detailed information about your site. At the bottom of the page, there are three columns. Click on “User Managers.”

Adding Viewers to Google Analytics

Click the “Add User” button.

Add User Page

Enter the Google email address of the user you want to share access with. Specify the access type (viewer or administrator). If you just want to share the analytics with someone, give them “View Reports Only.” If you are transferring the site profile to a different Google account or want to give someone access to analyze your site data, give the new user “Account Administrator” status.

The next part is often overlooked, causing problems. Make sure you select the profile you wish to share and click “Add.”

Giving Viewers Access to Site Analytics

When the new user logs in, they will see the website on their Account Overview page.

Step 3: Removing the Site Profile from an Old Account

You must have first added the site profile to a new Google Analytics account. Next, you follow the instructions in step 2 to get to the User Manager page for the site profile you are managing. You will see the following table:

Delete a User Account

Simply click “delete” next to the user you wish to remove.

Following the steps above takes care of the last question: When I try to transfer my Google Analytics profile to another account, the new account doesn’t have any of the historical data. Why?

That error occurs when the new user isn’t added properly. It happens when you create a new Google Analytics account with a separate tracking code. By following the outlined steps above, you will maintain your historical data.

This answers the most common questions we have received on Twitter. If you have other questions, feel free to contact us or send an @ message on Twitter. We appreciate your feedback!