Back in October 2012, Google announced Universal Analytics as the next version of the Google Analytics tracking code, offering some major new features and functionality to all account holders. Going forward Universal Analytics is the default tracking code for new web properties. Web properties that are using the old Google Analytics tracking code will need to migrate to Universal Analytics any time soon. During this webinar, Emarketeers' analytics consultant, Remco Van Der Beek, demonstrates the benefits of Universal Analytics, providing a step-by-step guide on changes you will need to implement to upgrade from the old Google Analytics tracking code to the new Universal Analytics.

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Upgrading to Universal Analytics
Webinar, Friday 16 May 2014

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About me
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vanderbeek
http://twitter.com/remcovanderbeek
rvanderbeek@emarketeers.com

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What you will learn during the next 45 minutes…
1. What is new in Universal
Analytics ?
2. How to upgrade ?
3. New Universal Analytics tracking
codes & cookie
4. New Universal Analytics settings
5. Custom dimensions and metrics

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GATC vs. UAMP technical differences
Google Analytics (GATC)
• 100% client side via ga.js
• Session-based
• 4 cookies: _utma, _utmb,
_utmc, _utmz
Universal Analytics
Measurement Protocol (UAMP)
• client side via analytics.js
• server side via Measurement
Protocol
• Visitor-based
• 1 cookie with a unique visitor
id: _ga
• E-commerce tracking requires
separate javascript
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And so...?
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Measurement Protocol
“The Google Analytics Measurement Protocol allows developers to
make HTTP requests to send raw user interaction data directly to
Google Analytics servers. This allows developers to measure how
users interact with their business from almost any environment.
Developers can then use the Measurement Protocol to:
•Measure user activity in new environments.
•Tie online to offline behavior.
•Send data from both the web and server.”
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Recommended reading: http://www.seotakeaways.com/understanding-universal-analytics-
measurement-protocol/

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User-ID
www.googleanalytics.com/collect?
v=1&_v=j21&a=721069104&t=pageview&_s=1&dl=http%3A%2F%2Fcutroni.com%2Fblog
%2F2014%2F04%2F10%2Funderstanding-cross-device-measurement-and-the-user-id
%2F&ul=en-us&de=UTF-8&dt=Understanding%20Cross%20Device%20Measurement
%20and%20the%20User-
ID&sd=24bit&sr=1366x768&vp=1349x657&je=1&fl=13.0%20r0&_u=cE~&cid=169689603.
1400056245&tid=UA-91817-11&z=1918969519&uid=0123456789
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Recommended reading: http://cutroni.com/blog/2014/04/10/understanding-cross-device-
measurement-and-the-user-id/

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Cross device tracking
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Old Google Analytics
Universal Analytics
+ +
+ +
=
=
3 unique
visitors
1 unique
visitor
&uid=12345 &uid=12345 &uid=12345
&cid=111 &cid=222 &cid=333
&cid=111 &cid=222 &cid=333

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Connecting online and offline
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A voucher printed from your website
is redeemed in a physical store. A
User-ID can be passed on via a
scanable bar code and store
purchases can be connected to
website behaviour.
Online and offline purchases
using loyalty cards can be
correlated.

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Connecting systems and devices
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• During a telephone order or store
purchase a User-ID is captured. This can
be correlated to website data with the
same User-ID.
• E-shop returns.
Connecting
devices.

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How to upgrade to Universal Analytics ?
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Urgency to upgrade !
See https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/upgrade/
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Option 1: Upgrade Center
• Migrate your current Google Analytics tracking code using the
Universal Analytics Upgrade Center
• https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/u
pgrade/guide
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Option 1: Upgrade Center
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ga.js, dc.js, In-Page
Analytics, Site speed,
trackSocial, Event
tracking, E-commerce
codes will not be
upgraded !!!

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Option 2: Manual upgrade
• Create a new property.
• Implement the Universal
Analytics tracking code,
analytics.js, alongside the
old Google Analytics code
(ga.js).
• Implement additional
Universal Analytics codes:
dc.js, In-Page Analytics, Site
speed, trackSocial, Event
tracking, E-commerce.
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New tracking codes overview
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Universal Analytics tracking code
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Universal Analytics cookie
• One first party _ga cookie
(expires after 2 years) with
a randomly generated
identification number.
• This number is sent on
every hit to the Google
Analytics server and is used
to calculate visits, visitors
and campaign metrics.
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Recommended reading:
http://www.seotakeaways.com/google-
analytics-cookies-ultimate-guide/

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Demographics & Interest reports
• Enable Demographics and Interest reports
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Demographics & Interest reports
• Modify tracking code to support display advertising
Source: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2444872?hl=en-GB&utm_id=ad
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Demographics & Interests reports
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In-Page Analytics
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In-Page Analytics
• Distinguish between multiple links to the same destination
page, attributing the right number of clicks to each link.
• Provide click-through information even when redirects are being
used.
• Provide click-through information for other elements such as
buttons or navigations that were triggered by JavaScript code.
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In-Page Analytics
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E-commerce tracking code
1. Requires additional e-commerce
javascript
2. Enable e-commerce reporting in
profile settings
3. Add e-commerce code to
shopping cart receipt (thank you)
page
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See
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ana
lyticsjs/ecommerce?hl=en

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Track Social measurement code
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• network (required) : the social network e.g. Facebook, Twitter
• socialAction (required) : the social action e.g. Like, Share, Tweet
• opt_target (optional) : the URL (or resource) which receives the
action. For example, if a user clicks the Like button on a page on
a site, the the opt_target might be set to the title of the page, or
an ID used to identify the page in a content management system.
In many cases, the page you Like is the same page you are on.
• opt_pagePath (optional) : the page by path (including
parameters) from which the action occurred.

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Track Social measurement code
1. Add social buttons
2. Send social
interactions to Google
Analytics
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Source: http://technicalmarketing.io/analytics/cool-
google-analytics-hacks-using-the-new-universal-
analytics-js/

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Site speed
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By default 1% of traffic is used for calculation.
To increase the sample size modify the tracking code as follows:

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Event tracking
Call the event in the source code of the video, object or widget that
needs to be tracked
•category (required): the name for the group of objects you want to track.
•action (required): a string that is uniquely paired with each category, and commonly
used to define the type of user interaction for the web object.
•label (optional): an optional string to provide additional dimensions to the event
data.
•value (optional): an integer to provide numerical data about the user event.
•non-interaction (optional): when set to true/1, the event hit will not be used in
bounce-rate calculation.
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Tracking banners and outgoing links using event
tracking
• Imagine a link to another website:
<a href="http://www.advertiser-site.com" >Visit advertiser XYZ</a>
• With the event tracking implemented the link could look like
this:
<a href="http://www.advertiser-site.com" onClick="ga('send', ‘event',
‘external link', ‘advertiser name', ‘version A');" >Visit advertiser
XYZ</a>
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New settings in Universal Analytics
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Settings: User-ID
• In order to enable cross device tracking a
unique User-ID is required !
• You must move the User-ID from a database
to your website (think login !). This is not
covered by Google analytics and requires
programming.
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Settings: User ID: step 1- enable
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Settings: User ID: step 2 – tracking code implementation
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Recommended reading:
http://cutroni.com/blog/2014/04/10/understanding-cross-
device-measurement-and-the-user-id/

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Settings: User ID: step 3 – create User-ID view
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Recommended reading: http://cutroni.com/blog/2014/04/10/understanding-cross-device-measurement-and-
the-user-id/

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Settings: session timeout handling
• A session dictates how long a visit lasts
(impacts metrics such as pages/visit,
conversions, etc.).
• Default: sessions end after 30 minutes
• If a visitor doesn’t generate any new data
within 30 minutes, the next piece of data
they generate will be part of a new visit.
• Use cases:
– Visitors are signed out automatically after
being inactive for a certain amount of time
– Adapt in function of the amount of content on
your site.
• Minimum 1 minute, maximum 4 hours.
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Settings: campaign timeout handling
• Default: campaigns end after 6 months.
• Google Analytics attributes conversions and
revenue to the most recent traffic source that isn’t
direct: a visitor visits a site today via a campaign,
waits 5 months, visits the site again by entering in
the URL (a direct visit), then purchases something
=> sale will be attributed to the campaign.
• Change the settings so campaigns end when the
time the campaign is going to run or expected to
be relevant for is not 6 months, eg. a social media
micro-campaign might only last a few days.
• Campaign timeout cannot be greater than 2 years.
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Settings: customize organic search sources
• Traffic through any search engine not
included in the default search engines
list is considered referral traffic, not
as organic search traffic.
• Add, delete, and reorder the list of
recognized search engines.
• Organic search traffic is assigned to
the first search engine on your list that
matches the domain name and query
parameter of the incoming visit.
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Settings: referral exclusions
• Exclude specific domains from being recognized as referral traffic.
• Self-referrals: the domain of your GA property is automatically
excluded from referral traffic.
• Manually add other domains (including sites in a cross-domain
tracking or third-party shopping cart setup) to exclude.
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Settings: search term exclusions
• Remove designated search terms from search traffic to direct
traffic.
• Examples: company name, domain name, branded search terms.
• Only applies to organic and not paid search traffic !
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Custom dimensions and metrics
• In UA, custom variables are called
custom dimensions or custom metrics.
• 20 custom dimensions and 20 custom
metrics per account (200 in Premium
accounts)
• Custom dimensions or metrics have to
be recorded WITH another data type
in Universal Analytics (like a
pageview, event, or ecommerce
transaction), they can not be
recorded on their own.
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Step 1: Define the dimension or metric
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Step 2: Install JavaScript to track dimensions and
metrics.
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/custom-dims-mets
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Questions ?

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Thank you for listening !
More Google Analytics:
•http://www.emarketeers.com/training-courses/google-analytics
•http://www.emarketeers.com/training-courses/advanced-google-analytics
Or call us on 0845 680 1235 or follow us…
@Emarketeers
http://www.facebook.com/Emarketeers
http://www.linkedin.com/company/Emarketeers
https://plus.google.com/Emarketeers
May 16, 2014