As a website operator, you want your site to be easily found. You often think of Google, but not the search engine Bing, right? For many website operators, search engine optimization is an abstract topic, and Bing SEO is one of the areas that quickly fades into the background. This is probably because Germany is a Google country. According to Statcounter, Google had a 94.5% share in Germany in 2019, whereas Bing only had 3%. [caption id="attachment_25213" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Fig. 1 Statcounter statistics on search engine usage in Germany in 2019[/caption] What features does Bing offer? With Bing's preview function, which was previously unknown in search engines, users receive useful information about content and internal links before even entering the website. The displayed content is actually drawn from the page's content, and not from a meta-description, like with the snippet. [caption id="attachment_25221" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Fig. 1: Statcounter statistics on search engine usage in Germany in 2019[/caption] Nevertheless, you should not overlook the search engine Bing. Users who come through Bing often have better user behavior than those from Google. They tend to view more pages, stay longer on the domain, and have a higher conversion rate. So, it can indeed benefit you as a provider to target this audience. Additionally, the results of Apple’s Siri service and Amazon’s Alexa are based on Bing. [caption id="attachment_25223" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Fig. 2: Comparing user behavior on Bing with Google[/caption] Similarities between Bing and Google As a rule, you are already optimizing your website for Bing if you carry out search engine optimization following Google's guidelines. This is partly because Bing uses similar criteria and partly because some SEO standards were jointly developed in an alliance that includes Bing, Google, and other search engines. An example of this is the structured data from schema.org . Further Assistance for Bing Search Engine Optimization It's also very helpful to take a look at Bing's search results page. Bing specifies much more precisely where the data comes from. Besides pure search engine optimization, revising other profiles on the internet like Xing, Wikipedia, etc., can lead to better visibility on Bing. Optimizing multimedia elements on the website can also show better effects than on Google. This is visible in the Bing image search or the video results. By strategically using structured data and consistently using alt titles, you can effectively place images and videos in the search engine. Furthermore, Bing search offers several features not available in Google. For example, individual elements in images can be selected for searching. Videos are complemented with a lot of information in the results, such as whether they are trailers. Additionally, videos can already be viewed in the preview, and Bing takes search query history into account to provide the most relevant results. [caption id="attachment_25225" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Fig. 3: Identification of elements in Bing image search[/caption] What you should pay attention to Microsoft offers various guidelines and tools for its search engine to support users in achieving the best search engine optimization. From our perspective, the following three are the most relevant: Bing Webmaster Tools Submit sitemap.xml Block URLs Review reports Manage crawls Test mobile-friendliness We highly recommend using the Bing Webmaster Tools to gain better control. Naturally, the domain can also rank on the Bing search engine even if it is not registered there. However, it's interesting to see how Bing assesses the website compared to Google. Bing Webmaster Guidelines Bing offers very informative Bing Webmaster Guidelines on their website. These provide users with initial assistance on the topic of search engine optimization. The instructions are thematically divided and clearly presented. The guidelines are helpful for both experienced users and those new to Bing SEO who want to know what the search engine operator values. Markup Validator If you use structured data on your website, you can verify its correct implementation with the Bing Markup Validator . Supported formats are: HTML Microdata Microformats RDFa schema.org OpenGraph by Facebook Please note that you must register for Bing Webmaster Tools to use the tool. The same applies to the SEO Analyzer and the keyword research tool. Special Features of the Bing Search Engine In general, we’d like to offer you three pieces of advice that will help with Bing SEO: 1. Exact Match URLs: Bing places much more importance on the correct name in the domain than Google. So if you have a domain that contains your brand name, it will automatically rank better with Bing. 2. JavaScript Currently, Bing is not as advanced as Google in interpreting JavaScript on websites (as of 10.2019). This means your site may rank well on Google and be less well-placed on Bing. Especially websites that dynamically load content via JavaScript are affected. If your website uses little JavaScript or does not load content dynamically, you can ignore this point. 3. Adaptations by Google Google frequently makes changes to its SEO requirements, suddenly giving certain features more or less weight. The last known change was removing "noindex" from the robots.txt file. It should be noted that these changes apply only to Google and not automatically to Bing. So don’t get nervous. Conclusion The Bing search engine offers many individual features that set it apart from its major rival Google. Simultaneously, its users consistently demonstrate better behavior on websites, regardless of the industry. To achieve a good ranking here, you need to make only a few individual adjustments, but you can use good tools from Bing to closely monitor your developments. How can we assist you? Do you want to increase your conversions and sales through organic search? Are you already ranking well on Google and now want to succeed with Bing? We support you in Bing SEO and thus achieve higher rankings in the Bing search engine. Contact us here , we look forward to your inquiry!  

SEO is a term frequently used by online marketing professionals and is often associated with off-page optimization . Both terms describe the search engine optimization of one's own website . Targeted SEO optimization aims to make the website rank better in search engines, generate more traffic, and ultimately lead to more conversions or leads. However, marketing managers usually only know part of the measures that can be carried out. [object Object] [object Object] In this article, we explain what on-page SEO is and provide initial practical implementation tips . On the internet, you will encounter different spellings, but they all mean the same thing. Possible formulations are: on-page SEO, on-page optimization, on-page-optimization, on-page optimization, SEO on-page, SEO optimization, or on-site optimization. On-page Analysis – The First Step in On-page SEO At the beginning of your efforts, you should conduct an on-site analysis of the entire website. First, you analyze the technical SEO to identify potential technical pitfalls that could affect the website's crawling. Next, you check the website's content to conduct a content optimization. After examining both areas, you can derive a prioritized action plan , which you implement step by step. To track the development of your website in SEO, you can use Google's Search Console. This serves as an interface between website operators and Google, showing which URLs rank well, for which keywords the domain is found, and where there are problems on the website. It also graphically displays how often each page appears on Google's search result page. Technical SEO – The Foundation of On-page Optimization Before you can start optimizing your content, your technical SEO must be flawlessly implemented. This is the only way to ensure that the website is seamlessly crawled by search engines and all content is read and processed correctly . If the technical SEO is not implemented correctly, content optimizations, known as content optimization, may not be effective because search engines cannot access the content. Thus, technical SEO forms the foundation of every SEO on-page optimization. Crawling – Can the Search Engine Reach Your Website? Crawling solely involves accessing content and has nothing to do with indexing. Search engines like Google do crawl pages but do not index them. This could have various reasons, including poor search engine optimization. To improve the relevance of the content, only the content that needs to be processed by search engines should be made crawlable. Unimportant pages, such as search result pages or the imprint, should be excluded from crawling. This is referred to as crawl budget optimization. It determines how many pages of a website can be crawled and is set individually by search engines for each domain. In this context, there is an important distinction: Crawling is not the same as indexing! Use the meta tag "robots" and the "robots.txt" file to control crawling. However, note that the instructions contained in "robots.txt" are only a recommendation for search engines and can be demonstrably ignored. Moreover, search engines can also access blocked pages through other means, such as backlinks. The use of the "Disallow" function is therefore not a reliable way to exclude pages from crawling. On the contrary, incorrect use of the robots.txt file can lead to significant problems on search result pages, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Google-indexed webpages for which no descriptions can be displayed because they are excluded from crawling in the robots.txt file. [object Object] In May 2019, Google updated its in-house Google Crawler to the current Chromium version 74. This is an important note since the predecessor was outdated and supported only a few modern web technologies. The new crawler can now recognize modern SEO optimization and perform better on-page analyses. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER NOW URL Structure, Internal Linking, and sitemap.xml are Important SEO On-page Factors Next, you need to check your website's URL structure. Key questions include: Is it readable and clearly understandable for humans? Can users deduce where they are on the website from it? Is it not too long? The URL structure should not exceed 5 hierarchy levels . This correlates with the website structure. Modern on-page SEO is not about optimizing for search engines but for users. This means that content must be easily and quickly accessible . Therefore, excessive cascading of individual web pages is not advisable as it leads to more hierarchies. John Müller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, announced on May 3, 2019, via Webmaster Hangout that the internal linking of pages should be weighted more heavily than the URL structure. Visible URLs are primarily relevant for user experience. Internal linking of pages should instead be topic-relevant to achieve good on-page optimization. This process is also referred to as siloing. For good internal linking, ensure that links are made only within a topic (silo). For example, all articles on web analytics should link to each other but not to articles on SEO. For this, always develop a linking concept and, especially for links with JavaScript functionality, verify whether crawlers can find and follow the links. If you have similar content, you should use the canonical tag. Imagine you operate an online shop and offer a t-shirt in five colors. You create a separate page with a unique URL for each color variant. In this case, you have duplicate content on the domain since all pages are textually identical and differ only in color indication. With the canonical tag, you can specify on all pages which of the five URLs is actually relevant to search engines and which serves merely as an added benefit to the user. Additionally, provide search engines with the sitemap.xml file to hand over a file that lists all URLs to be indexed. Therefore, this file must not include URLs set to "noindex" or otherwise excluded from crawling or indexing. Avoiding Duplicate Content with SEO On-page The issue of duplicate content or duplicate content is one of the main focal points in SEO on-page optimization. Frequently, the same pages are accessible via multiple URLs. Classic examples include: URL with http and https URL with www and without www URL with trailing slash and without URL with very similar content For this reason, it is essential to set up redirects and use the canonical tag and sitemap.xml to communicate very clearly to search engines which websites should actually be indexed. Imagine you run an online shop and offer a t-shirt in five colors. You create a separate page with an individual URL for each color variant. In this case, you have duplicate content on the domain because all pages are textually identical and only differ in color indication. With the canonical tag, you can indicate on all pages which of the five URLs is actually relevant to search engines and which pages serve merely as an added benefit to the user. With redirection, when a URL with http is accessed, the user is automatically redirected to the https variant. This happens so quickly that they often do not notice it. Pagespeed – How Fast Does Your Website Load? For several years, Google has recorded more accesses from mobile devices than from desktop devices. It is therefore important to offer a fast-loading website . You can implement this in several ways: Ensure small file sizes and short source codes. This optimizes the website as a whole and ensures a good user experience. You optimize visible content through prioritized code delivery . With this measure, the user sees the first content in the visible area long before the whole website has loaded. This improves the perceived loading time. You switch the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) to variant 2 (http/2). This is optimized for mobile devices and allows parallel loading of various files, as well as preloading of content. We also recommend using https for good on-page SEO. Figure 2 shows the Google Page Speed Test, which examines exactly these topics: Figure 2: The Google Page Speed Test shows which files are too large and which files delay the optimized delivery of visible content. Mobile Optimization Becomes Increasingly Important In addition to loading time, the display of the website on mobile devices must also be ensured. This is often achieved with a responsive design, which ensures that the website automatically adapts to the screen size of mobile devices. If you are planning a relaunch soon, you must absolutely consider this topic in your concept. Structured Data for Good Onsite Marketing Structured data provides specific information for search engines. This may include company information, product information, recipes, events, or, more recently, FAQs. Overall, there are many templates for using structured data on a website, but only a relatively few are supported in Google optimization. The advantage lies in Google better understanding the content and presenting it separately on the search result page. Further SEO On-page Optimizations The area of technical SEO also includes additional measures such as Progressive Web Apps, image annotations, or multilingualism. These are the "fine-tuning" in technical SEO optimization. Therefore, these detailed topics are not further elaborated here. Content Optimization – The Second Step in On-page SEO Once the website has been improved with technical on-page SEO measures, you can start optimizing your content. This is mainly divided into two areas: Meta Information: Optimizing Page Title and Meta Description Optimizing the page title and meta description refers to the optimization of meta information in on-page SEO. The page title as an SEO criterion is particularly crucial because it should contain the keyword and the brand. At the same time, it should not be too long to remain readable. You always see the page title in your browser tab and on the Google search results page. The meta description is not SEO relevant in itself but still has a significant, indirect impact on onsite marketing. The meta description, if contextually appropriate, is displayed on the search engine results pages. By directly addressing users with a call to action, you can improve the click-through rate on your results and thereby achieve a better ranking. Figure 3: Google search results with the page title in blue and the meta description in black. Content on the Page Itself – What Can Users Expect? The actual content must meet user expectations as otherwise it leads to high bounce rates. Note that you create the content during on-page optimization not for search engines but for users. For this reason, Google places great importance on the readability of the content. Furthermore, texts must be well structured and divided with headings. An increase in user interaction with the website is also desirable. This can be achieved through videos, images, image galleries, comments, or similar. It has been proven that a longer dwell time correlates with an increase in conversions. If the content is very well created, Google might use it as a Featured Snippet. This is position 0 on the search results page, where Google directly answers a user's question on the search results page. Marketers have no influence on the use of a Featured Snippet and therefore cannot predict when a snippet will be displayed and when not. Getting your content into a Featured Snippet is thus considered the pinnacle of Google's content optimization. Figure 4: Display of a Featured Snippet on Google's search results page. [object Object] Google Jobs – A Brand New Feature With Google Jobs, the search engine giant introduced a brand new feature in Germany in June 2019, which will lead to many on-page SEO optimizations in 2019. As soon as users search for a job title, a list of open job offers is displayed. After clicking on it, they are directly redirected to the company's page, where they can apply next. Website operators must, however, use structured data and very specific content on the website for this purpose. What We Can Do for You If you want to improve your rankings and thereby your number of conversions in search engines, we offer you comprehensive support in the area of OnPage Optimization. Our on-page SEO measures are coordinated with other online marketing measures. Just get in touch with us; we look forward to your inquiry.

Opt-In – Impact on Online Marketing through the EU Cookie Directive Under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), many marketers have experienced significant confusion regarding the EU Cookie Directive and the Opt-In and Opt-Out procedures. Additionally, there is uncertainty about the e-Privacy regulation, which is expected to become mandatory in 2019. In our article "No Google Analytics without Google Analytics Opt-Out Cookie" , we have already discussed the necessity of a Google Analytics Opt-Out Cookie on the privacy page. In this article, we want to explain the Opt-In procedure, which requires the explicit consent of the user for analysis and marketing measures. We will also illustrate how this procedure affects all online marketing channels and activities. What is the Opt-In procedure? The Opt-In procedure is based on the increasingly popular cookie notice, which mentions the use of cookies on websites. As shown in images 1 and 2, the formulations were revised on May 25, 2018, and supplemented with additional information on the use of cookies in many cases. Fig. 1  Old cookie notice as it was used on https://www.internetwarriors.de before GDPR. Fig.2 Current notice, allowing users to exclude themselves from tracking. Since this revision, many users have had the opportunity to agree to or decline the use of cookies on individual websites. Once users make a decision here, the use of cookies, aside from specific exceptions like session cookies, must be respected across the entire domain. However, many lawyers and data protection officers interpret the GDPR differently, resulting in users being offered various solutions. These range from simple cookie banners without selection options to Opt-In procedures. The impacts of the Opt-Out procedure are already known. However, with the Opt-In procedure, only a very few companies have experience. For this reason, we tested the Opt-In procedure within the framework of GDPR cookies to gather initial insights that we can consider in future implementations. Distinction between Opt-In and Double Opt-In Before we begin with the implementation and the impact on traffic, we need to differentiate between Opt-In and Double Opt-In: Opt-In: An information banner is displayed to the user on accessing the website, informing them about the use of cookies and, if necessary, their purposes. The user must also explicitly consent to the use of cookies before web analysis and marketing measures may be carried out. If they do not, neither tool may be used. Double Opt-In: This procedure is primarily used in email marketing. Upon subscribing to a newsletter, the user receives a confirmation email, requiring them to actively confirm their subscription. As you can see, both procedures are independent of each other and have nothing in common. Changes in traffic due to the implementation of Opt-In As part of our Opt-In investigation, we examined the traffic development on 10 websites in Google Analytics before and after implementing the Opt-In. The Google Analytics screenshot in image 3 shows the number of sessions of a website on a daily basis, before and after the implementation of Opt-In. Fig. 3 Traffic development from May 24, 2018, to June 21, 2018. Opt-In was implemented on June 8, 2018. Comparing the period after implementation with the period before implementation and excluding the day of implementation, the following traffic changes arise: Fig. 4 Comparison of developments in Google Analytics in the periods June 9, 2018 – June 15, 2018, and June 1, 2018 – June 7, 2018 Other websites with about 5,000 sessions per day even show deviations of 83% - 85%. Only a few websites have a smaller deviation than shown in the screenshots here. Configuring Opt-In with a Step-by-Step Guide To help you understand how the entire procedure works, we would like to give you a detailed Step-by-Step explanation. Additionally, at the end of the article, we offer you the chance to download our configuration of the Google Tag Manager container so that you can import it into your Google Tag Manager and gain experience with the implementation. GDPR Cookie Notice on the Website An essential requirement is a cookie banner on your website, informing users about the use of cookies and giving them the option to activate or leave analysis and advertisement cookies deactivated. For simplicity's sake, we use the popular solution Consent by Insites for our attempt. We have also integrated this script on our website. Via the Download menu, you can configure a banner that you only need to copy into the source code of your website afterward. During this process, you have to decide whether you want to use the Opt-In or Opt-Out procedure. In our current scenario, we use the cookie notice for Opt-In. Subsequently, the banner is displayed immediately. Thus, implementation is very easy to carry out even for less technically skilled individuals. Storing User Decision in a Cookie Once you've embedded the banner on your website, it will be displayed to all users. However, initially, nothing else happens, no cookies are blocked yet. Insites itself uses a cookie named "cookieconsent_status" to store the user's decision and not display the banner again on their next visit. This decision is valid for one year. The cookie values can be seen in image 5: "allow" for consent "dismiss" for rejection You also get the expiration date of the cookie, from which the browser no longer considers the cookie. We can read the "allow" and "dismiss" values with the Google Tag Manager and take them into account for triggering Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Affiliate, etc. The decision of an Opt-In should not be limited to web analytics using Google Analytics, Etracker, Webtrekk, etc. alone. All remarketing and conversion tracking from other providers should also be considered. Fig. 5: Status of the "cookieconsent_status" cookie for Opt-In Consideration of Do Not Track After considering the GDPR cookie decision by the user, we want to consider a second option of rejecting analysis and marketing cookies. This involves the Do Not Track procedure . In this case, the browser sends information to the server with each new page view that no user profile should be created and personal activities should not be tracked. Image 6 shows the setting in Firefox's "Privacy & Security" section. Fig. 6: Activation of the "Do Not Track" information in Firefox's privacy settings Do Not Track is integrated into all relevant browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, etc., but is disabled by default. Therefore, the user must make a conscious decision and manually enable Do Not Track. If they do, website operators should respect this decision if they offer the Opt-In procedure. Interaction of individual configurations in the Google Tag Manager To configure Opt-In in the Google Tag Manager and consider GDPR relevant cookies, we have defined the following rules: Has the user explicitly agreed to the use of cookies for Opt-In? If yes, we check whether the user has activated Do Not Track If no, we keep all tracking disabled Has the user activated Do Not Track If yes, we keep all tracking disabled. This rule also overrides the previous rule if the user has agreed to tracking on the banner If no, we check whether the user has consented to the use of cookies. Only if both conditions are fulfilled will analysis and marketing cookies be activated The user has consented to the use of cookies The user has deactivated Do Not Track If even one value deviates, the cookies remain blocked. This way, the website operator offers maximum protection for users from cookie capture. At the beginning of the article, we showed that this setting in the Google Tag Manager resulted in significant traffic loss in Google Analytics. But since all remarketing and conversion tracking is also blocked, website operators can no longer tag their users and can measure success significantly less. Measuring Do Not Track Usage on Another Website Currently, according to our non-legally binding understanding, there is no obligation to use Opt-In tracking. However, this may change with the e-Privacy regulation in 2019. Regardless, it is not known to us that the Do Not Track feature is a mandatory measure for website operators. For this reason, we analyzed the use of Do Not Track on an eleventh site. This site serves family entertainment and is characterized by a high national as well as international traffic. It also serves both genders and age groups from infants to great-grandparents. We consider these numbers a good cross-section of society. In image 7, we have juxtaposed the number of sessions and accesses with activated Do Not Track. For measuring activated Do Not Track, we use "Unique Events" in Google Analytics, as this value is "session-based" and thus provides a comparable data basis. Fig. 7: At 10% of all sessions, Do Not Track is activated in the period June 13, 2018 – June 20, 2018 The collection period is June 13, 2018 – June 20, 2018. It is clearly visible that in 10% of all sessions, Do Not Track is activated. Here, users have made a very conscious decision not to be tracked. Learnings from the Test These are very valuable and important insights for us. The Opt-In procedure significantly reduces the metrics in the analysis and marketing tools and makes it considerably more difficult to capture users. If the use of Opt-In becomes mandatory, other methods would need to be developed to continue offering online marketing in the same quality. If you, as a website operator, need to decide between Opt-In or Opt-Out, you now know the pros and cons. We are also happy to offer our Google Tag Manager container configuration for download. Fill out the following form, and we will send you the download link by email. The .zip file can be easily opened, and you will find a .json file inside. When you are in your Google Tag Manager, click on "Admin" and then on "Import Container." Subsequently, select the .json file and import it into your Google Tag Manager container. You will then find all the templates we created. It will be exciting to see how the e-Privacy regulation impacts the EU Cookie Directive and how users take advantage of Opt-In options. What can we do for you? If you are unsure whether you need Opt-In tracking or if you experience difficulties implementing the Opt-In or Opt-Out procedures, we are here to help you. We support you in the implementation of your online marketing strategies and can quickly make technical adjustments to your website, should the new e-Privacy regulation require it.

The Tag Manager Injector, as a Chrome browser plugin, enables easy setup of the Google Tag Manager within Google Chrome. Without long waiting times, we can start assisting our clients promptly, without being forced to wait. In the meantime, the client's IT department can take their time with implementing the Tag Manager code into the website's source code. At the beginning of our collaboration, we closely coordinate with our clients to create tailored tracking concepts. At this stage, it is often not yet clear what exactly should be tracked and which metrics will provide value for the client. Once the tracking concept is finalized and approved by the client, we begin implementing it. For this, the Google Tag Manager code must first be incorporated into the page's source code. However, this process can typically take several days, as the client's IT department may not be able to implement it right away. To still start the configuration during this time, we use the Chrome browser plugin Tag Manager Injector. This makes you much less dependent on the client's IT and allows for faster work. Requirements for Using the Tag Manager Injector To use the Tag Manager Injector, a Google Tag Manager account must first be created. Within this account, a container must then be created. Subsequently, the Google Tag Manager will release the code to be integrated for the container, which the IT department will need to embed. At this point, we can already begin using the Tag Manager Injector to configure the newly created container. An important aspect in this context is the unique container ID, which identifies this specific container. Fig. 1: The container created in Google Tag Manager with its container ID Using the Tag Manager Injector Once this process is complete, you go into the newly created container and set up the first tags, triggers, and variables. At this stage, the container can already be configured to how it will later be used. There are no restrictions here, as third-party tags can be used just like scripts. After setting up the first tags, the preview mode of the Google Tag Manager should be activated. This way, you can check whether the tags have been configured correctly. The next step is to install the plugin. Once the plugin is active, it can be used. For this, click on the plugin itself and you will get a simple input mask where you enter the container ID of the previously created container. Next, under "Include Domain(s)," enter the domain where the Google Tag Manager container should be used. Afterwards, simply click the "Start" button. Once the Tag Manager Injector is active, the top area near the GTM container ID will turn green. Fig. 2: The configured and usable Tag Manager Injector By activating the preview mode in the container, the normal preview window of the Google Tag Manager now opens on the website in the browser. It is now easy to see which tags are triggered, what variable values are output, and what the data layer looks like. If you want to push specific values to the data layer, the Tag Manager Injector offers the clearly visible "Push to the data Layer" input field for this purpose. Simply enter the relevant details, and the data is transmitted. Fig. 3: The Google Tag Manager preview window in the browser The real-time report in Google Analytics now shows initial access, indicating that the Google Analytics tracking is functioning. How Can We Help You? Do you want to implement web analytics on your site, following a defined tracking concept but are unsure how to execute it? Do you want to measure and increase conversions more effectively, but encounter problems with implementing additional tracking? Contact us and we will gladly assist you in improving your web analytics.

As a website operator, you must also deal with the management of your domain. This involves not just purchasing a domain but also configuring it for web servers and email servers. This primarily concerns larger companies or agencies that manage domains on separate servers, which are operated by the actual web or email servers. An example of such a scenario includes providers like NICdirect or 1Blu, where domains are purchased and managed, with a specialization in hosting large enterprises. However, regular web hosts like Mittwald, Webgo, Host Europe, etc., also offer domain configuration to some extent. Fig.1: Record entries for a domain of internetwarriors GmbH The Configuration of the Domain Name System The Domain Name System, often abbreviated as DNS, is one of the most important services on the internet. So-called DNS servers ensure that URL names are converted into IP addresses. When you type a URL into the browser, servers on the internet cannot initially do anything with that because they use IP addresses to identify themselves. An IP address is a unique numerical combination assigned individually to each device on the internet. This is most easily compared to a phone number assigned to every phone line. To know which server has requested a webpage (the URL typed into the browser), the browser first sends a request to a DNS server. This server maintains a large database that stores the IP address of the corresponding server for each domain, similar to a phone book where each name is paired with a phone number. In response to the request, the DNS server sends back the IP address of the corresponding server for the webpage to the browser. The browser can then directly place the request for the webpage with the actual web server. Types of Record Entries For the DNS server to know which IP address is behind a URL, this must be set in the domain configuration. There are various so-called record entries for different services. The most important ones are: NS A AAAA MX Name Server Record - NS The Name Server Record, often referred to as NS, is responsible for name resolution. This means resolving the names of services, e.g., domains, into computer-readable addresses. These addresses are the so-called IP addresses. Each of the entries has a so-called TTL (Time to Live). This determines how long an entry remains valid in the cache before it must be renewed. Typically, this value is 86400 seconds, which means 24 hours. The relocation of a domain to a new web server correspondingly takes 24 hours, as all global DNS servers must first be updated before the correct IP address is delivered to browsers. Address Record - A The Address Record or A Resource Record ensures that an IPv4 address is assigned to an entry on a DNS server. IPv4 addresses are IP addresses based on a four-octet system. This is greatly limited in the number of possible IP addresses and can no longer cover the required IP addresses for all devices connected to the internet, e.g., computers, smartphones, servers, etc. Nevertheless, it is still very common today. Address Record - AAAA The Address Record AAAA essentially provides the same functionality as the Address Record A. However, it is based on the so-called IPv6 addressing system, which is the successor of IPv4. It offers significantly more IP addresses and can therefore cover a much larger number of IP addresses and DNS entries. Mail Exchange Record - MX An MX Resource Record describes under which domain the corresponding email server can be reached. Through this, email programs can send and receive their emails. It is important to note that this entry must always include a fully spelled-out URL. What Can We Do for You? With our many years of experience in web hosting and domain management, we are happy to assist you in managing your website. Please contact us if you do not want to handle the technical management of your website or are planning a relaunch. We would be very pleased to discuss your individual support needs with you.

With Google Optimize , the search engine provider has introduced a new tool for conducting experiments on websites. Originally introduced as part of the Google 360 Degree Suite, Google now offers the program, with few restrictions, also in a free version. This makes it easy for all marketers to use the tool for their own experiments. Fig. 1: The homepage of Google Optimize [object Object] In addition to A/B tests, the program also supports multivariate and redirect tests. The following will distinguish between the different types of tests: A/B Testing: In this case, individual variants of the same webpage are tested. The variants usually differ only in small parts, such as a different button color or a new call to action. Multivariate Tests: These tests work similarly to A/B tests, but in this case, multiple elements of a page are tested to find the best possible combination of elements. At the same time, user interaction between the individual variants can be better examined to conduct a conversion optimization. This quickly results in a significantly larger number of variants. Redirect Tests: In these tests, separate pages with their own URLs are tested against each other. This way, different variants of complete pages can be well tested. Creating an Account and a Container in Google Optimize To get started, users must open the homepage URL of Google Optimize . When opening for the first time, email subscriptions for (tips & recommendations, product announcements, and market research) are suggested, but can also be declined. In the next step, the user must configure their account settings once. Fig. 2: One-time configuration of the Google Optimize account [object Object] After making the changes as shown in Figure 2, you can immediately start creating a website test. A user account and a container are immediately created in the next step for the user, where the tests can be managed and configured. The setup is identical to that of Google Tag Manager, which also relies on an account with individual containers. This makes operation noticeably easier. Start with Your First Test Before marketers start creating a test, they must ensure that the website to be tested has a lot of traffic. Only then can valid data be collected. If a website only has a few visits per month, analyzing a test takes significantly longer to obtain statistically valid tests. In this case, only a few variants should be tested. Moreover, marketers should initially conduct only small tests, such as changing a button color or replacing a text. This allows them to learn how to use the tool and find out more precisely how to create meaningful and good tests. More complex tests can be created at a later date. To start a test, the user must create a new experiment. Google offers templates for this, into which the user must enter a name for the experiment, a URL for the page to be examined, and the type of test. Figure 3 shows the corresponding Google Optimize screen. Fig. 3: With this information, an experiment can be created in Google Optimize. [object Object] Work with Variants Once an experiment is created, the user can create so-called variants. These are slight variations within the webpage. Regardless of the number of variants, each variant is always tested against the original version of the website. The marketer can also determine at this point how many percent of the traffic should participate in the test and how much traffic each variant should receive. By default, 100% of the traffic participates in an A/B test, and this traffic is evenly distributed across all variants. So if there is the original version of the website and a variant version, both variants receive 50% of the traffic. Fig. 4: For each test, a goal and a hypothesis must be set. [object Object] After the variant has been created, goals and descriptions must be stored for the test. Examples of test goals include: Reducing bounce rate Increasing page views Increasing transaction counts Subsequently, the individual variants must be configured. A visual editor is used for this, allowing the marketer to make directly visible changes to the webpage. For small changes, no knowledge of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript is needed. Complex changes using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript require a general technical understanding of HTML and CSS. Programmers should be involved for changes in JavaScript. Fig. 5: Google recommends installing the Google Chrome browser plugin to operate the visual editor of Google Optimize. [object Object] To work with the visual editor, a browser plugin must first be installed. Google Chrome checks for the presence of the plugin and, if not present, suggests installation, as shown in Figure 5. Once the plugin is installed, the user can open the webpage and make adjustments. Figures 6 - 10 show how users can make adjustments: Fig. 6: By mouse-hovering, the user selects a webpage element. The individual elements are directly marked and highlighted by Google Optimize. [object Object] Fig. 7: Changes to the selected element can then be made via the visual editor at the bottom right of the screen. [object Object] Fig. 8: By clicking "Edit Element" in the visual editor, further options can be selected, in this case, "Edit text". [object Object] Fig. 9: The text of the H1 heading can then be slightly modified. [object Object] Fig. 10: The bar at the top of the screen shows, among other things, which element the user is in (H1), how many changes have been made, and how the respective change looks on different devices such as desktop, tablet, and smartphone. [object Object] Once the desired changes are made and saved, the appearance and behavior of the changes must be checked on every device. Errors quickly occur due to individual programming, which can be avoided by extended checks. Link Google Optimize with Google Analytics In the next step, Google Optimize must be linked to Google Analytics. For this, the user chooses a data view within the desired Google Analytics property. The user behavior data of this data view is then used to evaluate the test. This way, the change in bounce rate, the number of transactions, etc., can be considered in the experiment. Integrating Google Optimize via Google Tag Manager In its developer area for Google Optimize, Google recommends using a customized Google Analytics code. This loads faster and prevents screen flickering due to dynamically made adjustments to the website. This means the user does not see when a different variant is displayed on page load. Of course, Google Optimize can also be integrated via Google Tag Manager. In this case, the Google Tag Manager code should be as high up in the source code as possible. This is necessary to avoid possible screen flickering. The sequence of execution of the various codes when a page is called is as follows: User calls the page Google Tag Manager code is executed Google Optimize code is executed Google Analytics code is executed Therefore, using the Google Tag Manager results in a delay in execution because Optimize can only be executed once the Tag Manager has been loaded and executed. This is not the case when using a customized Google Analytics code, allowing the Google Optimize code to run immediately. This can reduce or completely avoid the mentioned screen flickering on pages with many images or resources to load. Google Analytics should, in any case, regardless of the use of Google Tag Manager, only be executed once the Google Optimize code has been executed. A corresponding configuration must be made in the advanced settings of all Google Analytics tags on the webpage. Figure 11 shows the configuration of a Google Optimize tag in Google Tag Manager. In this tag, essentially only the property ID of Google Analytics (also known as the UA number) and the container ID of the Google Optimize experiment need to be entered. To comply with data protection, the IP address should also be anonymized. The trigger should be configured as precisely as possible to trigger the tag only when the corresponding page is called or the corresponding event is triggered. Fig. 11: Configuration of a Google Optimize tag in Google Tag Manager. [object Object] Defining the Target Audience and the Time Frame Once the Google Optimize tag has been published in the Google Tag Manager or the Google Optimize snippet has been embedded in the page's source code, further configuration of the experiment can be made. For this purpose, the target audience and the time frame of the test must be defined. In the free version, it is only possible to select for the target audience how many users should participate in the test. Granular settings regarding the target audience, such as age, gender, or access source, are currently not possible. The time frame can be set individually. Alternatively, the test can also be started and stopped immediately if desired. Figure 12 shows the currently possible settings. Fig. 12: Setting the target audience in Google Optimize. [object Object] After an experiment, marketers can evaluate the results in the reporting area. Here, both the overall data and the data of the individual variants are displayed separately. In addition to standard data such as page views, the winner of the test is also shown, including improvements compared to the baseline. Furthermore, the individual variants are checked against the set goals. This makes it easy to see, in conjunction with other Google Analytics data, at what time of day and at what hour the variants each improved. Fig. 13: Evaluation of the results of an experiment. Source: https://support.google.com/360suite/optimize/answer/6218117?hl=en. [object Object] What We Can Do for You Do you want to test individual elements of your website to increase conversions, leads, or transactions? Get started with the free version of Google Optimize to quickly and easily conduct individual experiments. We are happy to advise you on the implementation and evaluation of appropriate tests for conversion optimization, in connection with the website goals you have set. Contact us.

Web analytics, what exactly is it? For many of our clients, web analytics means using a tool that receives data that is barely interpretable and possibly invalid. The operation quickly becomes overwhelming, so the tool is used only once every few months. This happens whenever management wants to see data about the website or when it's necessary to justify why the planned marketing budget for the next year is so high. But web analytics is much more than that! Web analytics means questioning interactions on your own website, evaluating the behavior of individual target groups, creating customer journeys, and much more. Ultimately, from all these evaluations and results, an action plan should be created that enables you to specifically optimize your website. [object Object] In this article, we would like to explain what you, as an online marketer, can expect from an agency that supports you in the area of web analytics. We will discuss our experiences and explain how we approach the topic of web analytics with a client. Fig. 1: Cross-device web analytics | Source: http://bit.ly/2kxlWF4 [object Object] Phase 1 – Reviewing the Status Quo in Tracking If you approach us as a potential new customer to talk about web analytics, we first describe what web analytics means to us: [object Object] Web analytics is the foundation of all online marketing activities and provides the basis for all marketing-related activities, both online and offline. It collects both quantitative and qualitative data. When used properly, web analytics describes what happens due to customer interactions and, most importantly, why these interactions occur. Furthermore, it places your own data, if available in benchmarks, in relation to the data of other companies or industries. This shows where you can improve as a company. But more than anything, web analytics is one thing: continuous. [object Object] Web analytics is very comprehensive and requires intensive support. However, it is not rocket science and can be easily implemented. To ensure this, we first check your current tracking implementation. This way, we obtain a status quo of your web analytics and can better assess where problems and potentials exist. Reviewing the Configuration of the Web Analytics Tool First, we go into the tracking tool and check which data is flowing in, how the tool is configured, and whether the data is valid. Most of our clients use Google Analytics as their tool, making the verification relatively straightforward and almost standardized. Nevertheless, we also look for peculiarities in the data and configuration. Examples include: Are filters being used correctly? Is there spam in the data that distorts evaluations? Is Google Analytics linked with other services like AdWords, Search Console, etc.? Are the data from internal searches being collected? Are demographic data activated? Have goals been set up in Google Analytics? As you can see, there is much to consider when configuring Google Analytics. Especially if you feel uncertain as a marketer and cannot precisely assess which setting causes which impact, key figures can easily be collected or interpreted incorrectly. A classic example is excluding your own accesses through an IP address filter. When we check the filter configurations in Google Analytics, it is incorrectly set up and does not function in 95% of the cases. Our staff member Bettina Wille has written an extensive article about what you need to watch out for when configuring filters in Google Analytics. [object Object] We also check if you are using reports. These are generally represented in dashboards, radar events, or custom reports, so verification is easily feasible. Checking the Technical Implementation in the Source Code Once we know how your Google Analytics is configured, we check the implementation in the source code. This is not only about seeing whether the tracking code is implemented but also about how it is implemented. Below is a sample selection of aspects we check: Which version of the Google Analytics tracking have you implemented? Has the tracking code been fully implemented according to the configured Google Analytics settings? Are there pages where the tracking code is not implemented? Are multiple tracking code implementations present so that data is collected twice? Are specialties such as cross-domain tracking, e-commerce tracking, etc., implemented correctly? Are additional tracking features being used, e.g., custom dimensions, event tracking, etc.? Are referrers being correctly passed on and is direct traffic indeed just direct traffic? Reviewing Data Protection Finally, we check in individual areas whether your Google Analytics is installed in compliance with data protection regulations. Please note, however, that we are not a law firm and, therefore, cannot provide legally binding advice. Nonetheless, there are features that can be easily checked, such as: Are you anonymizing the user's IP address? Do you have a privacy page that mentions the use of Google Analytics? Is there an option for users to opt out of tracking, both via a browser plugin and a functioning opt-out cookie? Have you signed a data processing agreement with Google? Phase 2 – Developing a Tracking Concept In this article, we have so far focused exclusively on implementing with Google Analytics. Of course, there are also other types of web analytics with additional tools for things like A/B testing, surveys, etc., which also need to be reviewed. However, we do not wish to go into these tools individually in this article. [object Object] After we have worked out a precise overview of your current tracking and activities in the area of web analytics, we move on to developing a tracking concept. In this, we describe your current status quo and define in great detail what tracking should be used in the future. We also determine jointly with you which data should be collected beyond standard tracking, which website goals should be examined, which KPIs should be defined, and how the configuration should be implemented. Figure 2 shows an excerpt from the table of contents of a tracking concept: Fig. 2: Together with you, we develop a tracking concept. [object Object] Analysis and Research of Tracking Opportunities by the Agency At the beginning, we explore, based on the status quo analysis, possibilities for enhanced tracking on your website. It is important for us to only collect data that is valuable to you. We can also recommend tracking where we track everything and nothing, so to speak. In this case, we collect a lot of data, which leads to the point where you can no longer analyze it because the data volume is simply too large. Of course, that is not our goal. From our perspective, it requires a precise measure where you can work well with the key figures and receive all the information you need for your evaluations. Aligning Tracking Goals with the Client For the reasons mentioned above, we engage in very intensive exchanges with you during this phase. Here, there are many conversations with different people in your company to understand your requirements for web analytics better. Some of the topics we discuss with you include: Company goals Website objectives KPIs already in use Previous internal reports Hierarchy levels in the company including different reports for different contacts Cooperations with third-party providers Differences between reporting and web analytics Motivation for using Google Analytics Defining KPIs and Goals for the Web Analytics Through these discussions, we not only learn about your requirements but can also better assess which topics in web analytics are particularly interesting for you. Based on this, we can provide targeted recommendations for tracking implementation, KPIs, goals, etc. At this point, you do not yet know our final draft/proposal. Discussion of the Draft Concept with the Client and Approval from the Client Once we have worked out your tracking concept, there is a joint meeting with you in which we discuss the tracking concept with you in detail. This is especially important as the concept is partly very technical. However, it is essential that you completely understand the concept. [object Object] If you have any requests for changes at this stage, we will discuss them and, if necessary, incorporate them into the concept. Phase 3 – Implementation of the New Tracking Once you have approved the tracking concept, we begin implementing the tracking. Here, we always start with the technical implementation before starting the configuration of Google Analytics. Using the Latest Technologies When we receive an order to implement tracking, we naturally always use the latest technologies. This includes using the Google Tag Manager as well as Universal Analytics. If specific reports are desired, we recommend the client use Google Data Studio. Google Tag Manager As we have already written in previous articles about the Google Tag Manager, the entire tag management can be easily handled, both for Google Analytics and for other tools like AdWords, third-party providers, etc. A major advantage of the Tag Manager is that in very few cases does the IT need to adapt the source code. The tasks associated with managing tags can then be carried out directly by the marketer in the tool. We have already described the functionality of the Google Tag Manager in a comprehensive article. Universal Analytics Universal Analytics is the current version of Google Analytics. The data collection of Universal Analytics differs slightly from the old asynchronous Google Analytics and offers additional benefits such as Enhanced E-Commerce, UserID, etc. [object Object] Google announced in 2015 that they would cease to support asynchronous tracking in the future. When support will be discontinued is still unclear. Data Studio and Other Offerings With the Google Data Studio, another tool from the Google 360° Suite has been made available as a free version. Since the beginning of February, the tool allows you to create as many reports per email address as you like, the only limitation being that the Double-Click connector cannot be used in the free version. Otherwise, it has the same functionality as the paid version of the 360° Suite. [object Object] Particularly interesting for marketers is that the reports can be provided with their own CI. This is especially useful when the reports are forwarded to management. Collaboration with IT or the IT Service Provider Once we start implementation, usually only a few adjustments need to be made to the source code. The old tracking remains intact for the time being. This ensures that the main tracking is not affected. [object Object] For all changes to the source code, the IT or service provider receives precise instructions from us on what needs to be changed. Generally, the Google Tag Manager code needs to be embedded, but often also the opt-out cookie. If e-commerce is being used or conversion values should be dynamically transmitted from the website, adjustments are also required for this. [object Object] The entire configuration of your new tracking is then implemented by us in the Google Tag Manager. This means we set up the Universal Analytics tag and create variables, triggers, and other tags to fulfill the specifications from the tracking concept. If we also support the client in other online marketing areas like Google AdWords, we implement this directly in the Google Tag Manager as well. This allows for easier management in the future. [object Object] Throughout the entire phase, we work closely with you and your IT to ensure a correct implementation. If questions arise on the IT side, we offer advisory support. If we maintain your website/content management system, the adjustments are naturally carried out by us. Configuration of the Used Tools With a delay to the basic setup of Universal Analytics in the Google Tag Manager, we set up a so-called test property in Google Analytics that we use to test the data we collect. If we did not do this, we would have to direct the new data into your main property. This would lead to data distortion and problems with clarity that we want to avoid. [object Object] Only when we know that all data is correctly transmitted from the Google Tag Manager to Google Analytics do we configure the Google Analytics of the main property. This is because some configurations are only possible when certain tags are configured in the Google Tag Manager. [object Object] Once the data is correctly transmitted by the Google Tag Manager, and Google Analytics is correctly configured, we inform IT that they can remove the old tracking code. Once this has occurred, we adjust the tracking in the Google Tag Manager so that the data no longer flows into the test property but into your main property. This way, we ensure that your old metrics in Google Analytics are not lost and that you can compare your new data with the old data. It should be noted that your old data may not be valid. Setting Up Reporting Part of the configuration of Google Analytics and Google Data Studio may include setting up reports. These are created according to the specifications of the tracking concept. Client Training in the Use of the Tools Once the entire tracking has been implemented, you need to understand and be able to apply the entire implementation independently. For this reason, we conduct an introduction to the implementation, depending on your previous knowledge. This includes all tools (Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, and Google Data Studio). This is purely an introduction to the implementation. [object Object] If you as a client have very little experience in Google Analytics and, for example, no experience with Google Tag Manager or Google Data Studio, we recommend a thorough web analytics training. In this, we explain to you not only all the tools but also the basics of web analytics. Depending on the scope, this lasts between one and two days. Learn more about our Google Analytics training sessions. Phase 4 – Ongoing Support So that the new metrics from Google Analytics don't go unused after setup, we support our clients after implementation with ongoing support. This is generally done in two ways. On the one hand, we ensure that the data will continue to be collected correctly. On the other hand, we conduct more in-depth analyses. Regular Analyses and Creation of Evaluations by the Agency This allows you to focus on your reports while we conduct comprehensive web analytics for you. Here, we focus specifically on individual subareas. For example, we analyze the behavior of individual target groups, examine the behavior of users in specific areas of the website, or, alongside a custom channel attribution, develop a basis for an attribution model. In a second step, we further develop this together with you so that you can understand exactly how users come into contact with your company and how you might optimize individual channels to target users more precisely. [object Object] We also support you in areas such as A/B and multivariate testing. [object Object] As these tasks are time-consuming but also very productive, our clients gladly take advantage of our expertise and leave these tasks to us. Continuous Support in Case of Problems This topic primarily involves technical support. It often happens that errors in data collection occur due to website adjustments. This happens, for example, through renaming individual buttons, removing website elements, or a complete adjustment of a website element. Generally, IT doesn’t consider during implementation that changes might affect tracking. These errors usually become apparent to us quickly, and we can correct them in consultation with you. [object Object] What Can We Do for You? Would you like to check your tracking, significantly expand it, or simply outsource the evaluation of the data to a third party? Do you want to conduct targeted optimizations with your web analytics and thus increase your leads? Contact us , and we will be happy to advise you on how we can optimally collaborate with you.

Modern websites and content management systems have become very complex, making it challenging for users to make technical adjustments. From our day-to-day business, we know that online marketers often encounter issues, especially with tracking. But only through valid tracking can you generate clean data in the analytics tools. Only then are qualitative analyses possible. In this article, we present a method that allows you to easily check whether the Google Analytics code is installed on all pages. Furthermore, we will explain how to verify the code implementation. Screaming Frog – The Tool for SEO A well-known SEO tool is the Screaming Frog program. The main task of the tool is to crawl websites. For this purpose, a crawler (also referred to as a bot) is sent to the respective website to gather information on all subpages and their contents. Marketers can thus easily check to what extent the website has potential for SEO. In the free version, up to 500 website elements (HTML pages, images, CSS files, etc.) can be analyzed. The paid version is much more powerful and crawls all pages. Besides standard reporting, the tool offers the possibility to connect with external services such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics to obtain even more accurate analyses. Additionally, it also provides the option to conduct investigations on the website with custom filters. Essentially, this involves two different methods: Search: The affected pages are listed with URLs in Screaming Frog. Extraction: In this case, the desired content of the affected pages is displayed by Screaming Frog. Configuration of Screaming Frog Figure 1 shows Screaming Frog immediately after opening the program. By typing a URL in the bar and clicking on Start, the corresponding page or domain is immediately crawled, and initial information about the URLs flows into almost all tabs. The "Custom" tab will be important for you later. Fig. 1: The structure of Screaming Frog Identifying Pages Where the Google Analytics Code Is Missing If you want to identify pages or URLs where, for example, the Google Analytics code is not embedded, click on the "Search" button as shown in Figure 2.   Fig. 2: Using custom filters in Screaming Frog In the subsequent dialog, Screaming Frog offers you ten different filters. To search for pages where Google Analytics is not installed, you only need one filter. Set the first field to "Does Not Contain" and enter the UA number of your Google Analytics property. You can also make other inputs there, but it's important that it’s something unique from the Google Analytics code. Also ensure that the entry does not match any other element in the source code. From our point of view, the Google Analytics UA number is a good choice.   Fig. 3: Using the search filter in Screaming Frog If you want to check whether the Google Tag Manager is correctly embedded, you could enter "GTM-XXXXXX" as the container's ID. In this case, you are also using an element unique to the Google Tag Manager. Subsequently, under the "Custom" tab, all pages where the corresponding search term is not found will be listed. This way, you can easily identify which pages still need adjustments to achieve complete tracking. You can also go to IT with a specific action plan in this manner. Checking the Google Analytics Property ID on All Pages In the event that Google Analytics is installed on all web pages, you should additionally verify that the correct UA number is used. Mistakes can easily occur, and then you also don't have valid tracking. The "Extraction" method is perfect for this. Click on "Extraction" as shown in Figure 2. In the following dialog (Figure 4), enter "Google Analytics UA number" as an example in the first field. This field is used to name the corresponding column in the "Custom" tab.   Fig. 4: Setting an extraction filter to read the value of the Google Analytics UA number In the second field, select "Regex". Regex is short for "regular expressions" and provides the opportunity to identify exact letter, number, and character combinations within a given text area, e.g., the source code of a webpage. To find Google Analytics elements on the page, use the following regex: ["'](UA-.*?)["'] This way, you can see which Google Analytics UA number is used for each page of your domain. You can easily spot any typos and correct them afterward. For the Google Tag Manager, you would use "["'](GTM-.*?)["']" as a regex filter in this case. In the next figure, you can see how the results are then displayed in the "Custom" tab.   Fig. 5: "Custom" tab Conclusion Screaming Frog offers strong expandability with custom filters besides its diverse SEO analysis capabilities. Here, users can also check non-SEO content and gain insights that greatly simplify daily work. What Can We Do for You? Are you unsure if Google Analytics is correctly embedded on your site or wonder if Google Analytics tracking can be extended beyond standard tracking? Do you want to measure conversions even more accurately? Contact us, and we will be happy to advise you on checking existing tracking, creating a tracking concept, or implementing tracking. We look forward to your inquiry .

Google Analytics is the most popular web analysis tool. As a website operator, you can track the behavior of your users on the site and then define appropriate measures for site optimization. To ensure you find only the relevant data in your evaluation, it is advisable to set certain filters. Why are filters in Google Analytics useful? Google Analytics collects all user data from the website without filtering. However, using all available data for analysis is not always 100% effective. [object Object] With the help of filters, you can initially pass the data through a kind of sieve so that only the values you need are displayed in your data view. Filters can generally be divided into the following main categories: Inclusive filter: only a defined filter pattern gets through Exclusive filter: the defined filter pattern is excluded Search & Replace: Google-collected labels (e.g., homepage = "/") are rewritten Lowercase: Reduces duplicate results by using all letters in lowercase A typical example of setting a filter is excluding an IP address range. This allows you to exclude data from your company or agency network if it uses a static IP. The same applies to your IT service provider, which regularly accesses the site with a static IP address without impacting site optimization. This filter is not possible with dynamic IP addresses, as they change every 24 hours. Spam or bot access can be partially excluded by filters. Many referral URLs are now recognized and published on portals that spam the site and distort your traffic. Check the referrals through which users access your website. It is common to see 1 page/session, 0:00 time on site, and almost 100% bounce rate. [object Object] From the left navigation bar, you can get an overview of referral URLs under Acquisition, All Traffic, Referrals. Fig. 1: Display Referrals in Google Analytics [object Object] You can also detect spam behavior in Google Analytics reports for "Locations," "Site Content," and "All Traffic." A common example of SPAM access is as follows: Fig. 2: Example of a Spam Access [object Object] How to exclude the IP address range for your company network If you want to check user behavior with the web analysis tool Google Analytics, access from your own network can be hindering. Internal page visits should not be equated with those of a surfing user. To ensure access from your own ranks does not show up in your data, set up a filter as follows: First, navigate to your Google Analytics account and open the admin view: Fig. 3: Admin View in Google Analytics [object Object] In the right column of the data view, you will already see the "Filters" field. Here, you can add a new filter. Set up the filter. Give it a descriptive name, choose "predefined" as the filter type, and use an "exclude" filter. Select the "begins with" command and enter the beginning of the IP address to be excluded in the last field. You should never use the "equals" command. Due to the privacy-compliant anonymization of the IP address, the last part (the last 3 digits) of the IP address is always truncated, so that the complete sequence of numbers never reaches Analytics. Fig. 4: Filter to Exclude IP Addresses [object Object] How to exclude referral URLs If you have found through checking your referral URLs that certain accesses are made by bots and thus flow into your analysis as spam, you should create a filter to exclude this data. First, collect a list of these URLs or research a list and also create a custom "exclude" filter. A filter to exclude referral URLs looks like this: [object Object] Fig. 5: Filter to Exclude Referral URLs Give a descriptive name and use the referral as the filter field. Then enter all researched URLs in the filter pattern. Separate individual URLs with a pipe (|). Add a backslash () before EVERY dot so that the dot does not act as a regular expression command. Completely refrain from spaces in the filter pattern. Unfortunately, Google Analytics only provides 255 characters for the filter pattern, so you may need to set up multiple filters for exclusions. Test filters before using them Once you have set the filters, they are immediately active. However, you cannot recover filtered data or undo the sieving effect. Therefore, we recommend that you first check the filters in a test view before applying them to the live environment. Also use a third data view that collects all your website data without filters. This way, you can still reconstruct the correct values in case of possible errors. You can read about how you should configure the data views in our article Google Analytics Basic Configuration – What You Should Consider . [object Object] What we can do for you The correct use of filters cleans your data so you can draw meaningful results from the analysis with Google. If you need support with web analysis , we look forward to your  inquiry.

Many companies integrate Google Analytics, a free web analysis tool, into their websites to get an overview of their visitor statistics. However, this is often where problems begin. In many cases, the tool or the tool's code is simply copied into the site's source code. This method does not take into account that the Google Analytics code needs to be placed in a specific location, nor that the IP address must be anonymized. It is also rarely considered that in certain cases the referrer, that is the reference/link through which a user came to the site, is not correctly forwarded. In this scenario, the website visitor is recorded as a direct entry and not as access via a reference. This means users are working with distorted numbers. To recognize and avoid these issues, Google offers, as mentioned in the blog article The Best Tools for Successfully Starting Web Analytics , a practical browser extension for Chrome with the Google Tag Assistant. The Functions of the Google Tag Assistant Firstly, the Google Tag Assistant provides the option to display information about all Google tags. For example, these may include the following tags, and Screenshot 1 shows the corresponding overview. You will also see the button for the record function there. Google Analytics, Remarketing, Conversion Tracking, DoubleClick, etc. Figure 1: Overview of the Google Tag Assistant [object Object] For each individual tag, you can display detailed information that informs you about the current status of the tag. The browser extension also uses a color system to show you whether the tag was implemented correctly (Green), if there are slight deviations from the implementation recommendation (Blue or Yellow), or if there are significant issues leading to errors in tag execution (Red). The level of detail in the information provided can be configured in the Tag Assistant settings for each type of tag. The Record Function As highlighted in Screenshots one and two, the tool features a record function for Google Analytics which allows for precise analysis over multiple page views. As a user, you can easily determine whether your data is being correctly captured and processed by Google Analytics. The advantage of this method: The data is measured for each Google Analytics tag individually. This means you can examine not just page visitors but also event tracking or e-commerce tracking as well. In this way, you can identify errors that you would otherwise only discover with significantly more effort. Figure 2: Recording has begun For example, this enabled us to discover an error in a client's cross-domain tracking. This was configured correctly for page view tracking but not for several event tags. This led to the referrer being correctly passed during the page view of the second domain, but not transmitted for any event tags, and here the fallback "Direct/None" was used. This demonstrably distorted the metrics in Google Analytics. After appropriately adjusting the event tags, the corresponding referrers were correctly forwarded and the metrics are now accurately reflected in Google Analytics. A beneficial feature is the ability to directly link the Tag Assistant recordings with Google Analytics. In the evaluation area of the Google Tag Assistant, you can select specific data views of your Google Analytics account. You can also transmit specific location data to check whether certain data, for example, due to IP address filters, is not being fed into Google Analytics. In this case, you can make appropriate adjustments in your Google Analytics configuration in parallel and update the recording to its latest state with a click of the refresh button. A new recording is not necessary to immediately see the results of the adjustments. Screenshot 3 shows a section of the evaluation area: Figure 3: Evaluation overview of the Google Analytics record function in the Google Tag Assistant What We Can Do for You At internetwarriors, the Google Tag Assistant with its record function is one of the standard tools in the field of web analysis and SEA. We'd be happy to review your Google implementation and highlight possible errors. If desired, we can also fix them. Improve the quality of your evaluations and accordingly also the management of your marketing budget with more accurate metrics. Contact us .