Tracking with Google Analytics

I recently signed up for Google Analytics to see what sort of web site tracking they offered. I like the idea of easily-accessible data, and Google has typically been very good at providing just what I need.

Since the service has apparently received overwhelming response, Google has turned off the ability to sign up for new profiles. Presumably this will be back soon. I hope so, because I was waiting until things worked on one site to set up the other. Yes, I know you can track two sites using the same code with filters. I didn’t want to do that.

The first thing that really bothered me was that it didn’t seem that I was able to get it to recognize my JavaScript tracking code. Strangely enough, it still worked, so I assumed that it was a problem on their side, not on mine. And this morning, it says it’s working, yet I haven’t changed anything, so that seems like a good assumption.

The second thing that bugs me is that it shows “/” and “/index.html” as two different pages, despite the fact that I’ve set the default page as instructed. It’s not a big deal. But it would just be nice. With this consideration, a page may be higher-ranked than it is if the hits are split into two different pages, so it makes keeping up with things more challenging than it should.

Other than that? I like it. I don’t know that it will replace my full-blown stats program anytime soon, but I like the simple overview that it provides, and for general information, it’s perfect. In most cases, I don’t need a ton of information – if I do, I can use that provided by most host to drill-down to whatever level is needed. In the meantime, I can take in an overview in no time at all. Sweet.

Tip:
Don’t want your activities logged by Google? Try this tip to change your hosts file.