Adding an analytics solution can be simple or complex depending on the site structure. That complexity can be enough to have more than a few hang ups occur. Is the site an e-commerce site? Are there cross domains? What about adding custom dimensions or event tracking for specific objectives? Even the easiest solutions can become an organizational nightmare when conducting a quality assessment.
But for simple sites, adding a analytics tag to a website can seem pretty easy – if you have a five page site, adding Google Analytics, Piwik, Woopra or another solution can be done with a text file editor.
In these cases, you have a few options to check if you have installed the tracking code and no data is being seen. Check out the possible reasons below and see if these fit the bill (Note: Some of the tips are focused on Google Analytics, but the protocol is sound enough for most analytic solutions. Check your analytics solution to learn of slight differences in implementing these tips).
Ensure the correct tracking code is installed
If you have not updated a site in a while, you may be using an outdated version of an analytic solution. That can happen if you are hosting the ga.js file locally, or using a solutions that is no longer supported, such as Urchin – the original version of Google Analytics which was discontinued in March 2013.
Verify that you have the most up-to-date version of your analytics solution. You can click the "Check Status" link on the Analytics Settings page to find the new code.
Verify that Script Interference does not exist….
Other scripts on your pages could be using some of the same variables as the ga.js file, and therefore interfering with the tracking code execution. If you're using additional scripts on your pages, consider moving the tracking code into the <head> section of the page. This way, the tracking code will work correctly, and it won't interfere with the rest of your scripts.
Also verify that pages load correctly. Packet sniffers can verify the loading sequence, providing a cascading graph of calls to the hosting server. Charles and Fiddler are among the most widely used among analytic practitioners, but cloud page optimization solutions like Pingdom are also useful.
…and ensure data is correctly reported.
The most common reason for missing report data is because of a tracking code error. Copying the tracking code from your account to a word processor may add an extra space or change the quotation marks in the tracking code by the time you paste it to your website. Try copying the code again, then pasting it directly onto your website with a dedicated text tool.
A proper editing tool like BBEdit will let you compare lines of code and search for errors. For a list of suggested tools, give this Zimana post a try. The Google Analytics tracking code is account- and profile- specific, so verify that the tracking code installed on your website matches the code shown in the account.
Make sure the filter settings are correct
Incorrect filter settings can affect the data you see, and may unintentionally filter all of your data from your reports. This happens most frequently due to multiple inclusion of IP filters. Keep a basic profile with no filter for comparison. Verify your IP setting. Also consider using the bot filter to remove the question of bot interference in the data.
Journal the progress of site updates….
Use the annotation matrix to keep track of changes to a site. Each annotated message includes a date and permits users to add their name - useful if multiple users have access to a Google Analytics account. Also use alerts to note significant rises or falls in metrics that are of interest to your strategy. Assume a 10% increase or decrease for an alert, then adjust as volume and strategic needs change over time.
….and insure associated accounts and feature settings are set
Increasingly Google Analytics has added a number of easy ways to combine data sources within its user interface. You can link an Adwords account to incorporate Adword accounts and use additional metrics to gain insights about conversion. Since the introduction of the Adwords features, there have been other linking features, such as BigQuery, Webmaster Tools and Adsense. On top of that, there’s the setting the E-commerce reports and data import, not to mention a data layer used by Google Tag Manager to manage event tracking.
In all, make sure the right accounts are linked and that features are set. Make a check list, then add an annotation note in the matrix as a record that the accounts and features have been checked.
