Google Analytics traffic hijacking?
-
Ran into something interesting a week ago - the same Google Analytics code was installed on two different sites by accident. The account was reporting traffic from both domains.
Haven't found a definitive answer on how to stop this yet if it were to be used maliciously?
-
Actually, site activity generated on other domains than yours will be included in Google Analytics metrics, unless, that is, you filter that activity out.
So you need to create a filter which includes only the traffic from your own domain. This blog post explains how to do this in a perfect amount of detail.
-
I am almost sure (burt I could be wrong too) that analytics will not track from unverified domains, so no risk of hijacking there.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Identifying Bots in Google Analytics
Hi there, While you can now filter out bots and spiders in Google Analytics, I'm interested in how you identify a bots and spiders in the first place. For example, it used to be thought that Googlebot wouldn't appear in GA as it 'couldn't process Javascript' but now Google has announced new developments for its crawler with regards to interpreting javascript and CSS, this argument isn't as cut and dry. I'm not suggesting Googlebot appears in Google Analytics, but I am saying that you can't make the case that it won't appear only because it can't interpret JavaScript. So, I'm interested to see what metrics you use to identify a bot? For me, the mix of Users > Browser, Users > Operating System Version is still quite handy, but is it possible to identify individual bots and spiders within Google Analytics? And would Googlebot appear?
Reporting & Analytics | | ecommercebc0 -
Google Analytics and DNS change
Our new alumni application is going be tested at domain uva.imodules.com . We are going to collect traffic data with a Google analytics account number UA-884652-XX. So going to uva.imodules.com/myPage.html would send its data to Google Analytics with that account number. Then when it is ready for production we are going to just change the domain name of the application and switch the DNS over to dardencommunity.darden.virginia.edu . So going to dardencommunity.darden.virginia.edu /myPage.html would send its data to Google Analtics with that SAME account number. Aside from having the testing domain data in the same profile are there any other issues/problems we may run into?
Reporting & Analytics | | Darden0 -
Google Analytics "Undetermined" Keyword
Google analytics is suddenly showing a new keyword "undetermined". Traffic Sources > Sources > All Traffic with the primary dimension set to Keyword. It's currently our 13th keyword and it is displayed without parentheses around that you see with (not provided) or (not set). Anyone have any idea what this is? Thanks!
Reporting & Analytics | | Morris770 -
Google Analytics - Tracking a Goal from 1 Domain to Another
Hi there, been combing this page for some answers - https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/gajs/gaTrackingSite but can't seem to figure it out. Scenario - Site A Site B Currently have 2 different GA accounts set up on each. Is it possible to Track a Goal that happens on Site B, that comes from Site A - In Site A Reports? So say, Site A has a Newsletter, directing them to Site A but promoting Site B - i'd like to track the effectiveness of the newsletter. Site A is running a white label of Site B service. Thoughts? Cheers
Reporting & Analytics | | IsHot0 -
Switching Google Analytics from Urchin to GA
I want to finally make the switch from Urchin to GA in Analytics, but the Google support page is no longer working (I realize I'm late to this so they likely took it down/moved it to where I can't find it). I've been searching on Google but can't find a straightforward guide to changing that won't disrupt my data. Anyone have a link to a working guide, or can you provide some guidance?
Reporting & Analytics | | Axios_Systems0 -
Wordpress + Google Analytics = Pulling My Hair Out
Hey Mozzers, Quick question for you- I have analytics set-up for a personal site I run and I know, verifiably it's receiving traffic, however, whenever I access my Google Analytics dashboard, it says I've had zero visits. Interestingly, today I had a colleague check the site from a foreign country and I could see the page views (within 15 minutes), however, I could not get any information about the site viewer. I have verified that the Analytics profile is 'receiving data' (which it is) and my Google Webmaster Tools is not reporting any issues? Finally, I went ahead and updated my profile so that it is pulling from 'www.mydomain.com' instead of 'mydomain.com', I don't know if that'll make any difference, but likewise, I didn't want to go and create the 'little kid in the elevator' analogy, where I'm just pressing a bunch of buttons just because they're there. So the only changes I've made thus far were deactivating Yoast's SEO plug-in and manually placing the GA code in the header and updating the 'Website's URL' in the profile settings tab of GA from 'mydomain.com' to 'www.mydomain.com'. With that, I am stumped and praying another one of the esteemed Mozzers out there may be able to help me resolve this. Any thoughts?
Reporting & Analytics | | NiallSmith0 -
SEOMoz crawls skewing Avg Visit Duration in Google Analytics
Hello, We are a UK based company. Our Google Analytics account is showing a rise in Avg Visit Duration for 'Direct traffic' since we started using SEOMoz. Are any other users experiencing this issue? We tracked it down to City Seattle, and when doing an Advanced filter by removing Seattle, the results are normal again. What does SEOMoz or other users recommend we do besides continuously using advanced filters? We have enquired about excluding Roger's IP address, but have been told that Roger uses the Amazon cloud, so the IP is not static. See attachment for screenshot of our Google Analytics account of Avg Visit Duration since we began with SEOMoz. Rich Talbot 718g3.gif
Reporting & Analytics | | STL1 -
Google analytics - help
Hello, What is meant by campaign expiration in Google analytics ? The default value is 6 months. what does it mean ?
Reporting & Analytics | | seoug_20050