Google Analytics
What Data Does Google Analytics Prohibit Collecting? Google Analytics prohibits the collection of PII (personally identifiable information). This includes personal data such as email addresses, phone numbers, billing information or other details that could reasonably be used to identify an individual. To learn more, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms website.[1]You can opt out of having your activity on our website available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
What Is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a popular web analytics tool that is used by a large number of websites. It has many features and is free to use. However, it does not provide a complete snapshot of website activity.[2]
For example, it does not report on direct file downloads, stolen bandwidth, or full visitor clickpaths. Additionally, it relies on JavaScript to track visitors and is not always reliable. It also does not show you data that you have control over.
The data that you can collect with Google Analytics is limited by its Terms of Service. This means that you cannot store personally identifiable information such as IP addresses, usernames, or customer information in your account.[3]
You can prevent the collection of data by Google Analytics by downloading the opt-out browser extension for Google Analytics or by disabling cookies on your computer.
In addition, you can prevent the collection of data by Google Analytics for your entire device by changing your browser settings. You can find more information on how to do this in the help section of Google Analytics.[4]
Google Analytics is a free web analysis service that provides reports on how your website is performing and what people are doing on it. It uses “cookies” to collect and analyze information on how your website is being used. These cookies are placed on your computer by Google. The information generated by these cookies, such as your IP address, is transmitted to and stored by Google on a server in the United States.
Google Analytics – Working Principle
Google Analytics uses a combination of tracking scripts and event data to track website visitors’ behavior. By default, the tracking scripts only collect information when a page loads and executes. [5]Implementers can push additional event and virtual pageview data into Google Analytics by using JavaScript handlers or rule-based tagging in Google Tag Manager.
In addition, implementers can also use the Device ID property of a web part to track device-specific data for users who are signed in to Google accounts. This information is derived from the browser and app-instance IDs of devices that visit your site.
For more information on how to enable these features, consult the Google Analytics help documentation. In addition, implementers can create custom properties, views, segments, and custom campaigns in Google Analytics.
By enabling these features, implementers can track all visitor interactions on their website and make the most of Google Analytics. For example, if you have a real estate website that serves both buyers and sellers, you can configure goals to measure the effectiveness of your buyer and seller welcome pages and report on the conversion rate based on the type of visitors who accessed the pages.[6]
As a result, you can better understand which types of visitors are more likely to complete tasks or purchase products on your site. By establishing Advanced Segments based on a visitor’s type and tagging the relevant content with specific events, you can more effectively target your marketing efforts to different types of visitors.
This can lead to significant improvements in your website’s performance and increase the number of conversions. In the long run, it may even save you money on ad spend.
Lastly, it is important to note that some of the data that Google Analytics collects, such as IP addresses and browser parameters, are subject to strict privacy policies. This is because these data can be used to identify individuals.
This information is processed by Google according to the terms of service and privacy policy. You can find more information on this at the Google Analytics homepage.[7] The data is stored on servers in the United States.
How Does Google Analytics Collect Data
One of the more important aspects of Google Analytics is the way it tracks a visitor’s activity on your website. Basically, it sends an internet protocol (IP) address of the device being used to your web server each time the device interacts with your site. In addition, it can also track things like device screen resolution and browser type.[8]
It’s no secret that many companies are utilizing Google Analytics to provide an all-encompassing view of their online presence and improve marketing campaigns and overall site performance. With the advent of the GDPR, it’s now more important than ever to understand how your data is being collected and used.
For a start, you should consider what types of analytics are being used on your site and what sort of metrics you want to see in the most informative and relevant reports. You should also consider implementing the most secure and reliable ways to keep your data confidential and protected.[9] For example, you should always use a good password manager, install an antivirus software and regularly backup your data on a remote server. Lastly, make sure to read the fine print and follow the company’s data policies.
How To Know If A Website Is Using Google Analytics
If you have a website and want to know whether it is using Google Analytics, there are several ways you can check. One way is to visit the Google Analytics website and look at the Admin page. The Admin page gives you access to administrative features of Google Analytics, including setting up tracking and reports.
Another way is to ask your web host or website developer for a Google Analytics tracking ID. This is a unique number that will be used to track visitors on your site.[10]
When you place the Google Analytics tracking code on your site, the data will be sent to Google and will be available in reports on the Analytics website. However, it may take a few minutes before the data is processed and appears in your reports.
If the data does not appear immediately, it is likely that there was an error and you need to re-add the code. In addition, you should ensure that you are using the correct version of the Google Analytics tracking script. If you aren’t sure how to do this, contact us and we can help you.
Finally, you can use the “Anonymize IP” extension for Google Analytics to make sure that site visitors’ IP addresses are truncated only within member states of the European Union or other parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.[11] This ensures that only users from those countries will be able to access the data – and this can reduce the risk of abuse.
By using the Google Analytics extension, you agree that Google Ireland Limited and Google LLC (collectively “Google”) will process your data in accordance with their Google Analytics terms. You can find more information about how this works on the Google Analytics Help website.
Google Analytics is a great way to measure the success of your site. It is free to use and provides a wide variety of insights about the behavior of your website visitors. Having access to this data can help you optimize your marketing efforts and improve the user experience on your site. [12]
How to Avoid Collecting PII in Google Analytics
PII is a type of data that can identify an individual. Google Analytics prohibits collecting this data because it could be a security threat to your users.
It is important to be aware of the data that Google Analytics does not allow you to collect, and make sure you don’t capture it in your analytics reports. If you do, you could be violating Google’s terms of service or other privacy laws.[13]
This is especially true if you are using a web analytics solution that requires you to add custom code to your website. This can leave gaps in your tracking and potentially lead to personal identifiable information being tracked in your analytics reports.
You can prevent this from happening by making sure that your analytics tags don’t contain any strings that could be interpreted as PII. This is a good start, but you should also check your custom dimensions and events to make sure that you don’t capture PII in them.
If you use Google Tag Manager, you can configure a custom task to redact PII in your tags. This will make sure that the strings in your tags are not construed as PII by Google Analytics.[14]
However, you should be careful not to remove all PII from your tag, as this will not help you meet your data privacy compliance obligations. It is still possible that the PII you remove from your tags may have already been logged somewhere else on your network.
While this is not a direct violation of any Google policy, it can still be a security risk to your users and your business. It is a good idea to have a system in place where your web dev team can flag this issue and get it fixed before it becomes a security breach.
If you are a business, it is best to check the privacy laws and regulations of all the countries your site serves.[15] These laws often require different rules and guidelines for processing PII data, so it is always best to consult a legal expert before taking any action.
The Best Google Analytics Alternative
Google Analytics is one of the most popular web analytics tools in the world, but it may not be right for your business. For example, if you want to get more cutting-edge analytic features or you’re concerned about data sharing with Google, you might want to consider using another tool instead of Google Analytics.[16]
The best alternatives to Google Analytics can help you better understand your website traffic and customer behavior, so you can optimize your site for conversions and sales. They’re also great for protecting the privacy of your customers, and some even offer a free trial period.
GoSquared is a powerful alternative to Google Analytics that provides behavioral tracking, user experience optimization, and live chat support.[17] Its pricing plans include a free plan for up to 1,000 pageviews per month, and a paid plan for up to 10 million pageviews per month.
Fathom Analytics is a cookie-less alternative to Google Analytics that focuses on privacy-centered web analytics. Its dashboard and reports are intuitive, easy to understand, and give you a clear picture of your user and visitor’s behavior on your website.[18]
Matomo is another open source, cloud-based, and privacy-focused analytics solution that’s also affordable. It comes with a free plan for solo users and a small business plan that includes additional features. You can also upgrade to a premium account that offers customized enterprise tiers for bigger businesses.[19]
Mixpanel is another great Google Analytics alternative that’s known for giving users valuable insights into their customer behavior. The service also helps you easily track the performance of individual campaigns, break down the details of your web traffic, and analyze where your revenue is coming from.
Woopra is a popular Google Analytics alternative that allows teams to capture, store, and understand user information across journey touchpoints and automation. Its software works with over 50 integrations, including Intercom, MailChimp, and Slack.[20]
Gauges is an easy-to-use alternative to Google Analytics that’s perfect for solopreneurs and small businesses. Its clean design takes the guesswork out of understanding your data so you can focus on growing your business.
