(Not Provided) in Google Analytics – What is this?!

About 3 weeks ago now Google released a new search engine update in an attempt to make online search more secure. This has been referred to as the Google SSL Encryption Update.

You will have probably noticed already in your Google analytics that one of your keyword referrals will be (not provided). If you haven’t noticed, check your analytics account carefully!

(not provided) will soon be the worlds most converting keyword accross all websites, industries and platforms. With this in mind we decided to purchase the domain name www.notprovided.co.uk

Why am I seeing the (not provided) keyword?

What this means is that when users are signed into a Google account like Gmail, when they make a search query this will now be made through a secure connection (https). If that search query leads the user to an organic results then the keyword referral data will no longer be provided in Google analytics. Instead you will be provided with the keyword (not provided).

Read more about the Google SSL Encryption Update and how the keyword (not provided) has in increased in analytics across some of our clients.

Help stop Google – Sign the petition!

This issue is only going to rise and rise and the keyword (not provided) will only become more common. It will effect website owners, content publishers and online business owners all over the world! Please help to voice our dissatisfaction by signing the (not provided) Google Petition.

Joe Taylor – Digital Marketing Strategist

Source: teknet.org.uk

Do We Own The Most Valuable Website In The UK?

Following our post about the loss of keyword referrer data, we sat and thought about how we could possibly get some good out of this terrible situation.

If Google are hiding referrer data, and simply displaying it as (not provided), soon enough all our clients most converting keywords will actually be ‘(not provided)’. Interesting.

So, for every website in the world, the most converting organic keyword will be ‘(not provided)’. This keyword is pretty valuable then? The #1 converting keyword in the UK across all industries is ‘not provided‘.

So we brought the domain, it’s for sale!

www.NotProvided.co.uk

Source: teknet.org.uk

Google SSL Update – The sad loss of organic keyword search data in analytics.

 

Ok, so what does this controversial Google update mean?

Well to explain. Traditionally whether people signed into a Google property like G+ or Gmail or not and made a search that lead them to a website, that search query or keyword would be recorded by Google. The data could then be displayed in Analytics or similar tracking software used by the website owner that the search query lead that user to. The data would be recorded if the search lead the user to either an organic listing or paid advert. Not only that, tracking software would record all the page data that the user browsed on.

This has now all changed due to Google’s SSL update. Now if users are signed in, when they make a search, that search will be made over a secure connection. If the search lead the user to an organic result then the search or keyword data would not be recorded within Analytics or other tracking software. The data will now just say “not provided”. Not only that, tracking software would now no longer be able to track what pages the user browsed by that user.

This is considered a major blow for Website Owners, SEO companies and Keyword Conversion Analysis. It’s going to be more difficult to to find out what keyword searches people used to find a website.

Now for the controversial bit…

Although Google wont be passing on keyword data to the analytics tool and other traffic software for organic results, they will still allow the data to be shown if the search query lead the user to a paid advert. So effectively what Google is saying is “pay us for an adwords advert and we will give you the users keyword data” A little contradiction in my view which is upsetting a lot of people.

But wait…

We shouldn’t panic… Yet

This is update only effects the data on Google.com and for users that are signed into a Google property. Overall this only accounts for around 1-2% of all the searches at the moment. Yes as more people join G+ the new Google social network and sign up for Gmail accounts the amount of search data lost will go up.

As SEO and Internet Marketing professionals we will just need to get clever on capturing keyword data. Its not all lost it’s just going to be less convenient to find it.

Here’s some ideas to find alternative keyword search data:

  • Adwords Results and analysis
  • keyword Ranking reports
  • Keyword Targeted landing pages
Thanks for reading!Joe Taylor – The Strategist

Source: teknet.org.uk