McBuzz Communications | Mark McLaren » howto http://www.mcbuzz.com Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, WordPress Websites Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:54:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 How to Exclude Internal Visits/Visitors from Google Analytics Reports Using Asynchronous Code http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/how-to-exclude-visitors-from-google-analytics/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/how-to-exclude-visitors-from-google-analytics/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:56:04 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=1372 As a Goolge Analytics Consultant, McBuzz helps clients learn about traffic on their website so they can improve visitors’ experience and generate more leads and sales. If you have a website, you should be using Google Analytics to track visitors on your site. But you don’t need to track your own visits to the site, nor do you want to track visits made by other people in your company, or by your clients if you are a webmaster or online marketing consultant.

EXCLUDING INTERNAL TRAFFIC FROM GOOGLE ANALYTICS REPORTS

All these visits are called “internal traffic”: visits made by you or by people who work for the company that owns the website. Data from these visits will skew the results that you really want to see. You want to track visits made by customers and potential customers.

There are a number of ways to exclude internal traffic from Google Analytics reports. Continued…You can exclude visitors based on the IP address of their computer/internet connection. And you can exclude a range of IP addresses so that you can keep visits for a large office of many users out of Analytics reports. This is appropriate if there are many people in an office who all access the company website to do certain tasks.

There are situations where excluding internal traffic using an IP address may not be ideal. If you or people in your office work remotely, then they need to exclude IP addresses at home as well as at work. If you are like me and you work from many different locations, then trying to exclude IP addresses every time you sit down in a coffee shop somewhere can be tedious and time-consuming.

There’s an easier solution: excluding internal traffic using a cookie. When you exclude traffic with a cookie, you can filter out of Analytics reports all the visits you make to a given domain.

HOW TO EXCLUDE INTERNAL TRAFFIC FROM GOOGLE ANALYTICS REPORTS USING A COOKIE

You can create the cookie to exclude internal visits using a bookmarklet, but frankly this is about as tedious as using multiple IP addresses. So the way I like to do it is with a simple web page and a little bit of JavaScript.

  1. Create a simple web page
  2. Use the following in the HTML file for the page:
    <html>
    <head>
    <script type="text/javascript">
    var _gaq = _gaq || [];
    _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-xxxxxxx-x']);
    _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
    (function() {
    var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
    ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
    })();
    </script>
    </head>
    <body onLoad="javascript:_gaq.push(['_setVar', 'no_report']);">
    <h1>Google Analytics cookie has been created!</h1>
    </body>
    </html>
  3. Replace UA-xxxxxxx-x with your Google Analytics account ID
  4. Save the file with whatever name you want. I use the domain name plus “no-report”, for example: yourdomain-no-report.html
  5. Upload the file to the “root” directory of the website, so you can get to the page by going to http://yourdomain.com/yourdomain-no-report.html
  6. Note that this HTML page and the cookie it creates use the asynchronous Google Analytics script. If you are using the old version of the script or you are not sure what you are using, contact me.
  7. Note that as of Oct. 10, 2011, this code does not seem to WORK! It creates a cookie with the “no_report” content, but I looked at two profiles last night and the filter does not seem to do its job. Here is a Google Analytics Help post that uses a different onLoad script to create the cookie. I will investigate later today. Here is the Google Analytics Asynchronous Code Usage Guide.

    HOW TO CREATE A FILTER IN GOOGLE ANALYTICS TO EXCLUDE INTERNAL VISITS

    Next, create a custom “Exclude” filter in Google Analytics using the Filter Manager.

    1. Login to Google Analytics
    2. Click on the website name in the main dashboard
    3. Now you will see the dashboard for that particular site
    4. Click on the Google Analytics Filter Manager (shown here)
    5. Add a new exclude filter with these settings (shown here) – To see this image at full size, click here. Then right-click on the image and select “View Image”.Filter Settings
      Filter Type: Custom filter > Exclude
      Filter Field: User-Defined
      Filter Pattern: no_report
      Case-sensitive: No
    6. Be sure to select the name of the website under “Available Website Profiles” and click the Add button to add it to the “Selected Website Profiles”
    7. Click Save Changes

    8. “SET” THE COOKIE IN ANY BROWSER YOU USE TO VIEW THE WEBSITE

    Finally, after you have uploaded your HTML file, you need to go to the address where you can view that page with your web browser. For example: http://yourdomain.com/yourdomain-no-report.html

    Once you see that page, you are done. Just close your browser window or go to any other web page.

    You need to be sure to visit that page with every browser you use to view or work on your site. And everyone one at your company should do the same. So if you use one computer at home and another at work, you need to go to that cookie page with each machine. If you use more than one web browser, you need to go to that page with all of them. If you clear out (delete) your cookies, you’ll need to visit the page again after doing so.

Tracking Visits to the Exclude Filter Page

By including the Google Analytics tracking snippet on the cookie filter page (like this filter page does), you can see who visits the page. This is valuable info if you are a marketing consultant, because you can see if your client has visited the page like you asked them to! And if you have asked more than one person to do so, you know who has and who has not. Note in the real example below that, so far, only one person has visited the page (on two different browsers).

Google Analytics Exclude Filter - Tracking Visits

You can check the Google Analytics Exclude Filter page visitor stats to see if people you asked to visit the filter page have actually done so.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/how-to-exclude-visitors-from-google-analytics/feed/ 7 Is Search Engine Optimization a Science? Yes. Here’s Proof that SEO is a Science, Not a Dark Art http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/search-engine-optimization-periodic-table/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/search-engine-optimization-periodic-table/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:43:36 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=1296 Periodic Table of SEO Ranking FactorsIs Search Engine Optimization (SEO) an art or a science? Or is it neither? Although it’s as old as the Internet itself, SEO is still misunderstood by many folks, even those who know a lot about the Internet and Online Communications. [...]

One reason for the confusion is that people knowledgeable about SEO are often reluctant to share their secrets. If SEOs, as search engine optimization experts are called, were more transparent with what they do, it would be much easier for non-SEO experts to decide whether optimization techniques are a set of standardized, rational practices or something that a few people are just naturally good at because they have a “feel” for it – or, much worse, just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.

Today Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land took a great step towards transparency by publishing a Periodic Table of SEO Ranking Factors. The table is an awesome piece of work. And there’s much more to it than the  infographic alone. There is a complete discussion of each SEO ranking factor.

If we can generalize about something like SEO and codify it in a meaningful and useful way, like Sullivan has done with the ranking factor table, then we have clear evidence for it being a science versus just an art or smoke and mirrors.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/search-engine-optimization-periodic-table/feed/ 2 Search Engine Optimization 101 – How to Choose Keywords: A Lesson from the Bayer Aspirin Marketing Team http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/seo-101-how-to-choose-keywords-a-lesson-from-bayer-aspirin/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/seo-101-how-to-choose-keywords-a-lesson-from-bayer-aspirin/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:50:56 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=1162 Successful online marketers understand the need to talk about their products in terms customers recognize and respond to.

Search Engine Optimization 101 - Choosing Good Keywords - Low Dose Aspirin PackagingChoosing good keywords is hard – no matter what size your business is. Sometimes it’s a challenge to get my clients to see the importance of using language in their marketing materials – including their website – that they themselves wouldn’t necessarily use to talk about their products or services.

Sometimes C-level executives don’t like using words they feel have the wrong connotation. Sometimes this boils down to the fact that they see their product or service as unique, so unique that it can’t be described in standard terms. Sometimes the Marketing Department is concerned about the brand, about setting their company apart from the competition in a good way. These things are fine. You want to show that you are different from your competitors in significant ways. But there are a couple of serious problems with insisting on being unique when it comes to choosing the language you use for marketing.

First, if you brand your product or service using language that none of your competitors uses, you stand a good chance of not being found in search results for the keywords that really matter, the keywords that will bring success. Second, you risk being so unique, so innovative, in the way you talk about what you do, that customers and potential customers won’t see you as being able to solve the problems that matter to them, the problems they know your competitors can solve – because you are not using language that they recognize and associate with the needs of their business.

Some companies understand this, and they do the right thing. Here’s a concrete example. Look at the box for Bayer Low Dose Aspirin above. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

Why does this low dose aspirin have a bottle with an Easy Grip Cap? Because the product is for elderly people. If it’s for elderly people, why does it say “Baby” Aspirin on the box? This aspirin is most certainly not for babies. The fact that “Baby” is in quotes is a clue. It means that this product is identical to baby aspirin. It’s what’s called “Baby” Aspirin. It’s the same dosage. This is the aspirin we have all heard so much about in the news and in medical studies. One tablet a day prevents heart attacks. Not in babies. Babies don’t have heart attacks. Bayer wants you to know that this product is for elderly people AND it is the “Baby” Aspirin dosage, just in case there’s any doubt.

This is exactly how we need to choose keywords – the language we use in web pages and in links to our web pages. Just as people will search for “Baby” Aspirin on a grocery store shelf, people will search for and recognize keywords they associate with what they need when they use Google or any other search engine. If your web pages don’t include those keywords, you’re missing a huge opportunity and you are not going to win at SEO.

If Bayer didn’t put “Baby” Aspirin on the box, shoppers might see the easy grip cap and think that’s not what they’re looking for. All the studies and all the news reports have said “Baby” Aspirin is the form of the drug that is most effective against heart attacks. Is it aspirin for babies? No. Should Bayer call it that? Absolutely.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2011/seo-101-how-to-choose-keywords-a-lesson-from-bayer-aspirin/feed/ 0 WordPress Q&A: More Answers to WordPress Questions http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-qa-more-answers-to-wordpress-questions/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-qa-more-answers-to-wordpress-questions/#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:52:14 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=1113 WordPress Questions?Questions about WordPress websites or blogs? They may already have been answered. Check the earlier posts “Questions About WordPress? Ask Them Here!” and “More WordPress Questions?” There are over 160 comments, questions and replies there.

Otherwise, just post your WordPress question in the comments below, and we will respond. The cost? FREE!

P.S. If you’re into WordPress, follow Mark McLaren on Twitter for free tips and howto’s. And if you are in Seattle, check out the Seattle WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com.

Please note that McBuzz Communications, the McBuzz.com website and Mark McLaren are not affiliated with Automattic (parent company of WordPress) or WordPress.com.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-qa-more-answers-to-wordpress-questions/feed/ 181 More Great Home Pages that Drive You to Take Action http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-great-home-pages-that-drive-you-to-take-action/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-great-home-pages-that-drive-you-to-take-action/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:31:11 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=1071 Following up on Friday’s post, Search Marketing 101: Home Pages that Drive You to Take Action, here are more home pages that do a great job of telling you what the business does and how to take action.

Birchbox Home Page - McBuzz Search Marketing 101Birchbox

  • Nice slogan: “Delivering Beauty Better”
  • Bullet points to tell you exactly what the slogan means
  • Prominent call to action button: Join Now

Text follows below for those who want more info. And it looks like a new site is on the way, presumably with more about things like membership benefits. Right now these aren’t visible until you click the “Join Now” button. Not everyone will click the button, so this is a bit of a barrier to further exploration. Links to About Us and FAQs are hidden at the bottom of the page.

Note the active voice of the bullets – instead of “Hand-picked samples are delivered to your door…”, for example. Standard graphic design rules say use 3 or 5 bullet points instead of 2 or 4. How about:

  • Get hand-picked samples delivered to your door monthly
  • Discover what you love
  • Buy with confidence

I’m guessing Twitter and Facebook buttons are on the way, too.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-great-home-pages-that-drive-you-to-take-action/feed/ 0 5 Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization with WordPress http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/5-tips-for-better-search-engine-optimization-with-wordpress/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/5-tips-for-better-search-engine-optimization-with-wordpress/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:58:45 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=999 On June 12, I had the great pleasure of presenting at WordCamp Vancouver. Duane Storey and the rest of the organizers did an awesome job. The conference was a big hit. If you get the chance, definitely check it out next year.

My presentation was called “Get Found Easier and Grow Your Business: 5 Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization with WordPress”. Thirty minutes is just about enough time to get through the essentials of SEO for WordPress, although I’m sure it could be a two-hour presentation without too much trouble.

Half of the time does not involve using WordPress! I do a quick overview of what a keyword is, how to pick a good keyword, how to check your initial search ranking, and, after optimizing, how to see if your optimization efforts had any effect!

Understanding keywords is absolutely critical to search optimization, but it’s not often talked about in a way that most people can get. This is going to have to change as more businesses use WordPress and other CMS solutions for websites and then decide that they need to do their own SEO.

The 5 Tips for Better SEO are spelled out in the presentation slide deck below. They are also available in PDF form here (right click and select “Save Target As…” or “Save Link As…” to download).

5 Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization with WordPress (PDF)

At the end of the slides and the PDF, there are links to SEO Plugins, Tools and Resources. If you would like the .pptx file of  the presentation – including the Notes – contact me.

Here are the 5 Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization with WordPress in case you want a quick overview:

Tip #1 : Use keywords in your HTML page title

Tip #2 : Write a page description that makes people want to read more (include keywords)

Tip #3: Customize permalinks

Tip #4 : Use keywords in the visible page

Tip #4 continued: Make content “sticky”, useful, a resource

Tip #5: Links

•Inbound Links are the Number One Search Ranking Factor
(and #2, #3, #5)  according to seomoz.org
•External Links
•Internal Links
•Use keywords in link text
•Use inbound link tools

WordCamp Vancouver 2010 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips for WordPress

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/5-tips-for-better-search-engine-optimization-with-wordpress/feed/ 0 More WordPress Questions? Ask Them Here! http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-wordpress-questions-ask-them-here/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-wordpress-questions-ask-them-here/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 03:59:21 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=910 WordPress Questions?If you’ve got more questions about WordPress websites or blogs, Seattle’s McBuzz Communications has answers!

This page is so long that the comments no longer work. (Old theme. I’m working on it! “Cobbler’s son has no shoes.” You know, that kind of thing.)

Come on over to the latest WordPress questions page: WordPress Q&A: More Answers to WordPress Questions and post your question in the comments. I’ll answer ASAP. The cost? Free!

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/more-wordpress-questions-ask-them-here/feed/ 107 WordPress Problem with Atahualpa Theme and Bullets http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-problem-with-atahualpa-theme-and-bullets/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-problem-with-atahualpa-theme-and-bullets/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:30:19 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=893 A reader was having trouble adding bullets to text in the Atahualpa theme for WordPress. I did a test install of Atahualpa and the bullets are working for me. Be sure to note the order of the steps. You can click on the blue text below to see a screen shot of each step.

  1. Enter your text. (Put a hard return after each line you want to make into a bullet.)
  2. Highlight the text you want to make into a list of bullets – either numbered or unnumbered (ordered or unordered).
  3. Click the bullet/list button – either numbered or unnumbered. (Be sure click Publish or Update.)
  4. Done.
]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-problem-with-atahualpa-theme-and-bullets/feed/ 0 WordPress Tutorial – How to Upload and Insert an Image Using WordPress http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-tutorial-how-to-upload-and-insert-an-image-using-wordpress/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-tutorial-how-to-upload-and-insert-an-image-using-wordpress/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:39:43 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=570 WordPress Websites Tutorial by Mark McLaren – How to Upload and Insert an Image

This video tutorial replaces my earlier “How to Insert an Image” tutorial for WordPress that was done using screen captures, text descriptions and WordPress version 2.1 or so, which is a bit outdated today.

Some people prefer text tutorials with screen captures. My “How to Make a Text Link” WordPress Tutorial is still a straight-forward explanation of the process, which hasn’t changed.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/wordpress-tutorial-how-to-upload-and-insert-an-image-using-wordpress/feed/ 0 Questions About WordPress? Ask Them Here! http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/questions-about-wordpress-ask-them-here/ http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/questions-about-wordpress-ask-them-here/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:31:29 +0000 Mark McLaren http://www.mcbuzz.com/?p=552 WordPress Questions?If you’ve got questions about WordPress websites or blogs, Seattle’s McBuzz Communications has answers!

This page is now so long that the comments no longer work. (Old theme. I’m working on it! “Cobbler’s son has no shoes.” You know, that kind of thing.) Come on over to the latest WordPress questions page: WordPress Q&A: More Answers to WordPress Questions and post your question in the comments there. I’ll answer ASAP. The cost? Free!

P.S. If you’re into WordPress, follow Mark McLaren on Twitter for free tips and howto’s.
And if you are in Seattle, check out the Seattle WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com.

]]> http://www.mcbuzz.com/2010/questions-about-wordpress-ask-them-here/feed/ 176