Target="_blank" and referral acquisition data
-
Hi,
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
I have been reading up on this topic but there is some contradictory articles out there and I was hoping someone could clarify the latest practise for me.
Website A links out to four of its partner websites.
These links are using a target="_blank".When i look at the acquisition data for any of the partner websites there is zero referral data from site A.
I tested this wasn't an analytics bug by using the real time feature while clicking the partner links to see what had happened, and to also find the source, but I found that they are all being returned as a source direct. Ideally id like it to show the referrals once more for reporting purposes.Do I need to add extra google analytics parameters/functions to track the outbound links? or should this referral data be appearing correctly and it is something unrelated to the links themselves? or should I throw in the towel and drop the target blanks?
Thank you in advance for your time.
Best Regards. -
Yes, the best article you can read at internet is:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1136920
It will help you a lot!=)
-
No I'm not saying that I suggest you to best way to track outbound link. If you want to track outbound link for target=_blank Please check Google document below and modify.
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1136920
Thanks
-
Hi Alick,
Thanks for your reply.
So just to clarify you are confirming that target blank links are seen as outbound links and are not tracked in acquisitions under referrals?
Thanks again.
-
Hi Liam,
IMO best way to track outbound link is event tracking.
If you are using tag manager @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABo-Sk1QzrQ
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1136920?hl=en
Thanks
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
-
Thoughts on User Behavior Data as a Ranking Signal
Hi Community! We have been having an ongoing internal discussion on user behavior data as a ranking signal. We found this Moz article discussing the topic and it leaves us asking questions such as: What onsite user behavior metrics are being used (if any)? How exactly is Google collecting this information - Chrome? Google Analytics (which they have already claimed GA is not used for ranking purposes)? With privacy policies in place, how exactly is Google able to utilize this information? The article discusses Google patents for collecting this information (The Monitoring Engine), Chrome's MetricsService which is "a system in charge of the acquisition and transmission of user log data", as well as the Reasonable Surfer model. Some highlights from the article include: "Google has designed and patented a system in charge of collecting and processing of user behaviour data. They call it "the monitoring engine" "Google's client behavior data processor can retrieve client-side behavior data associated with a web page. This client-side behavior data can then be used to help formulate a ranking score for the article." The monitoring engine can: Distinguish whether the user is actually viewing an article, such as a web page, or whether the web page has merely been left active on the client device while the user is away from the client. Monitor a plurality of articles associated with one or more applications and create client-side behavior data associated with each article individually. Determine client-side behavior data for multiple user articles and ensure that the client-side behavior data associated with an article can be identified with that particular article. Transmit the client-side behavior data, together with identifying information that associates the data with a particular article to which it relates, to the data store for storage in a manner that preserves associations between the article and the client behaviors. MetricsService: "Chrome's MetricsService is a system in charge of the acquisition and transmission of user log data. Transmitted histograms contain very detailed records of user activities, including opened/closed tabs, fetched URLs, maximized windows, et cetera." “Reasonable surfer” is the random surfer's successor. The PageRank dampening factor reflects the original assumption that after each followed link, our imaginary surfer is less likely to click on another random link, resulting in an eventual abandonment of the surfing path. Most search engines today work with a more refined model encompassing a wider variety of influencing factors. In addition to perceived importance from on-page signals, a search engine may judge link popularity by observing common user choices. A link on which users click more within a page can carry more weight than the one with less clicks. Google in particular mentions user click behaviour monitoring in the context of balancing out traditional, more manipulative signals (e.g. links). I do not expect a concrete answer here, I know there is a lot of uncertainty on the topic but I am very interested to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
Search Behavior | | Joe_Stoffel2 -
Google Acquisition & Audience Segmentation
Hi. I'm trying to figure out a solution to two questions one of my current clients has asked me in regards to Google Analytics tagging, and I'm unsure how to respond. Can anyone help? See below the questions, 1. In Google Acquisition > Overview, their paid media is reporting as "Other". They do not run any Google paid ads. They only run Facebook paid ads. Is there a way to update the source so that it says "Paid" versus "Other" within the default channel? The current solution was advised to create a channel group that the client has to then tick on overtime they want to see this data with the correct labeling. They would prefer to see it in the default. Is it just a matter of going into the *default channel, choosing the "Paid" option, and then specifying the source/medium that contains Facebook, CPC, or referral to be categorized under this channel? Or is it something else? *Aware that changes to the Default Channel are permanent changes and will change how new traffic is classified. 2. Audience segmentation > The client wants to be able to define it's audience by shopping intent and informational intent. Is there a clear way to do this, for example, by keywords used, e.g. buy, product name, entry (shopping intent), versus e.g. non-purchase intent, entry to the blog, length of time on site (info intent). Would be happy to have a conversation about the last question, since I'm conscious that there are probably multiple ways to define this - thanks. To the group, thank you for readying my questions and helping me with these solutions - your time is appreciated and valued. Sincerely, Amanda
Search Behavior | | AmandaValle.Digital0 -
Geographic Targeting Feature
Inside Google Webmaster Tools is the Geographic target feature. Am I wise to change it from it's default setting ? The Geographic Targeting is a great feature that allows you to link your website to a particular location/country. It should be used only when a website targets to users from a particular country and when it does not really make sense to attract visitors from other countries. I have a site that ONLY is applicable to the UK. MY QUESTION Will I do more damage by setting the geographic location to UK, and so down grade my Google ranking in general. Or It's best to inconvenience none-UK geographical users and then NOT impact any google rankings holistically. I'm thinking of switching from the default webmaster geographical setting to the UK only. Good decision based on my site only being in the UK? Thanks in advance for any reply
Search Behavior | | COA
Robert0 -
SERP with no "www"
I have noticed that Google SERP without login is showing the domains without " www " - all of them. Have you seen this too? What does it mean for us?
Search Behavior | | Elchanan0 -
Gathering Data on Link Removal and Disavow Tool
Hi, There is so much opinion out there about Link Removal and Google's Disavow Tool, but it's really hard to get hold of reliable data about what people are actually doing in this area. Through my involvement in rmoov, I've become really interested in participation and cleanup rates when it comes to Link Removal campaigns. So, I've put together a quick survey aimed at getting a real indication of what is happening out there. The survey is here The recent introduction of Google's Disavow Tool has opened up another area I'd really like to understand more, so there is a question on this included. I'd love to pull together a blog post with a decent snapshot of participation, success or failure for those trying to remove links and hope Moz Members might help out by answering this quick survey. Sha P.S. I'll update this post once results are available for those that are interested.
Search Behavior | | ShaMenz1 -
Can you track "Add to home screen" for ios devices?
I was curious to know if there was a way to track in analytics users "adding to home screen" on ios devices. With the new ios map not receiving so much love and google maps "web app" process getting more attention, I feel knowing this stat would help us decide if we really need a native app or not. Our customers don't normally return within the year and when they do its about 2-3 (normally on a desk top), To us it does not completely justify the idea of making a native app with the world being so app heavy now a days. Any thoughts are always appreciated.
Search Behavior | | sknott0 -
Google Rel="Next" & Rel="Prev"
Hello, I have a catalogue website and I am implementing the rel="next" and rel="prev" to the website. My question is that we do have a view all page also, which apparently Google likes over a 'page1'.. Should I add the canonical to this page? I already have it set to WEBSITEURL/sonos (which is going well) I don’t want to have to change this to [URL]sonos/view-all (which is my view all link) as the first page is getting ranked well I am then telling Google no, the view all page is the parent. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks Rick
Search Behavior | | Lantec0 -
"If a company has multiple practice areas, are there any advantages to having specialized local listings for each specific practice area?"
Hello Staff of SEOMoz! I just had a question regarding specialized local listings. Are there any advantages to having specialized local listings? (An example would be if we were a medical company, having a listing for family practice, one listing for women's health) If there are advantages, what are those advantages compared to having general medical listings? Thanks!
Search Behavior | | sixspokemedia0