You would benefit from having your own Google Analytics on your website rather than having your vendor's info. Here's why.

This week's question of the week has come up 3 times already and it's only Wednesday.

So it's time to talk about it. I recommend this to all of my clients to prevent future headaches. 

Why should I have my own Google Analytics account? My vendor has one for me?

Answer: So what happens when they aren't your vendor anymore? 

• They could close.
• They could have a rate increase that you don't agree with so you no longer want to do business.
• A new and better vendor could come along.
• You might want to run reports on your own with out requesting them.
• You might want to add conversion goals on your own.

There are many reasons that relationships dissolve and if it dissolves with a website or SEO vendor, you will lose all of your site history if it's in their account.

At this time, Google Analytics accounts can not be transferred from one account to another. So the data collected... all of the valuable historical... will stay in your vendors account and be lost to you.

Plus it's so easy to create your own pixel and give it to them to place on your site (it is YOUR site). You can do this and set it up and never look at it again - BUT you always have it.

This blog will help you create the pixel under your own account name so you can send it to your vendor. Click here for that article. Because at some point, you or someone you employee will be able to use the information.

*Please note - when you do this, MANY web guys and SEO vendors gets nervous. "Why are you doing this?" they opine. "Are you going to discontinue my services?".

Sometimes they even tell you that it can't be done because it messes up the reporting.

The best ones won't be nervous. They will know their value to you.

A good web guy will be able to do it without it messing up the reporting.

But if you start hearing the excuses above, then tell them that you'd like them to remove their pixel and add yours. Tell them you'll make them an admin on your account. (don't forget YOU have the RIGHT to this information.) Telling them this usually helps them to figure it out.

So go for it as soon as you're able. Get ownership of your own information. I repeat... someday you will be glad you did.

Super Geek alert... for those of you that want to go deeper into the technical, here's the information about 2 or more GA on one site. For those who don't want deep geek, you can look away. You have what you need already : )

Multiple tracking codes on web pages

This information is straight from Google Support.

Google allows Multiple tracking codes on web pages however some configs may not be supported.

You can install multiple instances of the Google Analytics tracking code on your web pages to send data to multiple properties in your account.

Not all configurations are supported. You can, for example, install multiple instances of the Universal Analytics tracking code (analytics.js) on your web pages but only one instance of the Classic Analytics code (ga.js). Multiple instances of ga.js might result in inaccurate data collection, processing, or reporting. You can, however, install one or more instances of analytics.js on web pages that also have a single instance of ga.js.

Using multiple tracking codes might be useful if users with access to different properties need to see data from the same web site, or if you have multiple versions of a web site. You might, for example, want to collect data from example.com using one instance of analytics.js, collect data from example.co.uk in another instance of analytics.js, and use a third instance of analytics.js on both websites to see the aggregate data.

Using Multiple Tracking Objects you can combined multiple Google Analytics ID's and accounts, this is useful for multiple site owners overseeing all of parts of the website. This can be done by editing the JavaScript see the example below:

ga('create', 'UA-XXXX-Y', 'auto');
ga('create', 'UA-12345-6', 'auto', {'name': 'newTracker'});  // New tracker.

Ghost Spam in your Blogger Dashboard and Adding Google Analytics to Your Blogger Blog

As we discussed in the post about weird referrals showing up in your Google Analytics which is actually Ghost Spam, Ghost Spam is in many places including your Blogger Dashboard.

Ghost Spam doesn't hurt your site or your blog. Ghost Spam is taking advantage of backdoor tactics to show up in your reporting results.

The spammers do this because tons of people see them as a referral, get excited and click on their link to see who is doing all of this referring to your content. Well no one is. They aren't helping you get traffic. They are just showing up in reporting in the hopes that you DO click on them. You are then creating traffic for THEM when you click. 

So you have boosted THEIR traffic which they can sell and even hopefully sell YOU some SEO services (or other services) because who better to sell SEO help to than people who don't know enough about SEO to know that they are Ghost Spam?

Good news is that in most cases they do no harm to your content.

So what can you do? Even if they aren't hurting your content, they are inflating your traffic numbers and not allowing you a clean image of what your real traffic is.

1. You should hook Google Analytics up to your blog. It will give you more information that your blogger dashboard anyway. (see below)

2. You can then add a filter to your Analytics to show metrics that don't include ghost Spam. Click here to do that after you add Analytics to your Blogger Blog (or any blog).

How to add Google Analytics to your Blogger blog metrics.

1. Make sure you have an Analytics account. If you are using Blogger, then you have a Google account already. Just log in to Google Analytics. 

If you are brand new to Analytics, then click the sign up button. 

Create your new account. 

The account name should be the name of your business overall and not specific to the blog. You will have the ability to have multiple properties under each account name.

So you can have Acme Ice Cream as your account name.

Then properties under that account can be Acme Ice Cream website, blog, social, etc.

2. Set up your Blogger Blog property under the correct account name. This property should be referred to as the name of your blog.

You do this by clicking on admin, then the drop down next to properties and choose "create new".

Add the blog URL. Add the industry and time zone.

Click the Get tracking ID button. 

Read and agree (if you do agree) to the terms of service.

For Blogger you are going to copy the tracking ID only. It's the first thing in the upper left corner. You do not need the  HTML code in the box. You would use that if you were adding Analytics to your website. (see this post for that)

The code you want will look something like this UA-71111111-1

3. Then go back to your Blogger dashboard.

Click on settings, and then other. There is a place to paste your code like in the image below.

You are set. ~

As soon as you're emotionally able, you really should consider adding the filter to remove Ghost Spam from Analytics, too.

If you're only mildly geeky, setting up Analytics is enough for today.

Add a calendar reminder for 3 months from now to do the filter. Include this link in the reminder so that it's easy to find. http://howtododigital.blogspot.com/2016/02/blocking-ghost-spam-in-your-google.html

I find it easier for my clients to deal with that after they have used Analytics for awhile so they have a bit of understanding of how Analytics flows.

Well actually it's easier for them if I just do it, but that's not the point of this blog : )

Instant Reply on Facebook. Let the Visitors to your Facebook Business Page Know What to Expect Regarding Your Typical Response Time to Facebook Page Messages

Here's a handy little piece of info to show your Facebook audience that you care.

Edit the settings for your response time to your page and even consider adding an instant reply message. 

Remember, these are messages to your page, not posts or comments.

Here's a few examples of why and what you should think about.

1. An auto-response will show people that you care and that their message didn't just roll out into the digital universe.

2. Some of my smaller businesses don't get tons of messages at the beginning and so they don't think to check for them. The instant reply feature can tell people how to reach you more quickly if they need to.

3. What if you go on vacation? This feature, again, helps people to know that the message was sent and could give alternatives to contact you.

4. What if the nature of your world is that you just can't answer right away. Very small businesses can't answer when they are on a job or project. Instant reply will tell people this and set expectations.

How do you set up your instant reply and indicate your typical response time for messages? 

On your page, click settings on the right side.
Then click on "messaging". It will bring you to the screen below.

Should I Make Facebook Business Page or a Facebook Profile Page? Why should I even have a business page?

Making a Facebook business page has become the norm. Its getting to the point where it adds credibility to a business. For large national businesses it can be a revenue driver but what about for small to medium sized local businesses?

Well it still matters. Here's why:

1. It does add credibility to your business. In today's world, people turn to online reviews to make decisions about whom they will do business with. Having a page with a few hundred followers makes you seem more legit. Ironically, you don't really have to have reviews on the page, you just have to have the page and have followers.

2. It allows you to keep some top of mind awareness with your clients. Facebook has, how-ever, made it hard for you to show up in your follower's feeds if they don't interact with you. Unless of course you pay to boost your feeds. I prefer to help my clients make their content interactive enough that boosting doesn't have to be a thing. 

3. Facebook is climbing the ranks as a "search engine". I put that in quotes because they are not as big for search as some may think, but it's still something to be mindful of. While Facebook tries to capture this space, it's good to get your page started and get some action going. Even if this is a growing time for you.

4. Taking the time to build a page early on gives you a history and time to grow in anticipation of the time when you will really need the page. Grow now while you can.

5. There are things you can do to take advantage of and convert even a few followers without spending tons of, or even any, money.

Should I have a Facebook page or a Facebook business page?

Definitely a business page.

1. Regular profile pages (like we have as people) only allow for up to 5,000 "friends". Some day you may care about that.

2. Business pages allow for more marketing options that you may choose to take in the future. 

3. Business pages come with "Insights" which are page metrics that you can also take advantage of in the future. 

4. People can "check in" to a business page.

5. You can schedule posts ahead of time. (we'll cover that later)

6. You can't change your profile page into a business page later. You can only tell people that you're doing it and hope they follow. 

7. You can add admins to your business page if you ever have someone who will be helping you maintain it. On a profile page you would have to give them your log in. Ack!

8. Really... just make a business page.

I am concerned about comments on my site. I am concerned because I work in a very sensitive industry (like financial or medical) and need to protect my brand image. 
This is a true concern and it's also manageable. With my sensitive clients, I recommend turning the ability for others to post on their page off. These settings can be changed later as you get to know your "fans" better and get more comfortable. At this time, you can not prevent people from commenting on your posts (this feature seems to come and go) but you can adjust your content so that it is "public friendly" and you can delete or hide comments after they are made. (click on the soft grey x that appears as you hover over the offending comment)

To turn off the ability for others to post on your page (as per Facebook):

If you allow visitors to publish posts to your Page, their posts can appear in Visitor Posts on the left side of your Page. If you allow photo and video posts, these posts can also appear in your Page's Photos and Videos sections.

To allow or disable posts by other people on your Page, you'll need to be an admin. If you're an admin:

Click Settings at the top of your Page. 

Click Visitor Posts. 

Click to choose Allow visitors to the Page to publish posts or Disable posts by other people on the Page. If you allow visitors to publish posts, you can choose to: Allow photo and video posts or Review posts by other people before they are published to the Page. 

Click Save Changes.

My customers aren't online (ugh, really, still?)
Your customers may not all be online but there are sooooo many of them that are that you aren't aware of OR there are many new customers that ARE online OR there are advisers (family and friends) to your customers online. I have had several financial and medical clients who thought this and it turns out not to be true. There are benefits from being online where so many people are. EVEN if I were wrong, it's free and requires only some time so let's at least try.
Forbes has a FB page.
Senior Living has FB page.
MENSA has a FB page.

Too old, too rich and too anything is no longer is a thing. Let's not be left behind.


I am small business working from a home or location that i don't want put online. What do I do? 
or
I don't want the review section showing on my page right now. What do I do?

Read our post on blocking your address and setting it up so that reviews and or maps don't show on your page.

So go ahead and set up a business page on Facebook and we'll discuss what content you should post in our next blog.

Why Doesn't the Actual Number of People who Saw our Boosted Facebook Post Match the Original Estimate?

Facebook boosted posts definitely have a place in business depending on what your goal is.
Are you trying to increase the number of likes on your Facebook page? These posts can help. Trying to get visits to your website? Facebook can help. Trying to sell a product? Facebook MAY be able to help depending on how you handle it.

We will discuss how and when to use Facebook post boosting in another article.

Today we are addressing my number one client question of the week. Why doesn't the actual number of people who saw our boosted Facebook Boosted Post match the original estimate Facebook gave me when I created the boost?

Well, this number almost never matches exactly. You should not boost posts if the exact number is necessary. The fact is that when you are engaging in the boosting of a Facebook post, they are giving you a rough estimate of what you could achieve if all the stars are lined up correctly. What you will actually pay to reach each person is very similar to Ebay, the stock market or Google PPC campaigns. Extraneous consumption can drive up your numbers.

So if you put an antique shoe tree for sale on Ebay, you can see what other antique shoes trees have sold for, but it's not a guarantee of pricing. Maybe no one needs your antique shoe tree this month. The amount you get could be low. Maybe everyone suddenly needs antique shoe trees. You could sell it for many times the average. The same happens for Facebook boosted posts. If multiple businesses are bidding to reach the same audience, the price per person reached can go up. Fortunately on FB boosted posts we are usually talking a few cents to a dollar or two up. 

What I also tell my clients is, it's ok. You shouldn't be measuring the success of your campaign by people reached. You should measure based on the actions that the people took.

Did you want page likes? Did you get what you expected? How much is each "like" worth to you? This information is more valuable than a number of people seeing your posts.