Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools have been improved to allow for easier analysis of social actions on your site, these new metrics can show you how the +1 button actually tracks the impact of tweets, likes, +1s and more affects your website’s traffic. You can find the social data in two locations: Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.
New +1 Button Metrics in Google Webmaster Tools:
According to Mashable, “Google Webmaster Tools now has a “+1 Metrics” segment, which provides reports on the impact of the +1 Button on search.” The new tool “tracks the amount of +1s on a given page, the CTR with +1 annotations and the CTR without +1 annotations. The new tool also graphs out the amount of annotated impressions and annotated clicks your website receives over time.”
According to a post on the Google Analytics Blog, there are additions to three reports and here is what we need to know:
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Search Impact Report: Will show changes to clickthrough rates based on +1 recommendations.
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Activity Report: Shows how many +1’s your pages have had.
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Audience Report: Geographic and demographic information for those who have +1’d your pages.
All of the reports itemized above are available through the +1 Metrics option that is now present on the left navigation of the Google Webmaster Tools, which provide geographic and demographic information on just who is giving your website those coveted +1’s.
Besides, in WMT, there is a Search Impact report, which displays how +1’s affect your organic search traffic. “You can find out if your clickthrough rate changes when personalized recommendations help your content stand out,” says Google software engineer Dan Rodney. “Do this by comparing clicks and impressions on search results with and without +1 annotations. We will only show statistics on clickthrough rate changes when you have enough impressions for a meaningful comparison.”
The Activity report portrays how many times your pages have been +1’d, from buttons on your site, as well as on other pages like Google Search.
An Audience report will indicate aggregate geographic and demographic data about who is using the +1 button with your content. Google only shows this info, however, when a “significant” number of users have +1’d pages. They do not say what number they consider “significant” to be.
Users will find a +1 Metrics menu on the side of the page, where each of these reports will be able to be found.
New Social Reports in Google Analytics:
Google Analytics, meanwhile, adopts a broader approach to the social question. You can implement an updated JavaScript code that tracks a variety of actions across popular social networks. To find out how to enforce the new social tracking on your website, visit this page.
What is probably more exciting than the +1 tools, though, is the addition of a Social Plugin tracker for Google Analytics. Now you will be able to see what pages have been Tweeted, Sent, Liked and +1’d, all with just a few lines of JavaScript required on your part. This includes a Social Engagement report, which shows how site behavior changes for visits that include clicks on +1 buttons and other social buttons. “This allows you to determine, for example, whether people who +1 your pages during a visit are likely to spend more time on your site than people who do not,” says Rodney.
“Over the next few days, if you have added +1 buttons to your site we will automatically activate Social Plugin Tracking for +1 in your account,” Rodney says. “You can enable tracking for other social plugins in just a few simple steps.”
Interestingly, in a world that is increasingly becoming social on every front, search included, these new tools are an undeniable next step for data tracking.
Moreover, Google’s new tools, which corresponds with the launch of the long-awaited Google+ social networking venture, may soon become essential for socially minded web mavens. After all, as social media and web performance become more intertwined the metrics analyzed with these tools may soon become the go-to numbers for measuring web perform.
Additionally, the official Google Analytics statement indicated, “Social reporting is just getting started,” so pay attention for new advanced in the near future.