Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can be used to track website visitors and activity. However, it is important to be able to identify and filter out spam traffic in order to get accurate data. In this article, we will discuss how to identify and filter out spam in Google Analytics, so you can have the best possible experience.
What Is Google Analytics Used for?
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It is the most widely used web analytics service on the internet. Google Analytics is free to use, and it provides a wealth of data about your website visitors, including their location, device, browser, and more.
This allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your site and make decisions that will improve the user experience. For example, if you see that most of your visitors are from a certain country, you can make sure that your site is optimized for that country.
That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to spam traffic and make sure it doesn’t inflate the numbers on your site. It can come from a number of sources, including bots, referrer spam, and ghost referral sites.
Look at the Source
The first step in identifying and filtering out spam traffic is to look at its source. You can do this by looking at the “Referral Path” in Google Analytics. If you see a lot of referral traffic from sites that are known to be spammy (such as FreeWebsites.com or Get-Free-Traffic-Now.com), then it is likely that this is spam.
Another way to look at the source is to check the “Hostname” column in Google Analytics. This will show you the domain name of the website that the visit came from. If you recognize that domain names come from sites that don’t have a good reputation, you can be almost completely sure it’s not the kind of traffic you want.
Check the Behavior of the Traffic
Another way to identify and filter out spam traffic is to check how the visitor data acts. If you see a lot of traffic coming from a particular source, but there is no engagement with the site (for example, no page views, bounces, or time on site), then it is likely that those site visits are not interested in your site, and are just looking to spam you.
You can also check the behavior of the traffic by looking at the “Pageviews” and “Unique Pageviews” metrics in Google Analytics. If you see a large number of pageviews but very few unique pageviews, then it is likely it is coming from bots or automated programs.
Filter It Out
Once you’ve identified the spam traffic, you can filter it out of your Google Analytics data. To do this, go to the Admin section of Google Analytics and click on “Filters.” Then, click on “New Filter” and create a filter that excludes visits from spammy sources.
This will help to ensure that your Google Analytics data is accurate and that you’re only seeing the activity that you want to see.
What If Spam Is Persistent?
If you find that spam is still getting through, even after you’ve filtered it out, then there are a few things you can do.
The first is to use a Google Analytics plugin or extension that will help to block known sites that have bots designed to attack other sites. There are a few different options available, but one of the most popular is the GASpamBlocker extension.
Another option is to use a Google Analytics filter that will only include traffic from certain countries. This can be done by going to the Admin section of Google Analytics and clicking on “Filters.” Then, click on “New Filter” and create a filter that only includes visits from countries that you want to see.
You can also use a Google Analytics filter to only include traffic from certain IP addresses. The process for doing this is much the same— simply go to Admin and click on “Filters.” Click on “New Filter” again, but this time a filter that only includes visits from IP addresses that you want to see.
This will help to ensure that your Google Analytics data is more accurate and will leave out the visits that could be messing with your website.
Why Does This Happen?
This can be a problem for any website, but it is especially common for small businesses and new websites. The reason why spam traffic is so common is that there are a lot of people out there who are trying to make money by sending visits to other people’s sites.
They do this by creating fake websites or by using bots. These methods are not effective in generating actual leads or customers, but they can be used to inflate website numbers.
The end result of this is that the website owner sees a lot of activity coming from these sources, but the traffic is not interested in the site and does not convert. This can be frustrating, and it can make it difficult to track where your real visits are coming from.
Other consequences of spam traffic include inflated pageview counts, higher bounce rates, and lower time on site. This can all lead to a decrease in the quality of your data, and it can make it difficult to make decisions based on that data and improve your site.
Conclusion
Spam traffic can be a problem in Google Analytics, but there are ways to identify and filter it out. By looking at the source and the behavior, you can be sure that you’re only seeing the things that you’re supposed to see for the most accurate data. And by using filters, you can ensure that your Google Analytics data is not getting spammed by fake websites or bots. It’s fairly easy to set up and worth it in the long run.