WordPress and Google Analytics

The Problem: I, like many others, manage WordPress sites that I monitor with Google Analytics–which is an awesome tool.  Sometimes, however, I like to visit my site and see how content looks live.  Because I do a bunch of work on the go, it isn’t always conducive to filter out all the different IP addresses, so sometimes my visits end up getting counted and throwing my statistics off.  This could also work if you have multiple bloggers and don’t want their visits to get confused with the overall traffic of the site.

The Tools:

  • A text editor.  I use Notepad ++, but you can use whatever you like.
  • Your Google Analytics Code
  • Access to your WordPress theme

The Solution:

The solution is fairly simple, though it does require two minor adjustments on the part of the user.

First off, it will require that you login as an administrator prior to viewing your live site. This might take a little bit of getting used to, but what I’ve found is helpful is updating any bookmarks on my browser to go directly to the login page–just as a helpful reminder.

Also, some WordPress themes may allow you to insert Google Analytics code via their option panel.  While this might be helpful in most cases, this particular workaround will not function correctly without further editing of the theme.

For starters, I recommend first creating a backup copy of your site files.  Though this process should not mess with anything else, it helps to have a backup copy handy, just in case of something weird.  Also, it might help to edit your theme offline and then upload it, so while I know that WordPress does have a feature to edit code, I prefer to test offline prior to uploading.

Open header.php and locate the </head> tag.  Found it? Great! Now, right above it we’re going to add the following lines:
< ?php global $user_ID; if (!current_user_can('administrator')){?>
< ?php } ?>

What this does:

  • Sets the $user_ID variable to global. This allows us to use the built in user functions.
  • The script then checks to see if the user is not an administrator using the “current_user_can” function.

Right now, this code doesn’t alter anything.  That’s about to change!  Copy your Google Analytics code and plug it in between right after the first ?>

What you have now (depending on your Google Analytics code) should look something like:

< ?php global $user_ID; if (!current_user_can('administrator')){?>
<script type="text/javascript" src=" http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js "></script>

<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-xxxxxx-x"
urchinTracker();
</script>
<?php } ?>

</head>

This should eliminate any logged in administrative users from showing up on Google Analytics as the script will only run if the user is not an administrator!

Alternatively, you can check if the user is logged in, and run it only if the user is not logged in. This is done by replacing if (!current_user_can('administrator')) with if (!$user_ID). (In case you hadn’t guessed, in PHP ! means “not”.)

Let me know, as always, if this works out for you, or if ! how I can help.

The Power of Like

In high school we all wanted to be liked…to be accepted by a group of people as part of their “in-crowd”. You remember…the cool kids who seemed to rule the hallways while others salivated at the double-dutch opportunity to laugh at one of their jokes or be thrown just a nod of acknowledgement.  As adults in the business world (most of us anyway unless you are a 20 year-old Zuckerberg wiz kid), we aren’t all that different.  We enjoy rubbing elbows with the “movers & shakers” in an effort to acquire business connections that will hopefully profit us in relationship and in contribution to our wallets.

It’s in these efforts that we come to understand and implement strategies to be liked, which easily translates into the business marketing forum to obtain business relationships…profitable ones hopefully.  In the world of Social Media, especially on Facebook, we come to understand on a more global level, the Power of Like.  If you are not on Facebook-well golly gee willacurs you should be.  Why?

#1- it’s free.  In a world where next to nothing is this is 100% gratis!
#2 – much like blogging and having a business website; it gives you UNLIMITED, GLOBAL access to people and other businesses.  Many people/businesses are now searching Facebook for products/services in lieu of traditional worldwide web searches.
#3 – many businesses on Facebook are already “Liked” (or unfortunately Disliked) and have reviews/comments on their pages which makes their business report card accessible in a glance.
#4 – again, it’s free.  No marketing budget needed.

Do you really need more persuasion?  If so, here’s an elementary concept taught outside high school hallways in the game of real business life…

In the world of Social Media…Like=Relationships & Revenues
And thanks to Mark Z-that’s the Power of Like

Applying For Jobs May Require Your Facebook Password

Facebook AccessThis was a hot button for me when I first came across it. Apparently there are some employers out there that are taking the interview process to a whole new level. We’ve all had interviews before. The unnerving feeling of being asked a mix of mundane and out-of-left field questions that force you to say “uh…” “lets see…” Yea those. Well what if while you were asked those questions when trying to explain last week’s house party at your best friends house. Don’t remember? Well thankfully your friend posted it on his wall and tagged you so you could somewhat remember the state of mind you were in. As the memory comes back to you, the HR manager or recruiter gives you a stone cold look of disappointment.

MSNBC’s Red Tape Chronicles website was where I first read about this. Personally I think it’s an invasion of privacy. It’s almost like an employer asking what you do at home and what kind of table manners you have. On the other hand, for some agencies and high security jobs I can understand the risk and need to fully vet someone’s clearance for employment.  I remember years ago when I learned banks and other financial institutions where doing credit checks for people before they even got a chance for an interview. If you were in bad credit standing, your application would not be considered. So I guess in these new days, if you are a certain way personally outside of work, that can affect you being picked for a job too.

Now social media monitoring isn’t anything new. Not long ago the Library of Congress admitted they would be archiving all tweets posted on Twitter. Not really sure why they’d want to keep all those tweets, but they’re doing it. You could follow a lot of conspiracy rabbit holes as well the more you dig in. Even Google will be collecting all of your user data across all of their services to better serve you they say.

What can be done? Well simple, stop using these applications and websites. Too hard? Well you could do a few other things:

  • Don’t log in to any of these applications via internet or mobile device to keep your information out of their databases
  • Change your real name to an alias.
  • Try using a browser that uses no personal cookies and history saving.
  • Delete your internet history before and after using such sites
  • Create real/dummy accounts to use or share when needed

Is this too far? Is social media turning into a double-edged sword? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

A Meta What?

Indeed!  A Meta Tag?  Sounds like some very technical lingo us mere mortals only know if we are in the “web biz” or subscribe to Wired magazine.  So here’s the answer…Meta Tags or Title Tags are HTML code or word tags which instruct the search engines,aka Yahoo, Google, etc., to “spider” your site. Ok here it is in my jargon without the MIT degree: keywords or descriptors that are in the background of your website which make the title of your business or what you do, easily searchable on the web…Ta Da!

Optimization: Ok what’s with the big words right? Web optimization is the process of making a website & its content as easily searchable as possible and the words used to describe your website effective.  Title Tags and/or Meta Tags (stop frowning-go back to paragraph one for a minute…see, all better) are very important for a consumer or other businesses to find your website within a certain number of search results. It’s like bronze to gold medal ranking in the WWO – you know…the worldwide web Olympics.  And honestly we all want the gold right?

So what’s the point to all this?  Meta Tags help the search engine match the keywords to a relevant page on your website each.  That’s why each webpage of your website needs to have customized Meta Tags that are optimized for specific keywords. Better tags, better results, more access to your website, more business, and the crescendo goes to…more money.  Yes, we love the last one.  So the point is to make your website work for you, literally.  I mean isn’t that the point of having one anyway?

*P.S. Meta Tags can be used in blogs or various other forms of Social Media too.

Promote Your Peer Blogs More! (instead of celebrities)

BlogWhen you think of some famous blogs that you frequent during the day, I’m sure many names come to mind. Some of those blog authors have followers and readers in the thousands if not more. We all follow them, waiting to hear some tidbit about the next big thing, or some advice on how to do something you already heard elsewhere. They’ve been around for some time and so we trust their judgements and opinions. All of that is fine and dandy, but what about some peers you may have met recently at a local networking or social event? I’d like to challenge you to read on to see a different perspective on this topic.

With all the mediums for sharing content and social media, I’m sure you have many connections to people you’ve met or network with. In person these people can tell you a great deal about their products, services, insights, and tactics to what they do best. Of course not too much data, but still some really informative stuff. Check to see which of them has a blog or some type of frequent distribution of content. Read a few posts and see if what they’re talking about makes sense. See if it sound relevant to your current business needs or hold some great tib-bits you can use in the future.  If you’re not already signed up, I suggest you do so now.

Why Your Comments Are Important: With the various types of publications, there are also many ways for a reader to comment on his or her thoughts. This is a great option because it allows for a conversation. This gives you a voice to either compliment or challenge the content given. Nothing stirs up multiple reply comments on blogs more than when different people have different views on a topic and continue to weigh in to try and prove their points.

Share and Promote: If you found the post thought-provoking, share it with your peers and associates. This is where social media is at its best. Use the Tweet or Facebook buttons to share the post.  Coming from you, it will seem like a good and relevant read to your associates. Get them to weigh in or validate the discussion.  Think of it as community building. We all know word of mouth is the best form of advertising, so the same benefits apply here.

How Much Time It Really Takes: You may think it’s a painstaking process of hours when really it isn’t. You’ll be able to tell within the first paragraph whether or not the rest of a piece will be worth your read. Once read, take 5 minutes to write a comment. It can be a short as a few words to a paragraph if you feel led to write more. Most blog sites have their comments section ready to go without the need for you to sign up with some service before you’re able to post. Sharing on the internet is takes about 30 seconds with the help of pre-installed social media buttons.

What’s In It For You: Think of the “Golden Rule” here. If you’re already blogging for your business, wouldn’t it be great to hear from people within your community whenever you publish a post? I’m not going to set a false expectation that for every comment you place, or post you share you’ll in turn receive the same for your own.  However it does make for good recognition when you are at networking events where these other bloggers are attending also. It’s a great ice-breaker for striking up a conversation. Aside from being a part of the conversation and that warm fuzzy feeling, you have a few things to look forward to. You’ll also get a track-back to your own website or blog if you entered it into the fields when submitting your comment.

No time like the present, so start now by commenting below. Our blog even has this cool feature where it will mention your latest blog post if you check the “Comment Luv” box. And of course if you have something of value to add to the conversation, we’d love to hear it!