Google Analytics Data Sharing - Now Optional?

Recently one our our SEO Specialists logged into Google Analytics for a quick peek at our monthly web statistics and was presented for the first time with a data privacy option. We were told that Google was updating its data sharing policy and asked if we wanted to a) share our web Analytics data with Google, b) share our data anonymously, or c) do not share data at all.

“In order to improve your experience with Google products, Google Analytics is updating its data sharing policy. You now have the ability to share your Analytics data with other Google services. This will improve integration, enable additional features in Google’s advertising services (including Google Analytics, AdWords and AdSense) and improve your experience with these products.”

Upon clicking the “Learn more” link we visit a F.A.Q. page about Google Data sharing. It is described as an optional choice to allow Google to use your web analytics data with an “improved product experience”. We also noted this line:

“You can decide if you want to share your Google Analytics data with Google, and also have full control over how you share it with us.”

This is an important distinction if you’re hesitant to use Google Analytics due to privacy concerns and speculation over what THEY may be doing with your data. It also seems as though this is Google’s way of being “considerate” to their users in these times of search engine distrust. On a cynical side, this might just be Google’s way of increasing Google Analytics’ adoption rate, and at some point down the line, Google will simply remove the data sharing option. Truth be told, we thought the price of using Google Analytics was already some level of data sharing with Google.

We decided to check out a couple of the enhanced features that are available if you choose to data share. Two data use examples are industry benchmarking and an advanced AdWords Conversion Optimizer. Both of these features are in high demand from advertisers and marketers who want to know how their site, their ads, and their conversion costs stack up against comparable companies and competition.

We first looked at the Benchmarking (Beta) option.

To use the benchmarking option you must log into your Google Analytics account and opt-in to share your data at least anonymously. “Benchmarking is an optional Google Analytics service that shows how your websites statistics compare against other industry verticals.” In other words, you can compare your website to other similar size websites in your field and see how you stack up. Click on the View Reports for your domain, then from the Dashboard menu click on Visitors, then Benchmarking (Beta). Basic visitor stats are graphed such as total site visits, page views, how many pages each visitor viewed, bounce rate and more as compared to other data-sharing industry websites.

Accumulated benchmarking data is anonymized so you can’t see your competitor’s data and vice versa.

You can make a decision about sharing your data at a later time and change your settings by clicking on the Analytics Settings link then click on Edit Account and Data Sharing Settings. If you just enabled data sharing it will take up to two weeks for Google to gather enough data to graph and compare.

The AdWords Conversion Optimizer is a feature of AdWords that can automatically adjust your bids to maximize conversions (cost per acquisition) at the minimum price. Google plans to introduce an enhanced version for Google Analytics users that opt-in to share their data.

Collecting data on the Web is a tricky business these days, and given the option not to share, most users will go with their instincts and just say “no”. It will be interesting to see if the products/services that Google provides will truly provide enough benefits to outweigh any privacy concerns.

»

Leave a comment

 back to top