All green, nature, and sustainability posts have been moved to Loving Nature's Garden

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Power of Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a neat little tool for the website and blog owner. I won't attempt to explain what Google Analytics does, because Google have cornered the market on doing a good job of that. I will, however, let you know that daily perusal of Google Analytics will not only tell you where your visitors are coming from, and whether anyone at all likes your writing enough to come back, but it can lead to a good few, free laughs!

One of the categories of information provided by Google Analytics is Keywords. You get details of the words people punched into their search engine, which turned up your website/blog and caused them to visit. Am I weird to be fascinated by this? I don't know, but I think it's useful information. For instance would you ever have guessed that the most common reason people reach my blog here is because they are searching for Wizard of Oz Lesson Plans? Try it, search on this phrase, or something similar, and my humble, little blog comes up on the first page of Google results! Well, that may be surprising, but it's not terribly amusing. Hold on, just getting to it...

Here is a list of the more unusual keyword combinations that have found my blog in the three months that I've been blogging:
  • as i go a wandering - I hope they got there.
  • flintstone's premiered-1960 - I don't remember mentioning the Flintstones!
  • "hedge apple" ethanol - wonder what they were planning...
  • 10 nice people attributes - apparently people don't know what qualifies as nice any more!
  • 47d608ad36f318f572b6b4c232 - well, no clue on this one.
  • arr where's me booty - not on my blog for sure!
  • canada economy materialism - did I talk about this?
  • galaxy bits - was this the candy/chocolate galaxy, or are we falling apart?
  • google analytics zero views - I guess someone wanted to know how to make their blog invisible, which brings us to...
  • guide to become invisible - I'm lost for words!
  • i admire you for raising your children - thank you, I appreciate that.
  • it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht robbie burns - my favorite - who ever typed such a lo....ng search term?
So, have people used weird search keywords to find YOUR blog? For personal security purposes it might be worth knowing!

Brought to you by GreatFunBooks.com - the home of fun reading for kids.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

The long number looks like the copy of a URL.

Alison Kerr said...

Well, that could make sense. I wonder if it's my URL. I'm going to go and edit it this in my post just in case... seems like something I should not be making available if that's what it is :-(

Janet said...

I love it when people do this. I have mine set to not be searchable. I may change that just to see what bizarre things I get.

jugglingpaynes said...

I get that through my site meter. I love it when people find my site through a Google search!
Some of the more recent searches that came my way:
"Zen lawn mower"
"comic strips about parent-teacher conferences"
"dragon cake"
"log cabin gingerbread"
I have to think, there have been some real funny ones, but of course my mind just went blank. :oP

Peace and Laughter!

 
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