Google analytics is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. As a PPC/SEO consultant, an application like Google analytics is essential in order to measure the traffic to your website. A web marketer without analytical software is like Fish without chips, a dog without a bone. You know where I am going with that :)

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I was first introduced to the power of Analytics when working on a large scale product for an online network of Windows, Doors and Conservatory sunroom suppliers. I couldn’t believe the accessibility and the tools available for a free program. I guess this just further enforces Google’s dominance within the online sector.

In this blog we will look at the importance of adding filters to your Google analytics. Filters within your blog to do exactly what it says on the tin, filter out any unwanted traffic. Many people may be thinking ‘Why would I want to filter out traffic?’

That is a good question which has a simple answer. There was an example of this very question when working with a specific. We’d just launched a new website for a high profile client and spent continuous hours checking the site, links, meta tags, all the things us Online marketing guru’s do. The next day through checking the analytics we had received 40 impressions on a brand spanking new site. We thought to ourselves ‘FANTASTIC!’

Further analysis however resulted in us realising we’d forgot to add filters to the Analytics account and it was actually our impressions. School boy error? Indeedy.

Filters are something so small which make a huge difference in separating ‘authentic’ realistic traffic from your own visits. Adding a filter is simple. Log into your online control panel and you will have a list of your domains as shown before.

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To the far right hand side you will be able to see the ‘Actions’ header. Underneath this clearly stated is an ‘edit’ button. Pressing this button you will move to the following page below.

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At the bottom section of the page there will be a heading stating ‘Filters applied to Profile’. To the right hand side of this simply ‘Add Filter’ and you will be prompted with the following page.

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The name of the filter doesn’t matter. I usually name the filter in correspondence with the computer i am on. For example: My work filter for all websites i create is labelled ‘Work’ Filter’. Simple really. The primary use for my filters is IP addresses. Upon entering the Filter name simply change the drop down menu stating ‘Filter type’ to ‘Exclude all traffic from an IP address’

To find out your IP address i use the following site.

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The site will automatically provide you with your IP address of which you can then post into the ‘IP Address’ filter section. Following this, simply save changes to the filter and the filter will be added to your URL. A very simple procedure which helps refine the traffic to your site so that you know the traffic you are receiving is actually useful traffic as opposed to your own testing mechanisms.

Although a very simple procedure it is very effective in using Analytics properly. I tend to cover all computers i use with the filter on all websites i use. I also ask clients for their unique IP address and add filters to Google analytic profiles i have created for them. Clients who you work for will love checking and rechecking their own website so this filter will be useful.

Thanks for reading people. Hope this helped. The small things always have benefits.