Google’s been very busy lately adding social layers to its offering… First it was the launch of +1 buttons to Google search sites and then Google+ project, which is set to rival Facebook. Yesterday saw the release of a Social Plugin Tracking tool for Google Analytics.
The Social Tracking feature is a very exciting development as it helps you understand how visitors share content on your site via social actions. You can now track social interactions such as Google +1s, tweets, Facebook “Likes” and LinkedIn shares on your content.
If you didn’t already know, this new feature has been automatically added to your Analytics account (available in the new version only) and the tracking generates three reports based on: Social Engagement, Social Actions and Social Pages.
- Social Engagement: Tracks behaviour changes for visits that include social actions and clicks on +1 buttons. You’ll be able to determine the impact of +1’s, tweets, “Likes” and other social actions on your website’s traffic e.g. users who +1 your pages may be more likely to spend more time on-site than people who don’t.
- Social Actions: Tracks the number of social actions (+1 clicks, “Likes”, tweets etc) users take on your site. This will provide insight into what social network your content is being share on most often, helping you to focus your social strategy.
- Social Pages: Compares your pages to determine which are receiving the highest number of social actions – basically what is most popular on the site.
Image Credit: Google Analytics
Previously, you may have been using event tracking to report on users sharing your content on social sites. However, this Social Plugin Tracking tool now provides a consistent framework for social interaction tracking and reporting. If you have already added +1 buttons to your site, Social Plugin Tracking for +1 will be automatically enabled. To track other social interactions, JavaScript will need to be added to the social sharing buttons on your website pages.
This is no doubt just the start of social reporting in Google Analytics and is a huge step in helping business owners to understand the value that social actions are providing to their business.
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