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Google Analytics Integration



Easily integrate Google Analytics into your Rank Ranger SEO platform for more detailed reports containing referral traffic and additional data blended in line with your SEO analysis.

You will need to be able to verify that you are the administrator of your domain and that the domain has a valid Google Analytics account in order to connect it with Rank Ranger.  Certain metrics, such as Age & Gender demographics data, are only available for sites that are using Universal Analytics.

Note:
 Currently, Rank Ranger Reporting partially supports a new Google Analytics 4 Property. Reports supported by Google Analytics 4 are:
  • Traffic Summary
  • Traffic Sources
  • Insight Graph
  • Metric Widget
The links to the report documentation are at the end of this document under the Related section.
Additional Google Analytics reports are in the process of development and will be added to the list once in production.
To enable full reporting support in your Rank Ranger account you need to set both Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics Property to work together in your Google Analytics account.
 
 
Authorize Google Analytics Connection

 

Authorize Connection to Google Analytics

 
Integrate Google Analytics with Rank Ranger
  • Open Account Settings > Authorized Connections
  • Click the Add Connection button to expand the option list.
  • Click the Google Analytics button.

Google Analytics integration


Select the Account


If more than one Google account is accessed with the computer or device you're using, then Google will ask you to choose an account.

Select Google account


Permissions

Rank Ranger requires viewing and managing Analytics configuration and reports strictly for the purpose of integrating that data into your Rank Ranger reports.  Review the permissions that need to be granted and click the Allow button if you agree.

Authorize Google Analytics data integration


More Info

Click the "i" icon to review more information regarding the account permissions. Click the OK button to close the window.

more information about Analytics permissions


Name the Google Analytics Connection

Enter a Connection Name (optional) that will make it easy for users to identify the account it corresponds to and click the Update button.

Edit Google Analytics Connection Name
 



Connect Campaign to Google Analytics

 
Google Analytics integration with your rank tracking campaign enables a variety of customizable reports and graphs that can contain blended data.

From the Home screen, click the Campaign Settings (gear) icon corresponding to the campaign you want to connect to a Google Analytics account and Profile (i.e., website or custom profiles that have been set up in the Google Analytics account for the site).

In the left menu click Website Analytics.

Google Analytics campaign settings


  • If the screen displays no options for selecting an Analytics connection, then you need to follow the Authorize Google Analytics instructions above for adding a connection to your account. or click on the New Google Analytics Account button and complete the authorized connection steps.

Select a Google Analytics Connection Name

Select an Integration Name  (this is the name that was assigned by the person who authorized the connection) for the campaign and click the Integrate button.

Selecte an Analytics connection name

Select Analytics Version

Select the Universal Analytics or GA4 version of Google Analytics related to the tracked domain

Usually, the default integration name has a number of profiles and a number of properties listed in the parentheses. Profiles are for Universal Analytics and Properties are for the Google Analytics 4 Version of the Google Analytics account.

Select the GA Version

Analytics Profile/Properties list

Select the Analytics Profile or Property that corresponds to the tracked domain and click the Connect button.  Important! The profile/property is not connected until you click the Connect button.

If the selection list consists of many "All Web Site Data (UA-XXXXXXXX-X)" items and you find this confusing, please refer to the Finding the Correct Google Analytics Profile section below.

Select the website profile


Successful Campaign Connection to Google Analytics

When successfully connected, the Campaign Settings > Website Analytics screen should display both a Google Analytics Connection Name and an Analytics Profile/Property Name

successful Google Analytics connection


Google Ads Integration

 

To view Google Ads data in Rank Ranger reports, Google Analytics must be configured correctly for the primary domain, and Google Ads must be linked to Google Analytics:


Find the Correct Google Analytics Profile

 
Accepting Google's defaults when a website is added to a Google Analytics account causes all Property Names to result in the format

 "All Web Site Data (UA-XXXXXXXX-X)" 

This can make selecting the correct Analytics Profile to connect with Rank Ranger confusing unless you maintain a list of the domains you manage along with their corresponding UA numbers.  

If you do not maintain or have access to such a list, then we recommend changing the Property Name in Google Analytics to something more easily identifiable. Here's how:

  • Log out of Rank Ranger
  • Log in to the Google Analytics account
  • In the top menu click Admin

    Access Google Analytics Admin

  • In the Account menu, select the account name that corresponds to the website
  • In the Property menu, select the property (e.g., All Web Site Data (UA-xxxxxxx-1) )
  • Click the Property Settings option

    Access Google Analytics Property Settings

  • Change the Property Name field to the domain name or other descriptor that will be easily recognizable

    Change Google Analytics Property Name

  • Click the Save button
  • Log in to Rank Ranger and follow the instructions at the top of this page and when you get to the Analytics Profile Selection, you should see and select your newly named property.



No Profiles Error

 
After connecting a Google Analytics account to Rank Ranger at the account level, and connecting that to a campaign, if you see the error "Current connection has no profiles", that is an indicator of a failed or revoked authorization, or that the user who tried to make the connection does not have the proper Google Analytics account authorization level. 

Google Analytics Connection with No Profiles

Google Analytics No Profiles

Please confirm that you have connected the correct Analytics account that is used to manage the domain. Then check Google's security screen for all Apps connected to your account - from there you can verify, view authorization information, and revoke access when needed. 

You will need to delete the connection from the Account Settings > Authorized Connections screen. Then log into the Google Analytics account that corresponds to the website being tracked and follow the instructions at the top of this page for adding a new connection.  If that does not resolve the issue then you should confirm the user account authorization level.

Confirm User Account Authorization

Log in to the Google Analytics account that corresponds to the tracked domain, click Admin and  Property > User Management.

access Google Analytics Admin User management

Confirm User Permissions

Locate the user's email address and confirm that s/he has been given full administrative authorization (i.e., manage, edit, collaborate and read & analyze) because only a Google Analytics account administrator has the permissions required by Google for the authorized connection to Rank Ranger to be completed.

Google Analytics user permissions



Successful Connection Stops Working (no profiles)

 

Current Connection has no profiles
  • If you successfully connected Google Analytics to a campaign in the past and suddenly reports do not contain data, please check the Campaign Settings > Website Analytics screen.
  • If you are trying to add a new campaign and connect that to an existing authorized connection but are not able to find the site's profile...
If the Campaign Settings > Website Analytics screen is displaying a "Current connection has no profiles" message.
 
Google Analytics connections with no profiles

Please click this Google Authorized Access link and let us know:
  1. Is Rank Ranger listed (if so, please take and send us a screenshot of that)? 
    If not, then you should first remove any other connections that were authorized and no longer needed (e.g., free trials to various web applications). Then you'll need to delete the old connection in our Authorized Connections screen and create a new one and then add the connection to your campaign.
  2. Is any other application that you previously authorized missing?
  3. Are there any other authorized users on these Google Analytics accounts who might have accidentally revoked access?

Google recently made changes to their token expiration policy and the reasons why an authorized connection to Rank Ranger can expire are:
  1. The user has revoked access.
  2. The token has not been used for six months.
  3. The user account has exceeded a certain number of token requests.
If you haven't revoked the access and because the token is used daily when we pull data into your reports, that only leaves the possibility of #3, the Google Analytics account exceeding "a certain number of token requests".   Google explains in the token expiration section of their developer documentation:
There is currently a limit of 50 refresh tokens per user account per client. If the limit is reached, creating a new token automatically invalidates the oldest token without warning...

There is also a larger limit on the total number of tokens a user account or service account can have across all clients...

If you need to authorize multiple programs, machines, or devices, one workaround is to limit the number of clients that you authorize per user account to 15 or 20. If you are a Google Apps admin, you can create additional admin users and use them to authorize some of the clients.
In plain English:
  • Per client in the first paragraph means per application, such as Rank Ranger, that you (or any other authorized users) may have connected a particular Google Analytics account to.
  • Larger limit in the second paragraph is unfortunately not defined.
  • Across all clients in the second paragraph means the total number of authorized connection tokens to all web applications combined (e.g., integration with Rank Ranger, email marketing campaign tracking, social media tracking, share button tracking, video tracking other than YouTube, etc.)
  • Per user in the third paragraph refers to the authorized users in each Google Analytics account. For example, if 5 people are authorized to make data integration connections between Google Analytics and web applications, and each of them makes multiple connections (possibly during the course of evaluating a variety of apps), it is possible that the total number of tokens exceeds Google's maximum allowed.
Please contact customer service if you need further assistance.



No Data in Analytics Reports

 
If after successfully connecting a Google Analytics account and confirming that the correct website profile has been connected to the campaign, the reports in our Analytics section do not contain any data, it is possible that there is an issue with the website's Google Analytics tracking code

In order for Google to provide us with tracking data, the website must have Google's tracking code inserted correctly inside the Head tags of the pages to be tracked.   Please refer to Google Analytics Help:  Set up Analytics tracking for more information on the tracking code script options, and follow their instructions for checking your web tracking code setup.
 
If, after confirming that the site does contain valid Google tracking code and it matches the profile selected in the Campaign Website Analytics settings, you still do not see data in our Analytics reports and graphs please log into the Google Analytics account and take a full screenshot of the Audience Overview report (including page header) for the website and send it to customer service and we will further research the issue for you.

Available Third Party Integrations


Third Party data can be used to create individual or blended metrics Insight Graphs and Single Metric Widgets and is also available in a wide variety of reports.
Authorize these Connections for comprehensive marketing reports and graphs: See a list of the available Third Party connections in the below "Related" section.

Google Analytics Reports and Graphs

Google Search & Ad Metrics Glossary


The below-listed metrics are only for the Google Analytics Universal Profile connection.
Wondering what some of the Google metrics in our reports and graphs mean? 

Ad Clicks Displays the number of times viewers of a banner click on an ad to view the full offer.
All Users Total of new users and returning users for a given period of time.
Assisted Conversions Google's measure of any interaction, other than the final click, that led to a consumer converting on a website.
Assisted Value The total value of the conversions assisted by the channel.
Attribution The process of assigning credit for sales and conversions to touchpoints in conversion paths.
Attribution allows marketers to quantify each channel's contribution to sales and conversions. For example, many people may purchase on your site after searching for your brand on Google.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Avg. Time on Site Displays the average length of time a visitor spent on a particular page or set of pages.
Avg. Value A calculation of Event Value / Total Events.
Bounce Rate Displays the percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the page they entered through without going deeper inside your site).
Completions The total number of users who have completed all elements defined for a particular goal.
Conversion A completed activity, online or offline, that is important to the success of your business. Examples include a completed sign-up for your email newsletter (a Goal conversion) and a purchase (a transaction, sometimes called an Ecommerce conversion).
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Conversion Rate The number of conversions is divided by the number of total ad clicks that can be tracked to a conversion during the same time period.
Cost The total cost of Google AdWords campaigns, in currency units defined by the Google account user.
Channel Grouping A roll-up of traffic sources in the Acquisition reports that groups several marketing activities together. Channel groupings allow you to view and compare aggregated metrics by channel name, as well as an individual traffic source, medium, or campaign name.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
CPC (Cost Per Click) Cost-per-click is the average cost an advertiser paid for each click on search ad(s).
CTR (Click Through Ratio) Displays the Click-through-ratio for an ad.  This is equal to the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions the ad received.
Dimension A descriptive attribute or characteristic of an object that can be given different values.
For example, a geographic location could have dimensions called Latitude, Longitude, or City Name. Values for the City Name dimension could be New York, London, etc.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Event A type of hit used to track user interactions with content. Examples of user interactions commonly tracked with Events include downloads, mobile ad clicks, gadgets, Flash elements, AJAX embedded elements, and video plays.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Event Value A calculation of Total Event * Value.
Exit Rate How often do users end their session or leave the site after viewing a particular page
Goal A configuration setting that allows you to track the valuable actions, or conversions, that happens on a site or mobile app.
Goals allow you to measure how well your site or app fulfills your target objectives.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Hits An interaction that results in data being sent to Analytics. Common hit types include page tracking hits, event tracking hits, and e-commerce hits.
Each time the tracking code is triggered by a user’s behavior (for example, the user loads a page on a website or a screen in a mobile app), Analytics records that activity. Each interaction is packaged into a hit and sent to Google’s servers.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Impressions (Ads) The measurement of how many times an ad is shown.
Impressions (Search Console) An impression is the display of a website link in search results or an advertisement. This metric accounts for the total number of impressions recorded by Google for a website or ad campaign.
Last Interaction Conversions The ratio of assisted/last interaction conversions. This is a number that indicates whether this channel primarily results in last interaction conversions or is predominantly assisted conversions. Numbers of 1.5 and higher indicate that this channel is predominantly accounting for assisted conversions, while numbers closer to 0 indicate the channel’s contribution to conversions is predominantly as the last interaction.
Last Interaction Value The total value of the conversions completed by the listed channels.
Metric Individual elements of a dimension that can be measured as a sum or a ratio.
For example, the dimension City can be associated with a metric like Population, which would have a sum value of all the residents of the specific city.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
New Users New Users is based on Google's ga:newUsers metric and represents the number of sessions marked as a user's first sessions.
New Users % New Users % is based on Google's ga:percentNewSessions metric that represents the percentage of sessions by users who had never visited the site before. It does not represent the number of new users between one period and the previous. In this Google Developer document, it is described as the calculation of ga:newSessions / ga:sessions
New Visits Displays the number of new visits by people who have never been to the site before.
Organic Traffic Number of users who find your website ‘organically’ through search results, as opposed to via a paid ad, clicking a link on another site, or from a bookmark they already have saved.
Paid Traffic Number of visitors to your site who came there via Google Ads, paid search keywords and other online ad campaigns.
Pageviews An instance of a page being loaded (or reloaded) in a browser.
Pageviews is a metric defined as the total number of pages viewed.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Permission The right to perform administrative and configuration tasks, to create and share assets, and to read and interact with report data.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Property A sub-component of an Analytics account that determines which data is organized and stored together.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Revenue Specifies the total revenue or grand total associated with the transaction (e.g. 11.99). This value may include shipping, tax costs, or other adjustments to total revenue that you want to include as part of your revenue calculations.
Roll-Up Reporting A feature of Roll-Up Properties, which aggregate data from multiple source properties into a single property.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Sampling The practice of selecting a subset of data from your traffic and reporting on the trends detected in that sample set.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Segment A subset of sessions or users that share common attributes.
Segments allow you to isolate and analyze groups of sessions or users for better analysis.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Session The period of time a user is active on your site or app.
By default, if a user is inactive for 30 minutes or more, any future activity is attributed to a new session.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Sessions with Event The number of sessions during which an Event was recorded.
Source / Medium Source: the origin of your traffic, such as a search engine (for example, google) or a domain (example.com).
Medium: the general category of the source, for example, organic search (organic), cost-per-click paid search (cpc), web referral (referral).
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Tags Referring to Google Tag Manager, a Tag is a snippet of JavaScript that sends information to a third party, such as Google. The Analytics tracking code is an example of a tag.
Refer to this Google Support document for more information.
Total Events A total of Events (executions of a specific action) that occurred on a website during a specified period of time.
Unique Events The number of unique events that occurred on a website during a specific period of time.
Unique Page Views The number of times a page was viewed during a specific time period.
Views The number to views a website or specific web page received during a report period.
Visits By Medium Displays the number of visits by medium through which your site was reached. For example, every referral to a website also has a medium. Possible mediums include: "organic” (unpaid search), "cpc” (cost per click, i.e. paid search), "referral” (referral), "email” (the name of a custom medium you have created), "none” (direct traffic has a medium of "none”).
Visits By Source Displays the number of visits by source that brought visitors to your website. For example, every referral to a web site has an origin, or source. Possible sources include: "google” (the name of a search engine), "facebook.com” (the name of a referring site), "spring_newsletter” (the name of one of your newsletters), and "direct” (users that typed your URL directly into their browser, or who had bookmarked your site).

We will update this periodically, but in the meantime if there are metrics you're curious about that aren't listed in this glossary, please refer to this Google support document.


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