Google Analytics Blog: Web Analytics Tips & Tricks: An upcoming change to Google.com search referrals; Google Analytics unaffected

admin » 20 April 2009 » In Keyword tools, SEO Updates »

First, just a heads-up that if you don’t analyze your own traffic logs, use Urchin web analytics software, or develop web analytics software, you probably don’t need to read this post. We’re writing this for the most geeky among us, because Google Analytics will not be affected by this information. On the other hand, we do want to let you know about some changes to Google search that are coming down the pike, before you start seeing (potentially) alarming headlines.

Starting this week, you may start seeing a new referring URL format for visitors coming from Google search result pages. Up to now, the usual referrer for clicks on search results for the term “flowers”, for example, would be something like this:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=flowers&btnG=Google+Search

Now you will start seeing some referrer strings that look like this:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fmypage.htm&ei=0SjdSa-1N5O8M_qW8dQN&rct=j&q=flowers&usg=AFQjCNHJXSUh7Vw7oubPaO3tZOzz-F-u_w&sig2=X8uCFh6IoPtnwmvGMULQfw

via Google Analytics Blog: Web Analytics Tips & Tricks: An upcoming change to Google.com search referrals; Google Analytics unaffected.

Trackback URL