In my opinion, Google Analytics is the greatest tool website and blog owners can have in their pocket. It is truly amazing how much information Google Analytics can tell you about your site’s visitors.
BUT, your statistics will be wrong and skewed if you are including your own visits to your site. I know I spend large amounts of time on my blogs editing, responding to comments and posting new articles, as I am sure you do.
If you were to include the time you spend on your own site, the average time per visitor and the number of visitors would be wildly off base. So, how can you fix this? It is very simple and quick to do – here are the steps to take.
How to Exclude Your Activity from Google Analytics:
The Power of Google Analytics Filters
1. Login to your Google Analytics account
2. Select the account (or site) you do not want to track your own activity on
3. On the bottom right side, click “Filter Manager”
Click here for a Screen Shot of Filter Manager
4. On the right side of the gray bar in the middle of the page, select “Add Filter”
Click here for a Screen Shot of Adding a Filter
5. Enter Filter Information
Click here for a Screen Shot of Entering Filter Information
- Give your filter a name, such as “Home Computer”
- Make sure “Predefined filter” is checked
- For Filter Type, from the drop down, select “Exclude”
- The next drop down select “traffic from the IP addresses”
- In the third drop down, choose “that are equal to”
- Enter your computer’s IP address.
HINT – if you do not know you IP address, simply go to the site www.whatismyip.com and it will show at the top of the page.
11. Apply Filter to Website Profiles
- Highlight the website you do not want to track your own activities on
- Click “Add” to move the site to “Selected Website Profiles”
12. Click “Save Changes”
Repeat steps for other sites you own AND for other IP addresses you use frequently, such as your work or the neighborhood coffee shop.
I hope those directions were helpful and your Google Analytics statistics reflect the true reality of your site’s visitors.
If you have any questions, please post a comment below.
Happy Blogging!
Katie
Related posts:
Recent Comments