Google Analytics
Stay up to date with the latest news, tips, and insights about Google Analytics on Search Engine Land, including strategies to optimize your use of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which replaced Universal Analytics in mid-2024. and the forced migration to Google Analytics 4, starting July 1, 2023, from Search Engine Land.
You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tutorials and data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
Navigating Google Analytics 4 and beyond
The transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) marks a significant change in how businesses track, measure, and analyze their website and app data. Search Engine Land offers in-depth insights and strategies to help you adapt to GA4 and leverage its new features for actionable results.
Discover tutorials on using GA4, creating custom reports, and getting the most out of the platform. Stay updated on understanding GA4’s new interface and interpreting its improved insights into customer behavior.
We also cover GA4’s expanded cross-platform tracking capabilities and its emphasis on privacy-focused measurement.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
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SearchCap: Google I/O news, Google ‘Buy Button’ program & today’s Google doodle
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Assistant comes to iPhone, adds alerts, hands-free calling & more May 17, 2017 by Matt McGee Google’s virtual assistant gains a number of new features and expands to Apple’s iPhone […]
SearchCap: Google AdWords ad rank, quality score data & SEO strategies
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google is rolling out changes to AdWords Ad Rank thresholds: What you need to knowMay 15, 2017 by Ginny Marvin Bids can carry more weight in Ad Rank thresholds based on […]
SearchCap: Bing Shopping feeds, Google HTTPS & local SEO
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 4 ways brands are losing store traffic — and how to use location marketing strategies to reverse courseApr 24, 2017 by Wesley Young Many national franchise stores are failing to appear […]
SearchCap: Bing updates copyright removals, Google smart display ads & SEO beginners
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing updates its DMCA take-downs and copyright removal processApr 21, 2017 by Barry Schwartz Bing Webmaster Tools gains a content removal section for viewing and appealing DMCA take-downs. 5 must-dos for […]
SearchCap: Google Home users, Apple expands search ads & Google suggested video clips
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Apple expanding successful Search Ads to three new English-speaking marketsApr 19, 2017 by Greg Sterling Ads will begin serving in the UK, Australia and New Zealand on April 25. Google Home […]
SearchCap: Google webspam report, Bing Ads Editor update & Ripoff report in Google
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google: We sent 9M web spam messages in 2016, more than double 2015 totalApr 19, 2017 by Barry Schwartz While more messages were sent, Google said they received less than half […]
SearchCap: New Google Earth, Google Posts & Esther Afua Ocloo Google doodle
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: New Google Earth delivers guided tours, 3D images & an ‘I’m feeling lucky’ feature Apr 18, 2017 by Amy Gesenhues It’s currently only available on Chrome and Android, but Google says […]
SearchCap: Siri search, Google Maps spam & Google mobile-first index
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Siri is Google’s nearest mobile search competitor [Report] Apr 6, 2017 by Greg SterlingAccording to a survey from Fivesight Research, Siri had a larger share of mobile search than Bing or […]
SMX West: Solving SEO Issues in Google’s Post-Update World
Now that Google no longer regularly announced algorithm updates, it can be hard to tell when your site's been hit by one. Luckily, there are steps you can take to determine if you've been hit. Contributor Mark Traphagen sums up a session from SMX West on this topic.
SearchCap: Google search app, PPC titles & AdWords DSAs
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Search App for iOS gains Gboard, trending widget & 3D TouchMar 28, 2017 by Barry Schwartz An update to the iOS Google Search app gives you more features and bug […]
SearchCap: DMOZ officially closes, Google dilutes Exact Match in AdWords & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Your playbook for click-to-call paid search is here Mar 20, 2017 by Digital Marketing Depot Consumers now click on “Call” buttons from search ads and landing pages by the billions. To […]
Your guide to using Google Assistant and the Google search app on Android & iPhone
Google Assistant is coming widely to Android phones. Here's how to use it and other ways to Google on your smartphone -- even for iPhone users.
How to use Google Tag Manager to show your clients results
Columnist Sherry Bonelli provides an overview of Google Tag Manager, including how get started with it.
SearchCap: Google code syntax search, AdWords second line and AMP analytics bug
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Using AMP? A known bug is probably screwing up your Google AnalyticsMar 2, 2017 by Danny Sullivan Issue can cause visitors to be overcounted, single sessions to be divided into separate […]
SearchCap: Google site closed, penalty recovery & shopping ads
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: After rare Google confirmation of on-site penalty, Natural News is back in Google’s indexFeb 28, 2017 by Barry Schwartz HealthNews.com confirms being reincluded in the Google index after being deindexed last […]
SearchCap: Google Assistant, local finder test & Bing hospital finder
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Assistant to roll out across newer smartphonesFeb 27, 2017 by Greg Sterling The virtual assistant capability will soon be available on smartphones running Android 6.0 and 7.0. 5 ways you […]
SearchCap: Google AdWords connects with Data Studio, Searchmetrics ranking factors & mobile popup study
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Data Studio beefs up AdWords MCC integrationFeb 10, 2017 by Ginny Marvin A new “Manager Accounts” option lets MCC account holders select individual sub-accounts for reporting. Here’s how Google’s own […]
Google Data Studio now connects to Search Console
Build more flexible reports and combine Search Console data with other data sources.
SearchCap: Google bad ads, photos in Google My Business & SEO
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google My Business revamps photo management for Google Maps listingsJan 25, 2017 by Barry Schwartz Google aims to make it easier for business owners to manage their photos within Google My […]
Attention search marketers: ALL keywords are branded keywords!
Columnist Larry Kim explains how brand affinity impacts both paid and organic search performance -- and how you can use this information to bolster your SEO and PPC campaigns.
SearchCap: Search engine entities, pictures & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Newly-granted Google patent sheds light on how the search engine sees entitiesJan 13, 2017 by Dave Davies Columnist Dave Davies explains a recent Google patent which hints at how the search […]
Want to become a high-impact digital marketer?
SMX West pre-conference workshops are conducted by the world’s leading subject matter experts in SEO, SEM, social and digital. All workshops will be held on Monday, March 20, and are conveniently located at the San Jose Convention Center. 2017 brings a revamped lineup and fresh takeaways. Keep reading for workshop previews! Each workshop provides: a full day […]
Eat Local: Our Top 10 Local Search Columns of 2016
Hungry for some good local SEO content? Satisfy your hunger with Search Engine Land's 10 most popular local search columns of the year.
SearchCap: Google AMP changes, BrightLocal study & PPC mistakes
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 6 common PPC reporting mistakes that can make you look terribleDec 21, 2016 by Frederick Vallaeys Your job is hard enough — don’t sabotage yourself by making these reporting mistakes. Columnist […]
SearchCap: Google offensive, local SEO & small business
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions & resultsDec 16, 2016 by Danny Sullivan Facing criticism over “fake news,” inappropriate search suggestions and more, the search company is looking […]
SearchCap: Google Search Console update, Bing Ads bot & Google Home
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Search Console expands reports for property setsDec 12, 2016 by Barry Schwartz Google’s property set feature in the Google Search Console just got way more useful. Bing Ads is building […]
New wave of referrer spam wrecking Google Analytics data
If you're seeing a lot of referral traffic in your Google Analytics data, you're not alone. Contributor Jonathan Hochman explains how referral spam happens, lays out methods to combat it and suggests potential solutions for Google's consideration.
SearchCap: Google local tweets, AdWords audience targets & SEO strategies
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Tweet Google an emoji & it will reply with local search resultsDec 7, 2016 by Amy Gesenhues Tweet an emoji to @Google and you’ll get an immediate reply that includes a […]
Prices increase next week. Save big at SMX West now.
Super early bird rates expire next week for SMX West, the world’s premier search marketing conference. Register for three days of cutting-edge tactics that will leave your competition in the dust, presented by search marketing experts. Here’s what to expect March 21–23 in San Jose: Actionable content: The agenda consists of 50+ innovative sessions covering the […]
Meet a Landy Award winner: Wolfgang Digital integrates search and TV into a cross-channel campaign for a big Irish retailer
The result for Littlewoods Ireland: the most successful Christmas campaign ever
SearchCap: Yandex Palekh algorithm, Yext reviews & more search
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Yext Reviews product is pre-optimized for Schema, balances reviews across sitesNov 2, 2016 by Greg Sterling Company says that capturing more reviews will help with local ranking. Yandex launches new algorithm […]
Google creates its own antitrust woes with poor communication over search listings
Have an issue with your listings in Google? Getting an official answer might be tough. And when that happens to a Google competitor, as it did with ProtonMail, it could come back to harm Google's defense from antitrust charges.
SearchCap: Conductor’s Insight Stream, long-term SEO & Criteo’s Predictive Search
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Conductor adds Insight Stream to its Searchlight platform Oct 25, 2016 by Barry Levine The new insight engine culls recommended actions from the platform’s streams of data, part of a marketing […]
SearchCap: Bing Ads new campaign setup process, SEO on a budget & today’s Google Doodle
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Don’t miss MarTech Europe next week. Hope to see you there! Oct 24, 2016 by Scott Brinker I’m sure you’ve seen that MarTech Europe is next week, 1-2 November, in London. […]
SearchCap: Google Shopping, Google’s HTTPS algorithm & Google Assistant
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How keyword segmentation can increase Google Shopping profits Oct 18, 2016 by Digital Marketing Depot Over the past few years, retailers have seen steady growth in product listing ad (PLA) channels […]
Why Google’s quality updates should be on your algorithmic radar [Part 2]: The connection to low-quality user experience
In the second installment of his two-part series on Google's quality updates (aka Phantom updates), columnist Glenn Gabe explains the connection between user experience and organic search performance.
SearchCap: Google Penguin links, link labels & RGB to Hex answers
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Penguin looks mostly at your link source, says GoogleOct 10, 2016 by Barry Schwartz When we asked Google’s Gary Illyes about Penguin, he said SEOs should focus on where their […]
SearchCap: Offline call data, AdWords budget creep & AMP fire hose
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Allstate: offline call data improved SEM performance and the customer experienceOct 3, 2016 by Greg Sterling Company generated increase in quality calls and lowered customer acquisition costs. 3 mysterious and scary […]
SearchCap: Penguin & link building, PPC leads & social
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: What’s new and cool at Google from SMX East 2016Sep 30, 2016 by Mark Traphagen At this year’s SMX East, Googlers Jerry Dischler and Babak Pahlavan shared recent updates and what’s […]
What’s new and cool at Google from SMX East 2016
At this year's SMX East, Googlers Jerry Dischler and Babak Pahlavan shared recent updates and what's coming to AdWords and Google Analytics. Columnist Mark Traphagen was on hand to cover the highlights.