Web Analytics Recap: Seller Chat in the Online Labs

TechUpdates

Story by TechUpdates

Published on Mar 13, 2009 in Seller Handbook

Photo by BlueCakeAndButtercup

Recently, we held an Online Lab on the topic of Etsy Web Analytics, which enables sellers to do tracking with Google Analytics.  We had a great turnout, with over 100 sellers in attendance.  If you were not able to attend, I wanted to recap the top questions and big ideas from the talk.

The big talking point concerned what Google Analytics can do for sellers.  It is a powerful tool, but at the end of the day the real power comes from helping you make better decisions about your Etsy shop.

Think of Google Analytics as the pulse of your shop, with the pulse equating to the number of visitors viewing your items.  A higher pulse rate means more visitors, and in general more visitors would correlate to more sales for your shop.

Over time your shop will get more or less the same amount of traffic, but what you can do is start to experiment with some basic marketing efforts and use Google Analytics as the yardstick to measure success.  Marketing efforts could mean, for instance, using a better set of Etsy tags to describe your item, creating a blog, actively using services such as Twitter or Facebook, or even buying some online advertising.  The key question to answer is — which marketing efforts pay off for me?  By looking at Google Analytics, it can provide historical data and trending that show you how your marketing efforts drove traffic to your Etsy shop.

Also, to recap the top questions from the talk:

  1. Excluding My IP Address
    Many sellers wanted to know how to exclude their own IP addresses from Google Analytics.  This is useful since for smaller sellers you yourself are likely to be a top viewer of your own pages.  Here is a helpful link on how to exclude your IP address from Google Analytics.  If you need to know your IP address, here is a free online tool that shows you your IP address.  Note however that for many internet users, their IP address changed periodically (otherwise known as DHCP).  Check with your internet service provider if you have a static or dynamic IP address.
  2. Showing Pageviews by Hour
    Another popular question was to see how many pageviews a shop got hour by hour.  Normally Google Analytics shows views by day.  To view by hour, go to the main page (your “Dashboard” view), on the left hand menu click on Visitors, and under Visitor Trending, select Visits.  On the right hand side above the graph, you will see gray text that reads “Graph By:” and icon options to click on. The default view will be by “Day,” or the second icon. Select the first icon to the left, which is the “Hour” view.
  3. Referral Traffic
    Another popular question was the breakdown of traffic that a user sees as referrals.  There are three basic types.  The first is “direct” — in other words, traffic that comes directly from a user.  This could be a link in an email, or a saved bookmark.  The second is “referral” traffic, and this is an actual link on another website that linked to your shop.  The third is “search engines.”  In this case your shop or item information was displayed in a search engine such as Google or Yahoo and that’s how the visitor found you.
  4. E-commerce Tracking
    Sellers asked if Etsy would enable e-commerce tracking through Google Analytics.  While this is on our road map, we are evaluating exactly how this would work in Etsy’s marketplace.  Remember that during checkout a buyer can purchase from many different sellers, so the tracking of e-commerce is more complicated than just one shop.

Lastly you can download the presentation that was reviewed during the labs called Google Analytics For Sellers Guide.

Thanks to all the sellers who attended. Post in the comments below if you have more helpful tips!

Seller Handbook | Statistics Posts

Discuss: 83 comments

Related Items

83 comments

Sign in to add your own
  • dropofsunshine

    dropofsunshine says:

    Can't wait until you guys can find out how to track sales!! Everything is awesome so far, thanks!

    3 years ago

  • gloilocksandbody

    gloilocksandbody says:

    I love my google analytics! Thank you etsy :D

    3 years ago

  • uncharted

    uncharted says:

    Thanks for the info... I'm so happy we have analytics now!

    3 years ago

  • KellesKitchen

    KellesKitchen says:

    Thanks for the update...I agree - analytics has really helped me to figure out if my advertising dollars are well spent - by looking at the information from the people coming in (bounce rate, time spent, page views) it gives me an idea on if that ad is reaching its target market. I'm so glad that we have this tool now!

    3 years ago

  • ArtMind

    ArtMind says:

    Thanks heaps for the update, I missed the chat because I was in bed already! Greetz from over the ocean! :)

    3 years ago

  • gildem

    gildem says:

    This virtual lab was very informative. Thank you Kutty!

    3 years ago

  • EJPcreations

    EJPcreations says:

    Soooo Sooo helpful!!!!

    3 years ago

  • bebeandalice

    bebeandalice says:

    check my analytics almost daily. love it...helps my research dramatically! thanks!

    3 years ago

  • elizabethwrenvintage

    elizabethwrenvintage says:

    SO helpful. thank you!

    3 years ago

  • dogties

    dogties says:

    Great stuff!!! GA Rocks.

    3 years ago

  • christinakober

    christinakober says:

    definitely helpful. I didn't really get how to use them before, just a bunch of numbers and graphs but now I know what I am looking for! Thanks!

    3 years ago

  • Mwilson

    Mwilson says:

    Superior update~ Thanks oodles!

    3 years ago

  • FlanneryO

    FlanneryO says:

    Thanks for that. Missed the virtual lab and always appreciate a recap. Cheers!

    3 years ago

  • EpicBones

    EpicBones says:

    yes!! i love Google Analytics, great suggestions :)

    3 years ago

  • isewcute

    isewcute says:

    I appreciate the update! Thanks!

    3 years ago

  • zombuki

    zombuki says:

    Helpful, thanks! I need to exclude myself ;3 lol

    3 years ago

  • worksandfinds

    worksandfinds says:

    I missed the virtual lab and was so sorry. Thanks for update.

    3 years ago

  • FrucciDesign

    FrucciDesign says:

    VL was great! thank you!!

    3 years ago

  • babyjewlz

    babyjewlz says:

    Awesome info. Thank you.

    3 years ago

  • lucybluestudio

    lucybluestudio says:

    I love Google Analytics and I'm so glad Etsy incorporated it.

    3 years ago

  • Yokoo

    Yokoo says:

    Very very helpful!

    3 years ago

  • BlueTerracotta

    BlueTerracotta says:

    Thanks. This is great for those of us who missed the Virtual Lab.

    3 years ago

  • moondogtreasures

    moondogtreasures says:

    googleanalytics rox!

    3 years ago

  • nfall2rt

    nfall2rt says:

    Thank you, I missed it. This unfortunately is one of those things I've been putting off...

    3 years ago

  • Waterrose

    Waterrose says:

    I missed the lab...thanks so much for the review.

    3 years ago

  • NicoAndMooMoo

    NicoAndMooMoo says:

    WOW good stuff guys!

    3 years ago

  • dragonhouseofyuen

    dragonhouseofyuen says:

    thank you, very informative!!

    3 years ago

  • KimmareeJewelree

    KimmareeJewelree says:

    Guilty. I missed the meeting. Great. You have it right here for me. Love the Google Analitics and thank you for more information!

    3 years ago

  • LuckyAccessories

    LuckyAccessories says:

    I was so excited when I saw the Etsy analytics link-up. It was one of my biggest regrets about my Etsy shop. Great job all!

    3 years ago

  • bhangtiez

    bhangtiez says:

    sounds great, thanks 4 da info....

    3 years ago

  • olivehuedesigns

    olivehuedesigns says:

    Thanks for the info, mucho helpful!

    3 years ago

  • blackelm

    blackelm says:

    Super great stuff. Thank you!

    3 years ago

  • HouseHoldWords

    HouseHoldWords says:

    Thanks so much! I enjoy the analytics!

    3 years ago

  • chetart

    chetart says:

    Thanks for the follow up with a recap. Very valuable information.

    3 years ago

  • roseredrose

    roseredrose says:

    Thanks!

    3 years ago

  • LeftHandHats

    LeftHandHats says:

    Thanks so much for the info. I did it! I gave my notice at work and am going to devote myself full time to my craft and Etsy shop. This info is exactly the kind that I need to make this work. THANKS!!!

    3 years ago

  • beckybrocato

    beckybrocato says:

    great info. I think google analytics is a great tool.

    3 years ago

  • sherrisscentsandsoys

    sherrisscentsandsoys says:

    Great info. Thank you so much.

    3 years ago

  • LovMely

    LovMely says:

    Thank you so much for the info. I'm signing up for it today ;) I <3 ETSY

    3 years ago

  • beadartjewelrysupply

    beadartjewelrysupply says:

    Thanks for the recap...I was unable to attend...this answered many of my questions

    3 years ago

  • BayMoonDesign

    BayMoonDesign says:

    Thanks for posting this information so that those who couldn't make the vitual lab, can still learn.

    3 years ago

  • elisasherejewelry

    elisasherejewelry says:

    Google analytics are awesome, they've been so helpful. Thanks for the recap, I can't wait to go check out my stat by hour.

    3 years ago

  • emetalworks

    emetalworks says:

    thank you so much for this article - i can promise you i would have never figured this out on my own!

    3 years ago

  • girltuesdayjewelry

    girltuesdayjewelry says:

    Thanks for this article. I love all the information and help that is available on Etsy!

    3 years ago

  • MiMisJewelryDesigns

    MiMisJewelryDesigns says:

    Due to the nature of our site I'd imagine our bounce rates will be higher than average. Any suggestions of what's average for an etsy site or what's too high?

    3 years ago

  • bprdesigns

    bprdesigns says:

    I had been mucking my way through on my own and had only figured out how to use about half the information. I had to miss chat but the document provided was great. Thanks for the help....I love this info!

    3 years ago

  • whimsicalpokadot

    whimsicalpokadot says:

    thanks....

    3 years ago

  • MaggieHallam

    MaggieHallam says:

    Huge thanks. I check it daily. Very inspiring for some reason.

    3 years ago

  • PhotosbyKymm

    PhotosbyKymm says:

    Great info thanks this helped alot

    3 years ago

  • beckykazana

    beckykazana says:

    Thanks so much! Downloading the guide now. I've been relying on the data from my project wonderful account since it offers me direct links to the way new visitors found me. I need to make better use of my analytics account. Cheers!

    3 years ago

  • lilacpopphotography

    lilacpopphotography says:

    Awesome tips! Thanks! I just posted an article on how to get your shop more searchable in google, yahoo, msn, etc on my blog if anyone is interested. I learned so much today about it that I felt like I'd taken a class! I decided to share and break down what I learned to apply it to etsy shops. http://lilacpop.blogspot.com

    3 years ago

  • VintageRoseClothing

    VintageRoseClothing says:

    Very, very, interesting article! The part about finding out the trends by hour was extremely helpful! My guess on when I had the most visitors was right, now I will try to keep items posted at or near that time!! Thanks <3 http://VintageRoseClothing.blogspot.com

    3 years ago

  • Chinapainter1

    Chinapainter1 says:

    I didn't realize I had to exclude my IP address. I would think that should be built into the program, but I got with the program instead. I check it daily and now want to know more about advertisting. Thank you.

    3 years ago

  • moncy3

    moncy3 says:

    I followed the instructions to exclude my IP address, though it would be more complicated pretty easy.

    3 years ago

  • LavenderField

    LavenderField says:

    Showing Pageviews by Hour Another popular question was to see how many pageviews a shop got hour by hour. Normally Google Analytics shows views by day. To view by hour, go to the main page (your “Dashboard” view), on the left hand menu click on Visitors, and under Visitor Trending, select Visits. On the right hand side above the graph, you will see gray text that reads “Graph By:” and icon options to click on. The default view will be by “Day,” or the second icon. Select the first icon to the left, which is the “Hour” view. UNDER "GRAPH BY", MY ICON OPTIONS ARE "PER DAY" "PER WEEK" AND "PER MONTH" - I DON'T HAVE A "PER HOUR" OPTION!!! HOW CAN THAT BE????? HELP ANYONE?

    3 years ago

  • Deaney

    Deaney says:

    This info is really timely. I want to learn more about tracking my shop sales. Thanks.

    3 years ago

  • SocialButterflies

    SocialButterflies says:

    Very informative. Thank you!

    3 years ago

  • AJewelryObsession

    AJewelryObsession says:

    So far I've had nothing show up in my Google Analytics account page. Is it because I haven't sold anything?

    2 years ago

  • poppycottage

    poppycottage says:

    THANK YOU, great article. June Moon

    2 years ago

  • nauli

    nauli says:

    Thank you for this informative article. It learned a lot!

    2 years ago

  • yuummmer

    yuummmer says:

    Really great article!

    2 years ago

  • TuttiFruittiDesigns

    TuttiFruittiDesigns says:

    Thanks for the info !

    2 years ago

  • royroadfishcompany

    royroadfishcompany says:

    The more I read, the more I learn... Thx for this information

    2 years ago

  • ArtisanaDesigns

    ArtisanaDesigns says:

    Great info, thanks!

    2 years ago

  • PictureCaps

    PictureCaps says:

    Need to try this now that I understand it better! thanks!

    2 years ago

  • TwinklesNsparkles

    TwinklesNsparkles says:

    Is it supposed to say "Tracking unknown" just after you do it? I'm sure I did it right so will that go in 24 hours?

    2 years ago

  • paperannie

    paperannie says:

    Thank you for making this tool available. We need all the help we can get with 400,000 sellers on etsy.

    2 years ago

  • GreatestJoyDesigns

    GreatestJoyDesigns says:

    Thank you so much for the info but especially for the "step by step" directions for those of us who are not as secure in this new endeavor!

    1 year ago

  • tinyearsjewelry

    tinyearsjewelry says:

    I have been looking at my referrals in GA, and then going to the actual referral web sites to see it there is an actual link. I look all over, and see nothing. How can this be? Is there some ad network (banner ads and such) that our shops get put on that I am not aware of? How could I be getting referrals if there are no links to my shop? thanks... Casey @ Tin Years

    1 year ago

  • nancynelsonjewelry

    nancynelsonjewelry says:

    Thanks so much. I can't wait to give it a try:)

    1 year ago

  • TwinTreeCrafts

    TwinTreeCrafts says:

    I just spent a few minutes messing around on my google analytics. It is such a cool tool and I am excited to learn how to use it better and to watch the changes as my shop grows.

    1 year ago

  • emmacarpendale

    emmacarpendale says:

    What a great tool! Many thanks for the recap :)

    1 year ago

  • cooperswoodstudio

    cooperswoodstudio says:

    Well am I glad to stumble across this tid-bit of info.Many thanks!

    1 year ago

  • FolkHeartRecords

    FolkHeartRecords says:

    Thanks for the tips!

    1 year ago

  • jurchenko

    jurchenko says:

    Excellent. Thank you.

    1 year ago

  • hadleyclay

    hadleyclay says:

    sweet.

    1 year ago

  • kristinbot5000

    kristinbot5000 says:

    I just found this article. As a new seller, this information is invaluable. It definitely got a big, fat bookmark in my browser!

    1 year ago

  • KatieKatsBoutique

    KatieKatsBoutique says:

    Very helpful. Thanks!

    1 year ago

  • petimagery

    petimagery says:

    Took me a while to get to it, but thanks for the info.

    1 year ago

  • IddyBiddyBoutique

    IddyBiddyBoutique says:

    Thanks! Working my way through it now!

    345 days ago

  • FreelyExpressed

    FreelyExpressed says:

    Thank you, I have to look into that!

    315 days ago

  • hcmorrison

    hcmorrison says:

    Thanks I am on Google analytics at last!

    281 days ago

  • fromjeanne

    fromjeanne says:

    Thank you, I'm starting now with Google Analytics. Every day I'm learning more about Etsy.

    280 days ago