IMPORTANT google analytics information for bloggers!

Oh, Frell - Coinpurse by PocketCarnival

Ever since google analytics was introduced on etsy, I had a suspicion that visits from etsy minis placed on blogs would not show up as referrals from that site, but would instead appear as views within etsy. I did a few tests, and this indeed seemed to be the case.

I contacted the etsy tech admin, and have confirmed that etsy mini referrals do not show up as visits from your blog in GA!
In my opinion, this is critical, because a lot of people probably think their blogs are not very successful promotional tools, when in fact they might be bringing in a lot of traffic.

It is possible to find out how many views have come through etsy minis, and also whether people have clicked on the link in the mini that leads to your shop or a specific item.
Instructions:
Go to the dashboard in the left panel within google analytics.
Click on 'Content'. Go to 'Top Pages' (where the results are) and 'view full report', show 500 rows.
The code for traffic from etsy minis is 'em', so do 'find' and count the hits.
If you click on the little arrow at the start of the code it will take you to your store or the item people have clicked on in your mini.
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Thank you to http://bloghandmade.blogspot.com for the em coding. Other codes are also available from the code list on the blog.

In an etsy thread I started, Ferrolux kindly provided the following information:
'At the bottom of the list of URLs in the Top Content report is a small search box. In the search box, type "ref=em" and then "Go"... it shows you views from ANY mini, not just your own. If your items are in someone's "favorites" mini, they will also have the "ref=em" code attached. Also, Etsy uses the mini code in the "related" items in the Storque articles, so that might also be a source for "ref=em" views.'

Don't forget to have a read of my Etsy Tips and Tricks post for lots more useful information
(and there's still time to enter the giveaway below!).