Google Analytics: I want to be able to track how many visitors to the blog go through to the main site.
February 22, 2010 8:13 AM   Subscribe

Google Analytics: I want the subdirectory to appear as a referrer to the main site... what am I missing?

(Hi all-- I posted this on the Google Analytics forum but haven't received a response-- hoping AskMe can help!)

I have two instances of WordPress set up on one domain for a client. I have installed separate Google Analytics tracking codes and they are functioning on each, respectively: www.site.com and www.site.com/blog.

I am trying to track the efficacy of the blog, which is a repository of useful information that is provided to visitors as a self-help resource; the idea is that it will weed out those with simple questions and then drive qualified traffic that requires additional help to the main commercial site. It is for a small business that receives many requests for information and I am trying to reduce the number of basic requests in order to extract the more qualified prospective clients.

I set up a secondary profile for each section of the site in Google Analytics, and then set filters on these profiles as follows:

-- the "Blog Only" filter (on the blog only profile) is set to include only traffic to the subdirectories that contain /blog/
-- the "Main Site Only" filter (on the main site only profile) is set to exclude traffic to the subdirectories that contain /blog/

Testing shows that direct traffic to the blog that clicks through to the main site does not show up as a referral-- it only shows as "direct". I've also tried clicking through a Google search result as a separate test, and traffic that lands on the blog and goes through to the main site shows up as a "Google traffic source" and the original search term that brings one to the blog shows up in the keywords on the Dashboard of the "main site only" profile.

I know a lot of users have had trouble with their site undesirably showing up as a referrer-- but I want this exact scenario (preferably via filters and for the supplementary profiles only). Ideas? What am I missing?
posted by mireille to Computers & Internet
 
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