Google Analytics - tracking data just *disappeared*, any idea why?

Marketing
1

Hi folks,

I hope someone might have an idea or two about what might be going wrong here …

One of the sites belonging to the place that I work had Google Analytics running just fine, then one day traffic stats nosedived to ZERO and it’s stayed like that. The day that it happened we had not made any changes to the site. Nothing significant about that day; it just stopped working.

I did notice that we had the old style tracking code in place, but I updated to the latest version of the analytics code. I mean, it’s a copy/paste job, should be a no-brainer.

This is the site:

http://thecheshire.co.uk/

And you can see the Google code at the end of the page.

Traffic tanked:

I have checked the code/references etc and they are correct:

And, according to GA, it is receiving data:

But there is NOTHING being reported at all.

I have checked filters in GA to see if anything there is causing a problem, but there’s nothing there that gives me any concern, very simple filter for a small IP address range to remove traffic from internal company source and that’s it.

I am at a loss to understand a) why it suddenly stopped reporting and b) what is wrong with the settings. The thing is, people just don’t tinker with the GA settings once they are up-and-running and neither was there a release to the site on the day that the stats died. So if any GA gurus out there are able to make a suggestion or tow, I’d appreciate it!

Thanks

2

Validation errors if fixed may make a difference:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fthecheshire.co.uk%2F&charset=(detect+automatically)&doctype=Inline&group=0&ss=1&outline=1&No200=1&verbose=1

3

Maybe … but this is one of the things that hasn’t changed. No pages were released, no template changes made, so the validation issues were there before the tracking code stopped working, so I’m 100% it’s not that which is the cause. Also, it’s universally breaking across the site, not just that page, and each page has differing validation errors.

Any other thoughts?

4

Google has recently introduced their new Panda algorithm which has caused many site rankings to be reshuffled.

It looks as though your site has been adversely affected. There are many articles available on this SEO reshuffle and lots of solutions offered.

Something has changed and your site is affected. Removal of the HTML errors will at least eliminate the possible problem.

You could resubmit your site but vague memories that Google will maybe respond with a standard reply stating their algorithm has changed.

5

[FONT=Verdana]I would agree with fixing at least one validation howler…

Your code ends with[/FONT]

</script>
</div>
</body>
</form>
</html>

and near the top you have (summarised):

<title>...</title>
</head>
<form>
<div><input><input></div>
<title>...</title>
<meta>
</head>
<body>

[font=verdana]It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the complete and utter mess you’ve got of illegally nested, repeated and mangled elements there was to blame for the script not running.

The only other thing I can see that’s different is that the code sample they have given you has function() but you’ve got a space in there – function (). I’m not too hot on Javascript so I don’t know off the top of my head whether that makes a difference.[/font]

6

I don’t think that’s the problem. If I’ve read the problem right, Ian is not saying that his traffic has dropped, he’s saying that Google Analytics has stopped recording it.

7

@lloydi replied to the effect saying that he had not changed anything and suddenly the “tracking just disappeared”. The common factor here is that recently Google has introduced their new algorithm. To me this is more than a coincidence that the site tracking has stopped working and the SEO can no longer be checked.

As I suggested and you also highlighted the html page results and the new algorithm appear to conflict. If removing the validation errors does not rectify the problem then maybe Google can supply the correct answer.

8

It has also happened with one of my website i think you have mistakenly remove your analytic code from your website. DO try to resubmit your website in Analytic and soon you will get your statistic back

9

DO read the thread properly before posting, please. In his first post, lloydi explained that the code is correctly in place and even supplied a link which verifies that fact.