Google Analytics Why Do You Make Me Distrust You
March 7th, 2008 by Michael Gray in GoogleIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Read my top posts or learn more about Michael Gray. Want more frequent updates follow me on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!
So I logged into Google Analytics this morning and I get the following message
Google Analytics why are you ruining it why? I always recommended to customers who don’t have an analytics package in place or were using sub standard analytics packages to switch to Google Analytics, without reservations, and for me to recommend Google’s products is really saying something.
But this morning you went all Shoeless Joe Jackson on me. Now I know that you could use the data to lower my adsense earnings and raise my adwords prices. Sure the potential does exist that the opposite could happen, but really c’mon now.
Yes I know Senor Cutts has committed the entire webspam team to not use the data from Google Analytics, but if everyone before and after isn’t willing to make that same commitment, it’s a moot point.
Say it ain’t so Google analytics, say it ain’t so …
Sphere It
March 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Google Analytics Losing It’s Luster…
Greywolf has made his usual cynical/pragmatic take on the recent Google Analytics announcement (check the update when you log into your Analytics account.) Basically Google is saying you can share your data with other Google tools. That’s great! you c…
March 7th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
That’s why we made it opt-in. And if you want to opt-out, you can click “Do not share data.” Personally, I liked that you can click “More data sharing options” and choose between:
- Share data with Google products only (no third parties)
- Share data with Google products and the benchmarking service
- Don’t share Google Analytics data
The reason that I like this is you get to choose what you want to do explicitly (share a little bit, share more, or not share at all).
March 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
@mattcutts c’mon we both know you guys use lots of data in lots of … “creative” … ways
“Your website data will not be used to affect your natural search results, ad quality score or ad placement. Aggregate data across many customers will be used to improve our products and services.”
To be completely honest given the things I’ve seen I think that statement above is completely misleading if not a complete untruth. We both know google led the sheeple down the path with the quality score BS, at some point I’m going to expose it …
March 7th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
GW - I appreciate the insight and commentary, but I’m a bit unclear on exactly what kind of scenarios you’re fearing here. Can you be a bit more explicit about how exactly Google might use this information nefariously (or, at least, to a site owner’s detriment)? What kind of things might they look for in your data, and how might they use those metrics to affect ad quality score, placement, or natural search results? Thanks.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
@ezra you think the only thing google looks at when the decide the pricing for your adwords ads is the things they tell you they are looking at? You don’t think they’d love to have more insight into the whole process and adjust prices due to some other “black box” quality score mechanism
March 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
No, of course I think they’d love to have more insight. I was asking for you to provide more of your thoughts than simply hints of what you’re thinking they might do.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
let’s say I’m waiting for the right time to play my cards
March 7th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Fair enough. Unsatisfying, but fair enough!
March 7th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
That’s my problem too… I have a lot of faith in Matt and the rest of the folks running the show right now but… 10 years from now it might be a different team that plays by different rules.
Google should put something in writing to detail exactly what they mean by don’t be evil.
“Google will not use Google analytics or other conversion tracking information to…”
@ezra - One big conspiracy theory is that Google will look at the overall cost to revenue ratio an industry pays and use it to set minimum prices for the highest converting keywords. Another is to use PPC visits to influence personalized results, thus giving the big spenders with AdWords a significant edge in the organic results.
Why not use the visit and transaction data to research profitable new markets that Google could enter or invest in?
The list of evil things you can do with too much user & transaction data can go on forever. (So does the list of good things) However… I don’t recall reading anything in any user agreements that would explicitly prevent Google from doing whatever they want. It seems like they would prefer to leave their options open for now. (?)
March 7th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
When I saw that message, I graciously allowed Google the information on all levels.
First of all, I trust Google more then any other company in the world. Second of all, they could have gotten what they wanted without telling us that, a slight change in algorithm to include additional databases, so what’s the big deal. I like that you are as sceptic but on the other hand Google is the one to be scared if they start playing with the fire.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Is there anything to stop them from doing what they will without permission?
I totally agree with the point that future administrations might not be so benevolent, but if they were going to use this data for nefarious purposes why would they even ask in the first place?
It seems like the real choice is either A)Trust Google with your data, or B) Don’t use their tools at all.
Or am I missing something?
March 7th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
@David - True. They can do whatever evil they want even though I doubt the current administration would… However, it might help to put something in writing that would be difficult to weasel out of if it becomes convenient to take a short-cut down a slippery slope at some point in the future.
It’s up to them to create a situation where they are either inspiring trust, loyalty & love or fear, uncertainty & doubt (FUD) for retaining their ability to abuse their dominate position and our trust at any time if they choose to do so.
A) Use at your own risk [Insert evil laugh].
B) There is no risk :^) Have fun with the new tools & toys.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:02 am
You managed to make me paranoid. Few days have passed since I accepted sharing of all data and all three of my sites that were first page of google sank down to 5th-8th page. They all have in common both adsense and adwords campaigns. Maybe it was some kind of natural change in ranking, but having happened just now did make me paranoid.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
@9 I couldn’t agree more.
Adsense is Google’s bread and butter and it only makes sense for them to find a way to squeeze more money out of advertisers.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I think they’d love to have more insight
March 12th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Handing over your profit data (in terms of ROI and cost per conversion data) to the same company that decides what you pay for PPC marketing seems alot like telling the used car salesman exactly how much cash you have in your wallet to spend on a car.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
We stayed out of this one too, too many good hackers around. As far as I’m concerned you can’t complain - just don’t opt in!