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One of our customers has a web application that requires login, and they would like to get Google Analytics to track it per user - to know which users came to their site.
From what I read on Google forums, Google doesn't support such tracking.
I was wondering:
a) Do I understand correctly that Google doesn't support that?
b) Does anyone know of a analytics tool that does support such action? The only one I've found was Pmetrics (which is Clicky??), but I would like to have something to compare it to, or if someone who uses this feature on Clicky/Pmetrics could tell me how well it works (there's no demo for this feature on their site)
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While many marketers believe it's out of the question to track individual users in Google Analytics, it's not impossible. If your application or website has a login authentication system, then it is possible to track users in Google Analytics with its User ID tracking feature.
To find your Sessions per User data in Google Analytics, navigate to the Audience Overview in your Reports side panel. You'll find the number of sessions per user here. You can click through on this to explore further.
Each time a user initiates a session, a session counter increments for that user. For example, if User A comes to your site for the first time in January, that user's session count is 1. If the user returns in February, the session count is 2, and so on for each subsequent return.
User and event data retention You can choose how long Analytics retains data before automatically deleting it. The maximum amount of time that Analytics will retain Google-signals data is 26 months, regardless of your settings. By default, Google signed-in data expires after 26 months.
If you are trying to capture the userid i.e a numerical id and not the actual usernames then this does not break the Google TOC's as the userid cannot is private to your organisation.
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From the Google Analytics Terms of Service:
You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use the Service to track, collect or upload any data that personally identifies an individual (such as a name, email address or billing information), or other data which can be reasonably linked to such information by Google. You will have and abide by an appropriate Privacy Policy and will comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to the collection of information from Visitors. You must post a Privacy Policy and that Privacy Policy must provide notice of Your use of cookies that are used to collect traffic data, and You must not circumvent any privacy features (e.g., an opt-out) that are part of the Service.
So, don't track user accounts in Analytics.
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