Strange Problem In Google Analytics


Google analytics Time Spent on page

Satama’s analysts have noticed an anomoloy on a couple of Google accounts they’re running. They wanted me to help spread the word to find out if this actually an error within GA that others are experiencing or whether it is a scripting error they need to fix. The site was an Intranet and the problem appears to be that while time on the page is only 17 seconds (and only 2 pages viewed) the average time on page over 7 hours which is of course incorrect. Google have also been contacted and Satama are still investigating.

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January 10th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Anil Batra
Posted on:
January 10, 2008 at 7:40 pm

Well, I checked several accounts and profiles but did not see this issue.
Is there a way they can provide access to the reports?

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Mark Brimm
Posted on:
January 21, 2008 at 10:38 pm

Today I noticed that Google’s Analytics CODE was WRONG…it’s missing a carot at the end of a javascript string used to mark the end of the line (how does a programmer with a sweet job at Google mess up something so simple…). This problem caused me to waste the whole weekend for a client site after installinkg the WRONG code on Thursday and thinking it would be all full of data by Monday.

The code they are using (the new version) is :

var gaJsHost = ((”https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(unescape(”%3Cscript src=’” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));

var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(”UA-986914-4″);
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview();

But it SHOULD read:

var gaJsHost = ((”https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(unescape(”%3Cscript src=’” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));>

var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(”UA-986914-4″);
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview();