Users of Google Analytics will know just what an incredibly powerful and useful tool it is for gaining insight into how your current and potential customers find and interact with your website. It allows you to tweak and enhance your online presence to provide an optimal experience for your website visitors.
But those who check their Google Analytics data on a regular basis could be fooled into thinking their website is performing much better than it actually is.
The platform has become a popular target for spammers who create hundreds of visits on your site – but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that these ‘visits’ aren’t actually from real individuals but automated programs designed to leave a digital footprint of a real person – in other words your “imaginary friends”.
It’s a black-hat marketing scheme that works by leaving behind fake referral visits in the hope that you will then visit the referral site to look at who is linking to your website – thereby drawing genuine traffic to the spammer’s own site.
Recently however, the tactics have become more sophisticated, and they can now manufacture fake organic search visits that seem to originate from your most popular search phrases and keywords.
As ego-boosting as this might be for you and your business, you aren’t getting a clear picture of how your website is performing. Rest assured that, at present, these spammers aren’t harmful – just misleading, and while there are various plugins, updates and other tactics for blocking these automated spammers the simplest solution is to filter them from your Google Analytics data.
If you haven’t already created a filter that only displays authentic visits to your website check out The Definitive Guide to Removing Referral Spam.
About Vizulate Digital
Vizulate Digital is a digital marketing and web design agency based in Brighouse on the outskirts of Huddersfield and Calderdale. We provide mobile-friendly and responsive website design, e-commerce development and digital marketing solutions for businesses looking to grow online.