Hi guys. Just a quick query (I hope and imagine) but despite an extensive search and testing I can't find any documentation or feedback on setting up Google Analytics Site Search Category Parameters to work correctly with your excellent module here.

The outline scenario is:

  1. Google Analytics module is correctly configured and working great (and on all the other sites we design/manage) - thank you.
  2. All set-ups and reporting data (including basic search results) is working great, except:
  3. On one particular site (www.flexej.co.uk) we using Custom Search dropdowns (which we believe uses the core Drupal search system) and we simply want to utilise Google's Site Search Categories/parameters to show site search results by category (as designed).
  4. In the absence of any other set-up documentation (or search results) that cover the parameter set-up required, we simply can't get the Site Search results in Google to show which categories the searches were performed in.
  5. Our working assumption has been that 'type' (as in http://www.flexej.co.uk/search/node/mauve%20bananas%20type%3Arubber_bellows) is our/Drupal's category parameter (as required on Google's View set-up page, see grab attached ...search-settings-grab.jpg) - but is that not the correct parameter after all?
  6. We have carefully tested all possible variations of 'type' that Google might require, for example %20type%3A, type%3A, type: and type but all of these result in Google reporting that the Site Search Category is 'not set' (see second grab ..search-results-grab.jpg)
  7. What you can see from the results grab is that the full search term/results are being collected properly, for example in the 300mm type:rubber_bellows result yet the category 'type' isn't.

My apologies if this is covered in the documentation somewhere - but I just can't find it here on Drupal.org or anywhere else.

Offer: If someone can explain where we're going wrong then we'll gladly help writing up any further notes for the documentation - especially if 'type' isn't the parameter Google is looking for.

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Q.

CommentFileSizeAuthor
#5 google-analytics-strip-category-parameters.jpg24.75 KBquantos
#5 google-analytics-sky-blue-bananas-result.jpg12.33 KBquantos
google-analytics-site-search-results-grab.jpg136.05 KBquantos
google-analytics-site-search-settings-grab.jpg59.82 KBquantos
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Comments

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented
Issue summary: View changes

Typos! Would rather not look TOO stupid. :-)

hass’s picture

hass CreditAttribution: hass commented
Category: Bug report » Support request

What is a bug here?

I configured "cat" as param.

hass’s picture

hass CreditAttribution: hass commented
Status: Active » Fixed
quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented

Many thanks hass. I'll try that.

PS I'd attached the issue as a documentation component as I didn't know if it was a bug or what. I guess the real 'issue' I'm trying to help with is helping others with the same problem. How/where would anyone find out that 'cat' is the correct parameter? Can that be added or can I help add that to the documentation? Does 'cat' work in all scenarios and with Drupal 6 and Drupal 8 etc. Just trying to help in that sense - but thanks again for the reply meantime.

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented
Status: Fixed » Needs review
FileSize
google-analytics-sky-blue-bananas-result.jpg12.33 KB
google-analytics-strip-category-parameters.jpg24.75 KB

Hi Hass/anyone. I've now had time to re-test this and applying 'cat' as the site search category parameter doesn't seem to work (meaning that Google still doesn't seem able to identity the search category using this setting. See ...skyblue-bananas-result.jpg.

However I didn't have Google's 'strip category parameters out of URL' checkbox ticked either (see ...strip-category...jpg for visual confirmation). Is that required? I'll test that now but stand by my offer to update the documentation to cover this if you Hass (or anyone else?) knows what the settings should be in this situation (i.e. standard Drupal 7.28 core search + custom search module categories (same as advanced search options)).

Thanks again meantime.

Q.

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented

Hi Hass/anyone. Just to confirm that testing 'cat' with 'strip category parameters out of URL' checked also seems to make no difference to the search category results at Google.

PS Off now, back tomorrow UK time.

Q.

hass’s picture

hass CreditAttribution: hass commented
Status: Needs review » Fixed

I know some people believe google can read minds, but in reality it can only strip from url. Cat is added by advanced search if I remember correctly.

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented
Status: Fixed » Needs review

Hi Hass. Thanks for the quick reply again but this issue isn't fixed and might well be a bug for all I know. The point is you can't have tested this. What the advanced search module adds to the URL is %20type%3A as I mentioned in the first post. I can't test it now but can only presume that you have to check the "strip parameters" option to get this to work if you believe that this is all Google needs?

re the "mind reading" comment, that's precisely what I'm trying to avoid. Where is the simple documentation that should cover this?

Thanks again for the quick replies though. ;-)

hass’s picture

hass CreditAttribution: hass commented
Status: Needs review » Fixed

http://cgit.drupalcode.org/google_analytics/tree/googleanalytics.module?... implements cat.

Do not change case status, please.

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented

Hmmm. I'm not getting too far with this Hass as using 'cat' isn't getting me anywhere, I'm afraid to say. I guess that by your replies to date - which I really appreciate - that there isn't any further documentation on this? With 350,000+ installs to date I was just hoping that someone, somewhere has documented this and/or can confirm these category parameters are actually working and/or why they're not in our case.

To summarise my own findings/problem:
1. My sample search results URL (using either the Custom Search category search or a core Advanced Search) creates the following sample search results URL: http://www.flexej.co.uk/search/node/mauve%20bananas%20type%3Arubber_bellows), %20type%3A being the apparent category identifier.
2. We've tested all possible html variations of 'type' (i.e. %20type%3A, type%3A, type: and type) as Google's 'Category parameter' as well as plain and simple 'cat' all to no avail in terms of Google interpreting these 'parameters' within the Google Analytics results - and in every case Google is reporting that the 'Site Search Category' is '(not set)', see (see the original image google-analytics-site-search-results-grab.jpg): Google Analytics Site Search Category
3. We're now just hoping that a Teutonic Knight (or two) might come to rescue and point out what the problem is.

Thanks.

Q.

hass’s picture

hass CreditAttribution: hass commented

Try adding "cat,type" and wait at least 48 hours.

quantos’s picture

quantos CreditAttribution: quantos commented

Thanks Hass. I persevere with that. I spent several more hours trying to find any other source again today that covers this today. It seems rather an elusive goal for what I would have though a common set-up request, especially in ecommerce circles. I've put out another few requests and have updated the parameter and will let you know here if I get anywhere.

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)

Automatically closed - issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.