On the other hand however many of us may miss some of the benefits and reasons that Google collects this data. In the past we have discussed knowing your customers, and understanding what types of keywords/phrases they use so that you are better able to create content for your website. We have tried to convey that it is important to have a strong navigation structure, a sitemap, and employ every option to ensure that a user, the search engines included can locate and read all of the content on your site. We have even covered topics on keyword selection. While each of these will help you create a compelling website it will not help you to understand your audience. The best way to get to know your clients is to talk to them, and your sales people will tell you that they listen to the customer. Using the clients own keywords to answer their questions is a great way to interact with them, and project an idea of involvement in locating the best solution. In the World Wide Web environment cookies, and log files provide your answers, analyzing this data has been termed Web Analytics. All companies regardless of there size should use this data to assist them in better understanding there audience.

Google uses this same process to understand the information, in this case what is learned by tracking your interactions with them, not only with the search engine, but also with gmail, google maps, etc, all in an effort to provide the best answer to your questions in search, and a better service. Some where along the way I am sure that they will also mine this data to improve their bottom line, either through increased Adword fees because of the higher conversions, or the increased number of impressions generated by the higher user numbers. Google will know what keywords you are searching on today, yesterday, and everyday in the recent past. This information will be used to provide you with the best search results, in their case maybe the best ads that will drive a conversion with relation to your current search, and future searches. Some of this will be done with the use of browser cookies, and other parts will be done with the use of IP address tracking.

The major concern by consumer groups and the reason that this retention period was reduced is related to the privacy concerns that some have with how this data may be used. As I explained, Google can mine this data to improve their performance, and as a result lead to a better customer experience, abuses of this data can occur. As we saw at the end of last September 2006, AOL (who receives their search data from Google) released some log files that they had scrubbed for user data. The purpose was to aid in the development of new tools. However, once released data analysis lead to actual individual users being contacted by the media. While in this case it is scary that a specific individual can be isolated from the millions of users accessing AOL it illustrates the type of information that a company can gather from analysis of the interaction between a visitor and a website.

Web analytics can be one of the most important features in the design, or redesign of a page, and a site. Ensuring that your visitors, including the engines have the ability to visit your site completely, and thoroughly understand what it is that your visitor are seeking, guiding them through to a conversion will lead to a much healthier bottom line. It is this direct correlation that Google and you may use to better meet the needs of those your site is designed to serve.

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