Google Analytics for Facebook Fan Pages

We launched our Facebook fan page earlier this month and as with all Facebook pages only Facebook Insights program is available to page administrators. Facebook Insights shows demographic details and interactions on your pages BUT limited to show information of fans only. It is far less sophisticated and comprehensive when compared to the free Google Analytics. One of the limitations of Facebook Fan pages is that you can only run limited Javascript on it and Google Analytics needs Javascript code included to correctly track visitors. We have successfully managed to get ALL functions of Google Analytics working on our Facebook fan page (including visitor statistics, traffic sources, visitor country, keyword searches with all other powerful reporting & maps overlays etc).

Google Analytics Example

How to setup Google Analytics on your Facebook fan pages

The workaround we use in our code is to include Google Analytics as an image instead of setting the standard Javascript. This method tracks every visitor to the custom facebook pages on Google Analytics. It required a combination of server side cookie management and an additional <img> tag to the bottom of the facebook fan page. Here are the steps to get Google Analytics working on your facebook fan page.

1) Setup Google Analytics account. If you already have one, create a new website profile. You can name it facebook.com or facebook.com/your_page_name. You will finally get your tracking code which looks like this UA-3123123-2
2) Create your custom img tag for each of your pages you like to track. EG: contact form, services, products etc. You can use our tool to create the Google Analytics link generator for Facebook pages.
3) Add the entire custom image html tag from step 2 to the bottom of each Facebook fan page that you need to track.

That is all there is to it! Google Analytics is not real-time, so you will need to give it some time. Approximately a day before you see the fruits of your “hard” work.

For advanced users

Use this method, if you don’t want to use our hosted link redirection as mentioned in the method above. You can download the entire source code which is just about three files to get this setup working on your own server (running PHP4.3 or above). The code is written in PHP and essentially creates the Google image tracking URL with the referrer, page information, ID, etc. The additional advantage of hosting this on your own server and domain is that visits from your website to your facebook fan page gets tracked, etc. You will also be able to customise further if you wish. Please do share any useful updates you apply to the tracking link code.

Facebook – Google Analytics Tracker v1.1 (Updated 21st Feb, 2010).  For advanced method – Download this code to use on your server.

If you don’t have a Facebook fan page yet, visit our tutorial for code and help on creating customised Facebook fan pages.

PS: We could not find any other source / blog that described how to get Google Analytics on Facebook fan pages! There is support for canvas pages and applications but nothing for StaticFBML fan pages. Hope this helps and please leave your comments below.

UPDATE:
1) A lot of users have asked how to track visits to the wall. Yes, this can be done. Please see the comments by iphp below.
2) Here is a screenshot to a staticFBML where the code should be placed
3) We have managed to set up funnels, goals and segments to separate fan and non fan activity.
4) This blog and comments cover all aspects of setting up Google Analytics. If you still want help, we are available to offer paid support and installation of Analytics for your page. Please contact us here.

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Pages, google

Run PHP on the Google App Engine

Google launched their Google App Engine (GAE) a year ago. The free hosting in App Engine is allocated 500 MB of persistent storage and enough CPU and bandwidth for about 5 million page views a month. Also, if you really want more you can see pricing plans.

GAE will support Java going forward. Unfortunately PHP support on the App Engine is still left as the top item in the wishlist. So until Google announces their official PHP support we have a workaround to run PHP using Quercus. Quercus is basically a 100% Java implementation of the PHP language (requires JDK 1.5).  Since the App Engine now supports Java this means we can use Quercus to run PHP scripts on the App Engine.

So all you need to use the GAE and run PHP
1) Register a free account.
2) Download this file to your computer.
3) Edit application XML tag in the file war\WEB-INF\appengine-web.xml to the name of the application you have registered.
4) Finally upload your application. I downloaded Google App Engine SDK for Java and use the following command in windows.
appcfg.cmd update C:\projects\phpwithjava\war

To see this in action just visit:
http://phpwithjava.appspot.com/webdigi.php and http://phpwithjava.appspot.com/info.php

NOTE: phpwithjava is my app name with GAE. Image by Aral Balkan.

Tags: appengine, google, PHP, quercus

Add Google Adsense to Wordpress without plugins

I was just trying to add Adsense to this blog and found several plugins available to add Google adsense to wordpress. Finally, I managed to add Google Adsense to this blog without any plugins – this solution takes around 5 mins to setup and it only uses the text widget available in wordpress by default.

Step 1: Login to your blog as administrator
Step 2: Click on Appearance
Step 3: Select Widgets
Step 4: Select the sidebar you want (Default Sidebar 1)
Step 5: Add Text widget
Step 6: Click on Edit widget
Step 7: Enter Caption. I have used “Useful Links”
Step 8: Paste your Google Adsense code in the text area. See example code & screenshot

Example:

<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
google_ad_client = "pub-9990819195828769";
google_ad_slot = "7810166087";
google_ad_width = 200;
google_ad_height = 200;
// --></script>
<script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"
type="text/javascript"></script>

Screenshot

Wordpress Text Widget - Add Google Adsense code

Step 9: Click done & Save changes.

You should now be able to see Ads from Google showing on the left side of your sidebar. Just like we have on the top right of this page.

Tags: adsense, google, wordpress

Google store does not use google checkout instead uses Worldpay

The Official Google Store which sells a range of Google labelled products doesn’t use Google Checkout for credit card processing but instead uses Worldpay.

Google Store uses Oscommerce (popular open source PHP ecommece store management program) and free open source plugins are available to integrate google checkout with oscommece in minutes (eg: http://code.google.com/p/google-checkout-oscommerce/). I wonder why they cant simply use Google checkout to deal with credit cards on their own site?

Screenshots
1) Google store without Google checkout option for payment.
2) Worldpay message when checkout starts.

Another question
OK, now we know that Google store doesnt have Google Checkout support at the moment. Then how does the store have the google checkout badge on their sponsored listing?

Google search result shows the Google Checkout badge

Try a Google search for “Google Store” and you can see the sponsored link has Google checkout badge on it.

NOTE: I love Google and use most of their products. Just don’t understand why they cant use their own checkout in their official store.

Tags: google, google checkout, google store, oscommerce, worldpay