(Updated August 2019) Google has taken control of your business description in search results. Specifically, the description that is on the right of search results in your Google My Business (GMB) description, above address and below your business name, and on Google Maps. Google makes the distinction this is an “editorial summary.” So what are your options to change the editorial summary if it is inaccurate or undesirable?
A common issue I deal with is tracking down ownership of a Google Analytics account that nobody seems to have access to. Before we use this backdoor method of gaining access to the account in question, I first recommend trying to recover by logging in with as many different email addresses that might at one point had access to that account. So first, track down the proper active UA code and see if someone has access — and hopefully that account will be able to “manage users.”
Once you’ve identified the active UA code and if you’ve failed to gain access, time to take the backdoor method! Note, this requires being able to access the website at the file level — either through cpanel “file manager” or ftp is best. You’ll be creating a text file (analytics.txt) and placing it at the root level of the domain – so that it appears /analytics.txt.
Visit Google Support’s Troubleshooter (support.google.com/analytics/troubleshooter/7264014) for the full walk-through on this method. I’ll summarize the steps below for clarity.
so that it looks something like this:
It will take a few days to review and give you access. Good Luck!
Often times I need to quickly reference a UA code (UA-xxxxxxxx-x). Clarifying the active UA code can help you make sure you are accessing and inviting others to the live version of your tracking code. Sometimes I’ll be requesting access to a specific Property by looking at the source code and finding the active Property UA. Or I may be clarifying the correct Property with my client. Here’s how to to both.
There are several methods to quickly find your Google Analytics Property UA number (UA-xxxxxxxx-x). First, sign in to Google Analytics.
(Updated June 2018)
Sharing is caring, so here are my top five go-to “super tools.” The websites and applications below produce tools that I use regularly for a variety of tasks in online advertising and SEO. I’ve listed them here in order of my usage. All of them are free tools and they serve a variety of purposes. Ready to decrease your workload and work smarter, not harder?
(The following is adapted from a recent newsletter that I sent out via the ‘Milani Five-0.’)
I wish this was a fun, post. Lot’s has been happening and according to the farmers almanac, Sunday was the time to plant and our garden is booming. I wish I was using this email to talk about the big changes in our yard after getting inspired from our trip to Mendocino (where I taught a workshop). But alas, this is all about the big EU data protection regulation and what you need to know about it, and what actions you may need to take. Let’s ‘dig’ in.
If you’ve heard or seen the emails, you might be concerned or likely confused. The European Union’s new data regulations go into effect May 25th, 2018. Even though this new regulation is EU based it has worldwide impact because your website(s) are likely global.
In short, GDPR’s purpose is to give people more power to protect their personal data, and it requires businesses who collect that data — whether it be names, addresses, email addresses, phone, IP, etc — more transparency on when and how it’s used.
Here is what you need to do:
There are a few more nuances to these new regulations, like transferring data between compliant and non-compliant countries. Overall, I think this is a positive thing to protect people’s data and it was inevitable.
Well, that part depends on your situation. You may need to bring it to your legal team if you operate internationally, or have a lot of moving parts. You should probably review this wonderful infographic/website to get familiar on how it might effect your business (http://ec.europa.eu/justice/smedataprotect/index_en.htm). If you use WordPress, there is team of core developer that are working together to help plugin developers quickly get up to code. You can read more over there as well (https://www.gdprwp.com/). Whatever your system uses to collect information will likely have a blog or page on their website dedicated to helping you in the transition — like this WordPress Plugin’s Gravity Forms page (https://docs.gravityforms.com/wordpress-gravity-forms-and-gdpr-compliance/). Your websites/clients will need to evaluate the process for data collection, how you make it accessible on-demand, and update your Terms of Use.
Case Study: ryanmilani.com
Again every situation is going to be different, but I’ll share what I did for my website which took less than one hour. First, I updated my privacy policy to be more explicit regarding the statements above. I then added a checkbox to all my contact forms letting visitors ‘opt into’ having their information stored and that I can contact them; I also link to my privacy policy. Now, I don’t do any remarketing for my website, so I’m not implementing a opt-in for cookies. Just to be safe, I also went ahead and just turned off all Advertising features in Google Analytics (I don’t use them, but if I did then I would make sure my privacy policy is up to date in accordance to which advertising features I use, data I collect, and I would use a cookie opt-in). Finally, I went in to Google Analytics>>Admin>>Tracking Info>>Data Retention and clicked Save (In accordance with the new Google Analytics policy).
Ultimately, you should audit your own data collection process, and look for ways to comply asap. Note that many plugins and third party platforms have released statements on how they are complying. A simple search “(company/platform) + GDPR” will give you information on what you need to be aware of.
Good luck and let me know if I can support!
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) (aka. HTTPS) is all about making the Internet a safer place to browse, but the benefits of implementing a SSL certificate go beyond security.The https in your browser address bar shows when a website contains a SSL certificate; meaning the browser has an encrypted connection to the server hosting the files of the website. Therefore, information passed over that website is more secure from people spying. It’s not totally secure, but it provides a solid industry approved level of security. Google and others are pushing hard for it’s adoption, and when happens good thins come to those who take advantage.
Google just updated their policy regarding Google AdWords Ad Grants for Nonprofits. It’s a significant change that ultimately will increase the quality of impressions and clicks (overall relevancy in their SERPs). If you manage Ad Grant accounts like I do, this update is important to pay attention to.
Damn your love, Damn your lies.
Oh chain redirects, they’re nearly inevitable when running large scale websites (small too). At some point you redirected a link, then you redesigned your site and redirected that link again. Maybe you didn’t even realize the link got redirected. Next thing you know, you click A, it redirects to B, and well B redirects you to C, and if you’re lucky you eventually make it to your destination D. Well, if you have a large, long running website you probably have some chain redirects that could use some cleanup.
Google My Business recently launched a new feature called “Posts.” With the new feature you can engage viewers with a business update, announce a new product or service offering, share a promotion, lead them to a Call-to-Action (CTA), or share your next event. Posts appear on your Google business listing (“Google My Business”) and on valuable search engine results pages. Prime real estate!