Web Analytics India

Tracking RSS Subscribers through Google Analytics

- Contributed by Gunjan Aggarwal

The best way to measure success of a blog is through RSS subscribers. Usually we get data about the RSS subscribers through feedburner. But we can also use Google Analytics to get that figure.

To Track the Clicks on RSS button, add following code within the :-

onclick=”javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview (‘/rss/rsspic’);”

You can use any page name instead of ‘/rss/rsspic’.

Through OnClick function we are calling virtual page. We don’t have to create that page in our website.

This virtual page you can see in your top content list in Google Analytics. But if you want to analyze which post or category leads to more clicks on RSS button, then you have to set goal.

If you are using Blogger then to add the code go to Layout ->Edit

And if you are using WordPress, then go to Design->Theme Editor->Sidebar.php

To create a Goal in Google Analytics:-

1. Login to Google Analytics
2. Click on Analytics settings
3. Under Conversion Goals and Funnels, click edit



4. Enter the information as shown in pic above. Goal URL should be same as given in code.Through this you will come to know only about number of clicks on RSS button. It doesn’t tell exactly about subscribers as someone might have clicked on RSS button but not have subscribed.

   It will be helpful to you to analyze the best performing post or category in terms of increasing subscribers.

   You can also use virtual pageview concept to track:-

   1. Clicks on banners
   2. Ajax-based activities
   3. File downloads
   4. Videos
   5. Dynamically generated pages – cgi, asp,php
   6. External Links

What more are the possibilities where you can use virtual pageview concept?