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  (not provided), Google + security, Google Analytics, Google search results, keyword data, keyword search, SEO, ssl encryption, ssl encryption for search queries

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  If you’ve been checking your Google Analytics data regularly over the past 6 weeks you may be seeing the effects of Google’s new SSL encryption for search queries. Beginning October 18th 2011, Google began hiding data it collects from users who are logged in, including which keywords they are using to find information on the web. The result — ugly “(not provided)” keyword data showing up in millions of Google Analytics reports.

  Wondering why they started displaying “(not provided)” in place of useful keyword data or how these new changes will affect your overall SEO strategies? We were too! So we sought out to find the answers. Here’s what we found out regarding the new keyword results.

  Prior to the introduction of SSL encryption for search queries, every time a visitor came to your site from Google, the information regarding the user’s activity would be tracked on your Google Analytics report, along with the exact search term or keyword they used to find your site.

  Now, Google is withholding this very important data from site owners between 5% and 33% of the time. This means that for every 100 searches conducted on Google which lead to a visitor on your site, you will only be given the search term the user entered to find your site between 67% and 95% of the time. Of course the percentage of “(not provided)” keywords your particular Analytics report will show is dependent upon how many of those visitors were logged into Google during the search.

  Here is the exception — if you have an active Google AdWords account and are paying for click-throughs to your site from the search results, Google will display the keywords used for ‘paid search’ visits to your site 100% of the time. “(Not provided)” will only appear for ‘organic search’ visits.

  How will the new SSL encryption for search queries effect your SEO strategy and overall web traffic? Well, first it is important to understand that the change will not negatively effect your web traffic, at least not directly. While you may not know how visitors are finding your site 100% of the time, the number of visitors who find you through the Google search results remains unchanged. The new “(not provided)” data can present some real problems and frustrations for site owners who are trying to understand which keywords they should be targeting and how their site is getting found however. Without this key information, it will be tough to know how up to 1/3 of your organic traffic is being generated.

  Of course there are always ways around these sort of roadblocks thrown out by Google. Many site owners have begun running additional or custom reports to try and combat the problem. To learn how you too can combine or customize your Analytics reports to gain as much intel on your web visitors as possible, despite Google’s attempt to keep us in the dark, check out these articles. How to Steal Some Not Provided Data Back from Google and Smarter Data Analysis of Google’s https (Not Provided) Change: 5 Steps.

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