Elxis CMS Forum

Support => General => Topic started by: xmanhattan on November 28, 2016, 17:40:43

Title: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: xmanhattan on November 28, 2016, 17:40:43

Hello all,

I have been checking the Google Analytics for an Elxis 4.x site and noticed that it is not recording the search statistics.
I also found a reference to an allow in robots.txt that shows the following line:

Code: [Select]

/Allow: search?q=
Using the info from https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2795821?hl=en#searchEngine (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2795821?hl=en#searchEngine)
I completed the Google Analytics form in the Admin area google-analytics-organic-serach-sources.
See the attached image.

Does anyone know if this is the problem or is it something else?

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: datahell on November 28, 2016, 23:11:10

I don't understand what you mean by saying "it is not recording the search statistics".
Elxis supports search with the standard q parameter and also has full support for the open search protocol.

For the default search engine you don't have to specify the engine.

Example 1
Search elxis.org content with keyword "module"
https://www.elxis.org/search/?q=module (https://www.elxis.org/search/?q=module)

Example 2
Search EDC listings with keyword "module"
https://www.elxis.net/search/?q=module (https://www.elxis.net/search/?q=module)

Example 3
Search Elxis DOCS documentation articles with keyword "module"
https://www.elxis.net/docs/search/?q=module (https://www.elxis.net/docs/search/?q=module)

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: xmanhattan on November 29, 2016, 10:05:06

Hello Datahell,

Google analytics does not display any statistics for user site searches and I am not sure if it has to do with robots.txt or parameter settings in Google analytics.

Please see attached image.  After making the changes noted in the previous post, I did a few searches on the Elxis website but nothing was displayed in Analytics.

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: webgift on November 29, 2016, 12:12:35

Crawlers will scan the available pages. They won't perform any search action. Google Analytics
will include links from allowed area only if you have implemented inner links to search results in
your website.

They will also implement such links if there is any external source that perform search actions to
your website.

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: xmanhattan on November 29, 2016, 15:07:52

Hello Webgift,

This is not about crawlers but about passing Elxis search queries to google analytics for seo analysis.

The info regarding robots.txt that I found is also implemented by facebook, twitter, and others so I am wondering if it should be included in the robots.txt as

Code: [Select]

Allow: /search/content.html?q=
Maybe this will help clarify the question:  https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1012264?hl=en&ref_topic=1031951 (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1012264?hl=en&ref_topic=1031951)

and this see #4
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/8-google-analytics-features/ (https://blog.kissmetrics.com/8-google-analytics-features/)

I just deleted the analytics settings that I did previously and made the change as shown here in the image.

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: datahell on November 30, 2016, 21:03:12

This is not a query parameter: "/search/content.html?q="
You have provided wrong settings to google analytics. The query parameter is just "q"
I wont go deeper into this, we are not responsible for third party services.

Title: Re: Google Analytics robots.txt search parameter
Post by: xmanhattan on December 01, 2016, 10:14:48

Good enough.
Thank you Datahell.