Recently, while trying to help a Reportei customer with issues with their report data, we came across an issue previously unknown to our team: Google Analytics Referral Spam. <\/span>Our customer’s question was related to a <\/span>suspicious traffic source<\/b> that appeared in their report, pointing out that something could be wrong with their analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n Then, after some searching for an answer, we found that GA also suffers from <\/span>spam<\/b>, and that’s far more common than you might think.<\/span>That’s why we’ve decided to share in this article the key information you need to know about Google Analytics Referral Spam and ways to remove it from your reports.<\/span><\/p>\n But what exactly is this Google Analytics Referral Spam and why does it mess up the reports of so many Digital Marketers? <\/span>Well, first we need to explain that <\/span>Referral Spam<\/b>, as it is also known, is nothing more than <\/span>fake hits<\/b> that come from very suspicious and unusual websites.<\/span><\/p>\n These visits never really existed<\/b>, but they appear in your <\/span>GA report<\/span><\/a> as if they were real. That is, they <\/span>alter your data and may impair your analysis<\/b>. <\/span>You will not always be able to clearly recognize when the number of visits is spam, because sometimes the site domain will look normal.<\/span><\/p>\n However, in most cases, they are easy to identify not only by domain, but also by the <\/span>100% bounce rate<\/b> and <\/span>time on the website<\/b>, which is zero. <\/span>By this information alone we can realize that this is something misleading and negative for reports, right?<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to this problem and understand how much it can damage your strategy. <\/span>After all, traffic-related data from Referrals is extremely important and improper alteration can <\/span>make it difficult to effectively analyze your results<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n But you can rest easy, because there are very practical ways to solve this problem and <\/span>rid your website of the trouble<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n To help our customer who first pointed this out to us, we began research that led us to find some possible solutions to <\/span>eliminate and block Google Analytics Referral Spam<\/b>. <\/span>As such, we’ve put together a step-by-step that will help you identify these false hits and make the necessary changes to bring your GA back to reality. Check it out:<\/span><\/p>\n The first step in removing Google Analytics Referral Spam from your site is to <\/span>locate<\/b> and <\/span>acknowledge<\/b> these fake visits.<\/span><\/p>\n In your Analytics account, access your traffic data by first clicking “Acquisition” and then “All Traffic.” At the end of the options will be the link to <\/span>view only the information related to your referrals<\/b>. <\/span>When the table with all your access sources appears, click “Bounce Rate” to have your views <\/span>filtered<\/b> by <\/span>bounce order<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Those with high rates (usually 100%) will appear first and this will make it easier to <\/span>identify what is really spam<\/b>. <\/span>As we mentioned earlier, other characteristics to be aware of throughout your analysis are the <\/span>non-existent time<\/b> and the <\/span>average number of pages visited<\/b>, <\/span>which is always equal to one<\/b>. <\/span>From the location of these suspicious hits, you can follow the next steps to remove existing spam.<\/span><\/p>\n Once you’ve identified these visits in your referrals, you have two ways to get rid of this issue in your report: <\/span>deleting spam that already exists<\/b> and <\/span>blocking it through filters<\/b>. <\/span>To put the first option into practice, let’s follow <\/span>the walkthrough of Neil Patel in his Google Analytics Referral Spam article<\/span><\/a>. Let\u2019s go?<\/span><\/p>\n Removal is done by <\/span>creating a custom segment<\/b>. To do this, go back to the tab \u201cAll Traffic\u201d and click on \u201cChannels\u201d. <\/span>Then you open the “Secondary Dimension” box and select the “Source \/ Medium” option to display the “<\/span>Add Segment<\/b>” alternative at the top of the page.<\/span><\/p>\n Then click to add a new segment and select the “<\/span>Conditions<\/b>” option on the side tab so you can edit the information and remove spam. <\/span>In the first drop-down menu, you search for \u201c<\/span>HostName<\/b>\u201d located under \u201cBehavior\u201d. In the second menu, you must choose the alternative \u201c<\/span>Matches to RegEx<\/b>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n After that, we have a sequence of three actions that finalize the configuration of this filter. First, you place in the field next to the second menu the following sequence (also available in Patel’s article):<\/span><\/p>\n offer|free\\-|share\\-|mercedes|buy|cheap|googlsucks|benz|sl500|hulfington|buttons|darodar|pistonheads|motor<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n |money|blackhat|backlink|webrank|seo|phd|crawler|anonymous<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Later, click the \u201cor\u201d button to create a new section just like the previous one. Your menus will be filled with the same data and you will add the next sequence in the blank field:<\/span><\/p>\n 127.0.0.1|justprofit.xyz|nexus.search-helper.ru|rankings-analytics.com|videos-for-your-business|adviceforum.info|video\u2014production|success-seo|sharemyfile.ru|seo-platform|dbutton.net|wordpress-crew.net|rankscanner|doktoronline.no|o00.in<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Finally, you click the \u201cor\u201d option again, edit the drop down menus and paste the last sequence:<\/span><\/p>\n top1-seo-service.com|fast-wordpress-start.com|rankings-analytics.com|uptimebot.net|^scripted.com|uptimechecker.com<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Done! With the filter set up, you can use it to <\/span>stop any fake and annoying visits<\/b> that already exist in your report.<\/span><\/p>\n The secret to getting away from the Google Analytics Referral Spam ghost takes another step-by-step approach that is indicated as a form of prevention. <\/span>Google Support<\/b> itself has specific content that teaches you how to produce <\/span>filters that block referral spam<\/span><\/a>. Here’s what you need to do according to the instructions in this guide.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Google Analytics Referral Spam?<\/span><\/h2>\n
How to rid my website of Google Analytics Referral Spam?<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Locate spam hits<\/span><\/h3>\n
2. Delete spam that already exists in your reports<\/span><\/h3>\n
3. Create filters to block Google Analytics Referral Spam<\/span><\/h3>\n