Google Analytics: Zero-Second Issue

Rick_001 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 06:22 AM

Hi,
My client's web site has embedded JavaScript (Google Analytics) for all web pages. For last 2-3 months, there are a handful number of zero-second visits to the site, which has come to our notice( as per Google Analytics Report). That means a visitor who is coming to the site (directly/referring sites/search engines) is staying there for zero second. Moreover, these zero-second visits are more for visitors, who are coming to the site through Google search results. Surprisingly, it (zero-second issue) is there for relevant key phrases for which the site's rank is 1 or 2.

We just checked the web server's response time. It is perfectly fine. In that case what is the issue? Is it something to do with Google Analytics tools? I mean, something is happening with Google JavaScript code, which is making it just impossible for Google tools to track a particular visitor's further exploration of the site. So, it is giving a zero-second status for that unique visit.

Thanks in advance for any valuable inputs.

Rick

mindprint · #2 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 05:48 PM

The way I understand it is if a visitor only looks at one page, there is no way for Google Analytics to time the visitor. It's timed by when the user goes to the next page. So, if a visitor went to your site and looked at that one page for 3 hours and didn't go any further in your site, it would be logged down as zero-seconds.

WebProForumUser · #3 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 05:55 PM

0 second shows up when the users look at only one page i.e. the page where the user entered the site. The time spent on page is calculated by the time difference between two requests (page views in this case). If there is no second request (i.e. the user left by looking at one page only) then the tool like Google Analytics does not what was the actual time spent and hence zero shows up.

Anil Batra
Web Analysis, Behavioral Targeting and Advertising

SemAdvance · #4 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 05:55 PM

Just because your site is # 1 or # 2 or any position in the organic SERPs does not indicate your site is relevant to the search query.

Another issue is organic SERPs often drive people with no intent other than to look at a website and leave.

Lastly Google would not produce analytics code that it could not use correctly, that would defeat the whole purpose.

I would worry less of the time figures, and determine what paths visitors are taking, and what conversion numbers you are generating.

Prophet503 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 05:56 PM

We saw this issue (or something very similar) a while ago while tracking some suspicious affiliate behavior, and identified Google Toolbar as the culprit.

The toolbar seems to, in some/many/all? cases, request the top result even if the user doesn't click on the result.

To test this theory, load up Google Toolbar in Firefox and tail your server log while searching for your top-ranked keyword.

Good luck.

-Dale

adverlicious · #6 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 06:05 PM

Deceptive or poorly written PPC ads are a major culprit here -- they attract clicks but under deceptive pretenses. Overly zealous search optimization can also do this -- you rank for phrases where you don't really have relevance. In both cases, visitors flee when they realize you don't have what you promised (or at least they think you promised)

Another common, but often undetected, source of these "zero second" visits is well-intentioned employees who set their browser homepage to the corporate site. Every time they start their browser or use the home button, you'll get a zero second visit. But the solution for this one is easy: Find your company's public IP address and exclude it (or better yet exclude the entire block).

datetopia · #7 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 06:09 PM

We experienced some websites freezing in Firefox when using Google Analytics (while loading it). When a user gets to a frozen page that doesn't respond to clicks he will surely close that tab without clicking anything (because he can't).

bosmolskate · #8 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 06:10 PM

This has occured to many clients I had. It means that the user does no click through to anyother pages. They enter then leave the site

Eddy Tan · #9 (**permalink**) 01-24-2008, 08:34 PM

Several responses earlier indicated the correct cause of the zero second visits as relating to visits to single pages including one entry that pointed out the case of corporate users who put the company main page as the default page and how these could be filtered.

The strange thing is that most of these zero second visits come through Google searches.

That tells me you possibly got something on your entry page that most of these visitors
were tunred off . Take a look at those keywords used in these Google searches and see if they are relevant to your site.

Make sense?

dburdon · #10 (**permalink**) 01-25-2008, 03:36 AM

Rick_001,

how does the bounce rate look on the keywords where you're ranking 1&2?

If its high then it could simply be a relevancy issue.

deepsand · #11 (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 11:40 AM

GA can report a time-on-page only if:

1) The visitor leaves that page via a link on it; and,

2) Said link is not scripted.

Otherwise, GA has no way of knowing that they've left that page.

deepsand · #12 (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WebProForumUser

0 second shows up when the users look at only one page i.e. the page where the user entered the site. The time spent on page is calculated by the time difference between two requests (page views in this case). If there is no second request (i.e. the user left by looking at one page only) then the tool like Google Analytics does not what was the actual time spent and hence zero shows up.

Anil Batra
Web Analysis, Behavioral Targeting and Advertising

Correct. And, GA can only know that the visitor left via a link if that link is not scripted.