Google has announced that they would be eliminating keyword data from analytics to shield signed-in users. Now, in the very similar piece of software, website owners are able to see who exactly has linked to their website – including social profile details. Reasonably, some industry folk are crying foul play on this particular move. So, is this another case of double standards from the search giant?

It’s an exciting argument. After all, if you want to know who has been tweeting your content, the details isn’t all that hard to find. Users might not be too very pleased when they find out Google is giving personal details on a serving dish to site owners through Analytics.

Google have a matchless insight into what goes on behind the scenes, when it comes to search queries. They are clever enough to follow the entire drive of a user, from initial query to final conversion (whatever that may be).

This puts them in a fortunate position. Using it for their own algorithmic requirements for years they have been drawing out this data’s. However, rather selflessly, they also passed the majority of it on to website owners through Analytics for free.

Limiting Policies are excellent for Business

Keep in mind, Google has a premium analytics package which costs a paltry $150,000 per year! Obviously this hasn’t been impacted by the modification. Therefore, if there are any big brands that have been inexpensive and relied on basic analytics and are anxious to get their hands on all keyword data, they may be more inclined to bite the bullet and make the improvement.

For the smaller online businesses, there is PPC advertising. Again, you won’t be too surprised to find out that those who are forking out on AdWords still get their keyword data. This provides a good way of testing which conditions are getting the majority searches and delivering conversions to the site. It will help to fill the gaps left by the Analytics blackout.

Confidential Data Vs Readily accessible Information

If you want you can track tweets through Tweet Deck. When we share things socially, we have to anticipate that it is going to be seen by an end user somewhere – mainly of using a company name or URL inside a message.

Analytics therefore is basically acting as an aggregator for available data. Sure, it might be a little two-faced to eradicate keywords on the basis of privacy and then put in personal profiles to the links part, but the two are very diverse. Google owns the keyword data. It comes from their search engine and therefore they have the capability and responsibility to control it as required.

So, even as they may follow international privacy rules, the biggest basic factor has to be money. Why give valuable data away for free when you can push users towards a Premium Analytics account or PPC advertising? Sure, it’s a bit of a blow in the kidneys of long-term users, but that’s their privilege unfortunately.

As social signals become more essential, finding out who has shared content or linked to your website is going to turn more important. The addition of this data in Analytics shows that Google is taking it seriously and is also capable to precisely identify who is saying what.

This is very much the prospect of link building and so it makes sense that it should be included within Analytics or Webmaster Tools. The fact that it coincided with the contraction of privacy rules is somewhat unfortunate, but questionably is unrelated