How do you exclude yourself from Google Analytics on your website using cookies?
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Keoki Zee
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Published on 2011-06-18T23:58:11Z
Indexed on
2011/06/20
16:39 UTC
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I'm trying to set up an exclusion filter with a browser cookie, so that my own visits to my don't show up in my Google Analytics. I tried 3 different methods and none of them have worked so far. I would like help understanding what I am doing wrong and how I can fix this.
Method 1
First, I tried following Google's instructions, http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55481, for excluding traffic by Cookie Content:
Create a new page on your domain, containing the following code:
<body onLoad="javascript:pageTracker._setVar('test_value');">
Method 2
Next, when that didn't work, I googled around and found this Google thread, http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google%20Analytics/thread?tid=4741f1499823fcd5&hl=en, where the most popular answer says to use a slightly different code:
SHS Analytics wrote:
<body onLoad="javascript:_gaq.push(['_setVar','test_value']);">Thank you! This has now set a __utmv cookie containing "test_value", whereas the original:
pageTracker._setVar('test_value')(which Google is still recommending) did not manage to do that for me (in Mac Safari 5 and Firefox 3.6.8).
So I tried this code, but it didn't work for me.
Method 3
Finally, I searched StackOverflow and came across this thread, http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3495270/exclude-my-traffic-from-google-analytics-using-cookie-with-subdomain, which suggests that the following code might work:
<script type="text/javascript">
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setVar', 'exclude_me']);
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-xxxxxxxx-x']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
// etc...
</script>
This script appeared in the head element in the example, instead of in the onload event of the body like in the previous 2 examples. So I tried this too, but still had no luck with trying to exclude myself from Google Analytics.
Re-iterate question
So, I tried all 3 methods above with no success. Am I doing something wrong? How can I exclude myself from my Google Analytics using an exclusion cookie for my browser?
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