Tracking SEO

Do I add tracking tags to all pages or only select pages?

[Margo24]

Your patience is appreciated. We are in the RFP process for a new SEM vendor and plan to add web analytics to: optimize our website and track our SEO conversions.

Here's where I'm confused. One vendor suggests we add a tracking tag to every page in the website. Another suggests we only add tags to conversion pages. Which is best? Will I get visibility to keyword/source for each page if that page does not have some type of tracking code?

This stuff is new for me and I'm trying to make the right decision for our company. Your help is very appreciated.

-Margo24

[bakedjake]

Hi Margo24, Welcome to WebmasterWorld! [webmasterworld.com]

First, let me just put in my .02 - RFPs are a horrible thing to do to an SEO company. They make us feel like dirt and like we're unloved, and I've pretty much sworn off responding to them for good.

If you must make companies fill out these horrible inventions, please remember to inform EACH and EVERY one of the companies that responds to your RFP what your decision is.

Now, back on topic:

For best granularity, I would use a tracking code on each page. Remember, the more data you collect, the more data you have to analyze. Typically, more data leads to beter and more accurate results.

You can still get keyword->conversion data by only tagging conversion event pages, but you won't get decent path analysis, and you'll still have to tag that user somehow (for example, using global.asa or the appropriate on-session event code for your programming language).