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Google Analytics flaky - javascript screwed up

Just signed up, not sure if it's always like this?

andye

4:28 pm on Mar 9, 2006 (gmt 0)

So we've just signed up to GA and:
- the tracking javascript takes forever to load
- when it does load, it creates an error in the browser.

This isn't just for our site - I'm seeing it on other sites including high profile ones like the Onion and the British Library.

So: is this how it always is? - i.e. flaky? or is this just a temporary blip, and we happen to have signed up at the wrong time?

best, a.

finoo

6:09 pm on Mar 9, 2006 (gmt 0)

I had the same problem today, had to remove my analytics code :(

My page stops to load..

lethal0r

10:25 pm on Mar 9, 2006 (gmt 0)

ive been using it for the past 4 weeks and there has been no problems. it seems ok right now, but i didnt check my site earlier on. it was probably just a blip.

if you put your code right at the bottom of the page it wont stop your page from loading.

bateman_ap

10:30 pm on Mar 9, 2006 (gmt 0)

Been having it all afternoon, have moved the code to the bottom of my pages and that helps.

viggen

7:11 am on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

yeah thats incredible lame, not even the contact page is loading properly, seems to be a analytcs server wide issue.

I am surprised not more people posting about this, and no mail from google explaining things... :(

cheers
viggen

7_Driver

9:12 am on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

There's definitely something going on. I'm getting reports that our home page is taking 20 seconds to load... and it's giving errors at the urchin tracker code.

Seems fine to me though... very odd.

But unless it's fixed very soon - the code will have to come off.

Interesting that there's not more posts here...

andye

11:19 am on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

Well, the code's come off for now.

I'd rather pay for a service than use another one of Google's perpetual betas, if that means they're going to screw things up in such an obvious-to-our-clients kind of way.

To me this smells very strongly of not enough testing.

Interesting that there's not more posts here

Yes, I'm surprised.

Perhaps it's because this isn't likely to be picked up by people's monitoring systems - e.g. we have cron jobs and monitoring servers that check we're online, but of course everything like that doesn't execute javascript, so it doesn't hit the error.

best, a.

franckey79

11:23 am on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

I have same problem. I had Urchin java-script placed before </head>, what was firts Google suggestion where to palce it.

Today I have to move it before </body> because there was big delay in dowanloading site. After it, everything is OK.

it is interesting, that Google change their sugeestion about best palce to put code. It seems they predicted problems.

stickyboy

5:08 pm on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

message I got back from them:

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are aware that many users
have experienced delays in their site due to a new update to the Google
Analytics javascript file. Our engineers are currently working to resolve
this issue. We appreciate your patience in the meantime.

If the issue is not resolved for you by Monday, please feel free to
follow-up on this email, and I can give you an update on when a solution
will be in place

viggen

6:39 pm on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

Slashdot has the code in the header and the site shows the same symptoms, ultra slow loading, no geek yet figured it out over there to put it in the body`?

cheers
viggen

mymotech

10:54 pm on Mar 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

It really surprised me when they released GA that they suggested people put it in the HEAD tag. Tracking visitors is important but it is not more important than the visitors themselves.

The important thing to remember is that the tracking tag is just some javascript it does not have to be placed somewhere special on the page.

While I don't think GA is particularly good for commercial sites it is too bad that so many webmasters are having a hard time with it, because the product itself is quite nice. I have had it on my sites since day one with absolutely no problem.

flashfan

3:11 pm on Apr 2, 2006 (gmt 0)

If either you or your ISP blocks google-analytics.com, and the tracking code is aboud <body>, it may take longer time to load the page;

imstillatwork

6:18 pm on Apr 5, 2006 (gmt 0)

They say to put the code just before </body> now. i have no problems with speed on mine.