Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Service URL: policies.google.com (opens in a new window)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
Awesome! That should keep us busy for a while!
Hope your computer troubles are over soon!
Wow!! Now that’s a post…chock full of whatI’m sure will be some of the best DIY info. I’m rather new (since Fall) to following you, so I’m sooo glad you re-posted this for us newbies 🙂
Safe to say I missed this also. Holy roundup! This will be good reading after my surgery.
This is a fantastic series. I’ve come away with so much great information and tips. I also missed this the first time around but have been glued to my computer all afternoon.
I am so inspired by you guys:)
Beth, Sadly, I’ve only known about your blog or any blog for that matter) for a couple of months, so I did miss this the first time ’round. I cannot WAIT to dive in! This post is going down as one of the most INGENIOUS posts to date! Thanks for the “new to me”/re-post! 🙂