Analytics Unpacked
@analyticsunpacked.bsky.social
Insight and honesty about Google Analytics. Occasional forays into movies and combating climate change. Posts by James (he/him).
https://www.analyticsunpacked.com?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=profile
https://www.analyticsunpacked.com?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=profile
Pinned
New blog: In Google Analytics, is Organic Social traffic healthy?
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/09/is-o...
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/09/is-o...
Tip: Make sure Google Analytics data retention is set to 14 months rather than two.
Go to: Admin -> Property settings -> Data collection and modification -> Data retention
Go to: Admin -> Property settings -> Data collection and modification -> Data retention
January 14, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Tip: Make sure Google Analytics data retention is set to 14 months rather than two.
Go to: Admin -> Property settings -> Data collection and modification -> Data retention
Go to: Admin -> Property settings -> Data collection and modification -> Data retention
In 2025, I spent a chunk of time getting to know Google Ads. There's a lot to learn, particularly if your budget is low and you can't rely on smart bidding.
It seems powerful though. I like the ability to target ads geographically.
It seems powerful though. I like the ability to target ads geographically.
January 12, 2026 at 8:01 AM
In 2025, I spent a chunk of time getting to know Google Ads. There's a lot to learn, particularly if your budget is low and you can't rely on smart bidding.
It seems powerful though. I like the ability to target ads geographically.
It seems powerful though. I like the ability to target ads geographically.
If you're a new website owner, you should know that December is often an unusual month. It's best not to compare stats to November. Look at the previous December instead.
January 7, 2026 at 1:07 PM
If you're a new website owner, you should know that December is often an unusual month. It's best not to compare stats to November. Look at the previous December instead.
This is fascinating and original.
January 4, 2026 at 10:27 AM
This is fascinating and original.
I think it's Friday. Is it Friday? 😂
January 2, 2026 at 8:58 AM
I think it's Friday. Is it Friday? 😂
Reposted by Analytics Unpacked
LOVE this graphic, & the article it accompanies.
Remember this one? “Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom.” Proven science via Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social #CityMakingMath
The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
www.scientificamerican.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:08 AM
LOVE this graphic, & the article it accompanies.
Happy Christmas to the folks who celebrate. May you get a chance to relax, whatever that looks like. I'm going to eat a lot of cake.
December 23, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Happy Christmas to the folks who celebrate. May you get a chance to relax, whatever that looks like. I'm going to eat a lot of cake.
Reposted by Analytics Unpacked
Commuting by bicycle in Belgium pays off as employees earn compensation for every km they ride. 1 in 6 employees commute by bike and get a bicycle allowance of €0.28/km. People cycling to work in 2024 earned an average of around €460 net per year (some as high as €810), up 20% over the past year.
Belgian commutes pay off: Employees earn up to €810 for cycling to work
One in five people in Flanders commuted by bike and received compensation last year, but this figure is significantly lower in Brussels and Wallonia.
www.brusselstimes.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Commuting by bicycle in Belgium pays off as employees earn compensation for every km they ride. 1 in 6 employees commute by bike and get a bicycle allowance of €0.28/km. People cycling to work in 2024 earned an average of around €460 net per year (some as high as €810), up 20% over the past year.
My most popular post in Q4* this year:
What does 'Email' mean in Google Analytics, and why are those numbers so small?
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/01/what...
What does 'Email' mean in Google Analytics, and why are those numbers so small?
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/01/what...
What does 'Email' mean in Google Analytics, and why are those numbers so small?
Insight and grumbles about Google Analytics
www.analyticsunpacked.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:07 AM
My most popular post in Q4* this year:
What does 'Email' mean in Google Analytics, and why are those numbers so small?
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/01/what...
What does 'Email' mean in Google Analytics, and why are those numbers so small?
www.analyticsunpacked.com/2025/01/what...
Me to family and friends every, single, week: "The problem is that you assumed the AI summary was true".
December 17, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Me to family and friends every, single, week: "The problem is that you assumed the AI summary was true".
QR codes are commonplace these days. However, I think it's worthwhile listing a shortened link as well on print materials. What if a user's phone is playing up, or the lighting is too weak?
December 10, 2025 at 4:07 PM
QR codes are commonplace these days. However, I think it's worthwhile listing a shortened link as well on print materials. What if a user's phone is playing up, or the lighting is too weak?
Bot visits from China and Singapore continue to show up in my Google Analytics reports. In November, 48% of my active users came from China and 39% from Singapore. I'm using explorations in my workflow to strip these out of reports.
December 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Bot visits from China and Singapore continue to show up in my Google Analytics reports. In November, 48% of my active users came from China and 39% from Singapore. I'm using explorations in my workflow to strip these out of reports.
A Google Analytics bug to watch out for...
That may mean you’re spamming a customer/stakeholder without realising it. Yay.
(6/x)
(6/x)
December 3, 2025 at 10:02 AM
A Google Analytics bug to watch out for...
Found a Google Analytics bug. It's in the Custom Insights area. Thread ⬇️
(1/x)
(1/x)
December 2, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Found a Google Analytics bug. It's in the Custom Insights area. Thread ⬇️
(1/x)
(1/x)
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 3. Watch the Realtime Overview on one of your annual peaks. Did your website handle the traffic? Use the numbers as a benchmark to compare against in future.
November 20, 2025 at 8:07 AM
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 3. Watch the Realtime Overview on one of your annual peaks. Did your website handle the traffic? Use the numbers as a benchmark to compare against in future.
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 2. Add the tracking code to your error pages. When you have a problem you'll know the number of users affected.
November 18, 2025 at 4:07 PM
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 2. Add the tracking code to your error pages. When you have a problem you'll know the number of users affected.
Did you know you can install Google Analytics in your Eventbrite forms? I just started using it, and it seems useful. Instructions here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/help/en-gb/a...
November 18, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Did you know you can install Google Analytics in your Eventbrite forms? I just started using it, and it seems useful. Instructions here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/help/en-gb/a...
Thought this seemed fishy. The chances of my being popular in China seemed unlikely.
Google Analytics spike from China and Singapore is a known issue
techissuestoday.com/google-analy...
#google #Analytics
techissuestoday.com/google-analy...
#google #Analytics
Google Analytics spike from China and Singapore is a known issue
Google Analytics users are seeing fake traffic spikes from China and Singapore. Google confirmed it's bot traffic bypassing filters.
techissuestoday.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Thought this seemed fishy. The chances of my being popular in China seemed unlikely.
One day I'll be able to say 'statistical significance'.
November 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
One day I'll be able to say 'statistical significance'.
Reposted by Analytics Unpacked
"What is certain, and felt instinctively by almost everybody, is that things cannot go on in their present way" – The Times, May 1975
“It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975
“It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975
November 14, 2025 at 9:13 AM
"What is certain, and felt instinctively by almost everybody, is that things cannot go on in their present way" – The Times, May 1975
“It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975
“It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975
Why is the website black? A compromise in pursuit of a low carbon website. More info here: www.analyticsunpacked.com/2024/06/carb...
November 12, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Why is the website black? A compromise in pursuit of a low carbon website. More info here: www.analyticsunpacked.com/2024/06/carb...
Reposted by Analytics Unpacked
This is spot-on about what's being done to the BBC. The staggering hypocrisy of the people leading the attack is, well, staggering.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
"Why do they hate the BBC? It’s not for the reason they give... They do not hate its bias. They want it to adopt their bias."
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
"Why do they hate the BBC? It’s not for the reason they give... They do not hate its bias. They want it to adopt their bias."
Extra edition: The populist assault on the BBC
Johnson, Gibb and the Telegraph are trying to turn the BBC into GB News.
iandunt.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
This is spot-on about what's being done to the BBC. The staggering hypocrisy of the people leading the attack is, well, staggering.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
"Why do they hate the BBC? It’s not for the reason they give... They do not hate its bias. They want it to adopt their bias."
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
"Why do they hate the BBC? It’s not for the reason they give... They do not hate its bias. They want it to adopt their bias."
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 1. Work out your busiest month. Avoid scheduling routine maintenance then, in case it causes downtime.
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 AM
20 ways to use Google Analytics: 1. Work out your busiest month. Avoid scheduling routine maintenance then, in case it causes downtime.
I like the idea of Active Users in Google Analytics. However, it gets messy when you start combining it with data from elsewhere.
November 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I like the idea of Active Users in Google Analytics. However, it gets messy when you start combining it with data from elsewhere.