Track 404 with Google Analytics

For many of us it is important as well as interesting to see where our customers go, which pages they visit. Tracking the pages is quite simple with Google Analytics. However the question is: "How do you track the pages that do not exist?"

If you configure your server or web application to handle 404 error - page not found (I strongly recommend you do) you will have a template page that is displayed every time the user navigates to an invalid URL - a page that does not exist.

So, how do we do this? How do we track our customers that somehow got lost and landed in a location that does not exists, at least not as a valid location that would provide them with the information that they expected.

It's quite easy. If you search for more information you may come across Google Analytics blog post Tracking 404 Pages, which is now outdated as the new ga script is recommended instead of old urchin. The best source for the answer is Google documentation itself. Simply follow these instructions.

<script type="text/javascript">
    var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxx-x");
    pageTracker._trackPageview("/404.html?page=" + document.location.pathname + document.location.search + "&from=" + document.referrer);
</script>

This code sends a virtual pageview of "/404.html?page=[pagename.html?queryparameter]&from=[referrer]" to your account, where [pagename.html?queryparameters] is the missing page name and referrer is the page URL from where the user reached the 404 page.

Then simply look for /404.html in your Top Content report.

Blog Update

I have added subscribe now section on the left, so now you can easily bookmark or add my blog posts Google, My Yahoo!, Newsgator, Feedlounge, Netvibes and Bloglines.

Another useful feature that I added is the browse by category, which shows the labels I used in my posts and their frequency.

My plan is keep improving the usability of this blog. In the next stage (if I find some free time) I'd like to add those little icons for digg, reddit and del.icio.us.

Lastly, if you did not know it already, my blog features microformats. So I guess my blog can be used as an example of how microformats will simplify the web.

Managing User Expectations

One of the last chapters of The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master book that I finished reading today is titled "Great Expectations".

This chapter talks about communicating expectations to the users and suggests to gently exceed users' expectations in order to keep them happy using your software.

I must say that I agree with this book in many points except "The Extra Mile":

If you work closely with your users, sharing their expectations and communicating what you're doing, then there will be few surprises when the project gets delivered.

This is a BAD THING. Try to surprise your users. Not scare them, mind you, but delight them.

Did I miss something here? I understand that a good surprise may pay off, but who knows? It may not be so good after all. Only customers will tell if the "surprise feature" is good.

Maybe I'm too pragmatic (more pragmatic than the pragmatic programmer), but I would feel better to have a happy customer with less surprises. However, the marketing guys may have a different opinion...

What is your opinion? Do you give your users little surprises to delight them? If so, I'd like to hear from you.