Google Analytics Practice: Cookies and Sessions
A website session cookie lasts for as long as the web browser is open.
False
Google Analytics uses third-party cookies.
False
The main Google Analytics cookies (such as __utma and __utmb) have the same expiration.
False Each cookie has a different function and a different default duration: __utma (Visitor identifier cookie) has a duration of 24 months since the last session. __utmb (Session cookie) has a duration of 30 minutes since last action (Page View, Event or Transaction). __utmc (Session cookie) is eliminated at the end of the Browser session. (This cookie was formerly used in conjunction with __utmb to determine a session. Although GA still writes __utmc, it now uses only __utmb to determine a session.) __utmz (Traffic Source cookie) lasts 6 months. __utmv (Custom variable cookie) lasts 24 months. GA writes this cookie only if you call _setVar or _setCustomVar.
For first-party cookies, only the website domain that is setting the cookie information can retrieve the cookie data.
True
For the purposes of Google Analytics, "session" and "visit" mean basically the same thing.
True
One browser can store multiple instances of the Google Analytics cookies.
True
Persistent cookies are those that are still available when a web browser is closed and later reopened.
True
The __utma cookie expires two years after a user's last visit to your website, and not necessarily two years after the cookie's creation date.
True
You visit www.supersite.com using Chrome. You walk away from your workstation for 15 minutes, and then you return to your workstation and visit www.supersite.com using Firefox. Google Analytics would consider these visits to be part of two different sessions.
True
Google Analytics uses cookies to track: Select all that apply. A) how many first-time visitors a site has received B) how many times a visitor returns to a website C) the original source of return visitors D) how much time has passed between visits
A, B, C, D
It is widely recognized that a large percentage of Web users delete their browser cookies on a regular basis. How does this affect your Google Analytics reports? Select all that apply. A) Returning Visitors skew lower. B) Count of Visits in the Frequency & Recency report skews lower. C) Days Since Last Visit skews lower (more recent). D) Unique visitors skew higher.
A, B, C, D
A third-party cookie is one that operates in the background and is: Select all that apply. A) Sometimes associated with embedded content that is delivered by another domain. B) Not directly requested by the visitor. C) Set by the Google Analytics tracking code. D) Usually associated with online advertisements.
A, B, D
For which cookies you can manually modify the standard expiration period? Select all that apply. A) __utma B) __utmb C) __utmc D) __utmz
A, B, D
Which interactions on your website influence session expiration in Google Analytics? Select all that apply. A) A visitor generates a Virtual Pageview. B) A visitor scrolls within the page. C) A visitor completes an E-commerce transaction. D) A visitor triggers an action that is captured as an Event.
A, C, D
If a visitor opens and closes your site 10 times in 1 hour, with anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes between actions, how many visits Google Analytics will count? The visitor accesses your site by inputting your URL directly into the same browser. A) 10 B) 1 C) 2 D) 0, because Google Analytics considers this visit frequency to be invalid
B) 1
Which of the following Google Analytics cookies are used to define a session? Select all that apply. A) __utma B) __utmb C) __utmc D) __utmz
B) __utmb
Which of the following visitor browser settings prevent Google Analytics from tracking visits? Select all that apply. A) Do not track feature turned ON B) Accept cookies turned OFF C) Load images automatically turned OFF D) Private Browsing ON
B, C
A visitor is viewing your website after directly entering www.yoursite.com into the browser. Which of the following conditions would cause Google Analytics to count a second, separate visit for that visitor? Select all that apply. A) The visitor closes the browser, then reopens it and returns to www.yoursite.com by typing the URL in the address bar 15 minutes later. B) The visitor views another page on your website after 45 minutes of inactivity. C) The visitor leaves www.yoursite.com but clicks back through a link from another website. D) The visitor's session on www.yoursite.com begins at 11:58 PM, and continues into the next day at 12:05 AM .
B, C, D