Comments for Report: Google Analytics May Go Dark for Thousands of Sites (Updated)

Report: Google Analytics May Go Dark for Thousands of Sites (Updated)

2009-04-09T02:30:00Z

Royal Pingdom, a site narrowly focused on tracking and providing solutions for server uptime-related issues, released a survey report today, claiming that a full 40% of top sites using Google Analytics are using a javascript tracking module (urchin.js) that might simply stop working later this year. According to the report, 50% of these top 10,000 sites use Google Analytics, and almost half of those are still using the old tracking code.

]]> Google switched to the newer tracking code well over a year ago, and according to a Google consultant interviewed by Pingdom, the old code may be deactivated in the next few months. Although we could find no official announcement from Google on their ongoing plans to keep the older code functional, all the Google documentation indicated that switching (at least when it was announced a year ago) was optional.

The report also points out these advantages (from the Google help system) to switching to the newer javascript code:

Faster, smaller source file
Automatic detection of HTTPS
Increased namespace safety
More convenient set up for tracking ecommerce transactions
More customizable code for interactive Ajax-based sites
Enjoying new features and reports as they roll out

Examples of top-tier sites still using the old tracking code include Google properties Blogger and DoubleClick, along with Wired, FoxNews and IGN. Will these properties be given as long as they need to make the switch? We agree with the conclusion of the report, which states:

"When urchin.js is finally decommissioned, will thousands of sites be caught without working statistics? We're guessing that Google won't allow this to happen, but you never know."

Perhaps it's best to integrate the newer tracking code sooner rather than later.

Update: The Official Google Analytics Blog has a new post up today that definitively states that their urchin.js analytics script will not be decommissioned without clear advance warning first, and they in fact have no plans to do so for the immediate future. We appreciate the clarification, thanks Google!

Comment from Craig Baker on 2009-04-08

2009-04-09T04:21:31Z

I think sites are holding out until Google release a service pack for the ga.js script. Now we have got that important news out of the way can we have some news.

Comment from Tan The Man on 2009-04-08

2009-04-09T04:36:39Z

Had no idea, and just switched...

Comment from Runescape gold on 2009-04-08

2009-04-09T06:49:14Z

all the Google documentation indicated that switching (at least when it was announced a year ago)

Comment from Vauman on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T07:20:03Z

I am wondering. Google recommend the new code, but never wrote that they are stoping the old one.

Comment from vikrant on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T07:42:15Z

great info, yeah legacy code can has to go. let's start moving to new code

Comment from Berislav Lopac on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T08:24:50Z

How difficult it could possibly be for Google to create an alias or rewrite which would serve the new code on the old URL?

Comment from g1smd on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T09:03:42Z

It would be very easy for them to rewrite any requests for the old URL to the new file, but the new file uses different variables and has different functionality so it wouldn't work.

Most sites will have implemented analytics by using a simple include file, or common footer, included into every page of the site. In that case, making the change on the site should only take a few minutes.

Comment from smiled on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T09:18:46Z

cool!

Comment from Grunties on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T09:32:01Z

Thanks for the pie chart - a 40/60 split is difficult to get my head around. Let's hope more people follow your lead and illustrate these tricky concepts.

Comment from Blo on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T10:30:58Z

Great information

Comment from Justin Cutroni on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T12:19:09Z

While it is a good idea to switch tracking codes, we have not heard of any immediate plans to drop support for urchin.js. We do not believe that there is any need to switch immediately.

The best course of action is to asses your Google Analytics implementation, understand the scope of upgrading and plan accordingly.

Again, Google is not going to randomly "switch off" urchin.js.

Comment from Chris Wilson on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T14:23:43Z

Not that it can't be done manually, but all someone needs to update the Google Analytics WordPress plugins to the new format.

Comment from KeyboardCowboy on 2009-04-09

2009-04-09T14:52:42Z

I partially agree with Berislav Lopac, but it sounds like Goog has an issue with the on-page code. Also, who in the heck doesn't have this in a SSI or something making it easy to update?

Comment from Abhijeet Pathak on 2009-04-10

2009-04-10T08:37:37Z

One of the reason many sites haven't upgraded to new code can be that they are using analytics functions to track usage activity all over the pages, which may require a lot of code rewrite to make the switch.
Otherwise, code switch is easy.

Comment from Brice Dunwoodie (CMSWire.com) on 2009-04-10

2009-04-10T14:10:26Z

There can be a lot more to this than a SSI update. Tracking events and goals, etc. can eventually lead to fairly involved instrumentation code.

With that said, I bet that the majority of these sites are not that deep into GA. I think the problem is primarily that Google has done a poor job of making the community aware of the change.

Comment from Avinash Kaushik on 2009-04-10

2009-04-10T18:01:28Z

Phil: Is there a way to request you to add a update to please this post?

There is a huge leap of faith from the data to saying that "Google Analytics will go dark". The team at Google has not said this. The official line is both urchin.js and ga.js work fine and will be around for the conceivable future.

If there is a official change to that position there will be a ton of notice, recommendations will be provided and help options will be outlined.

At the moment the texture of the post is driving a level of sub optimal paranoia. No?

-Avinash.

PS: People should move over at ga.js when it is convenient to them. ga.js does provide a few new features.

Comment from Phil Glockner on 2009-04-10

2009-04-11T00:28:10Z

Avinash, the post is now updated. Thanks for the feedback.

Comment from Colin on 2009-04-12

2009-04-12T20:02:09Z

I may be wrong - but does the pro version of GA - Urchin (urchin.com) - not use the urchin.js file?

Comment from rs powerleveling on 2009-04-13

2009-04-13T08:09:35Z

good imformation

Comment from Eric Ferraiuolo on 2009-04-13

2009-04-13T15:51:45Z

The other issue with Google Analytics is how it blocks the DOM from being ready. I ran into this issue, and wanted to pull the loading of Google Analytics out of the normal flow (making it asynchronous). This lead to me writing a little utility that's a drop in for anyone using jQuery 1.3, YUI 2.7.0, or YUI 3.0

http://925html.com/code/non-blocking-google-analytics-integration/

Comment from Online Consumer Electronics Store on 2009-04-15

2009-04-15T07:02:59Z

40% probably will have a problem as they will simply be unaware of the change. However, I would suspect by then, Google would have sent some notifications of the changeover, so, I suspect very few in the end will be caught. Google will know about sites using the old code after all.

Comment from Julien on 2009-04-17

2009-04-17T11:38:17Z

@Colin

Google Analytics was originally based on Urchin's UTM Javascript-based tracking technology, which is why the urchin.js file was first carried over to GA.

Apart from that, Google Analytics and Urchin are two different tools: Urchin analyzes logfiles enhanced by Javascript tracking whereas Google Analytics is pure Javascript tracking.

Part of the reason behind renaming the script from urchin.js to ga.js is to remove any such confusion.

And no, there is no such thing as a 'pro' version of Google Analytics ;-)

Cheers,

Julien Coquet
Google Analytics Authorized Consultant

Comment from Stacy on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T21:20:48Z

Great post. Just switched myself to Urchin. thnx.

Comment from Stacy on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T21:22:22Z

Sorry! really tired here. ment to ga.js

Comment from Stuart Penman on 2009-04-24

2009-04-24T08:28:40Z

Urchin.js is NOT going to be switched off anytime soon! Official documentation from Google can be found here: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/04/urchinjs-is-going-dark-no-it-isnt.html

Comment from Andrew on 2009-04-25

2009-04-25T08:23:25Z

I just hope that they come out with the new tracking package that the commercial vendors can use otherwise it might be very hard to track the success rate of google ads. Well without using the official google tracking system anyways...