[MATT BATEMAN (OWC)]

You could have a point there. Interesting. Hadn't occurred to me that one. "-)

[formb]

Anyone who gets to a site through Google would be subject to Google reading their cookies I would imagine?

[formb]

Also there is a growing number of people who use Google browsers. Chrome and Android, I'd imagine Google would collect data from there?

[Xline Systems]

I would recommend using Woopra alongside google analytics, its great for real time tracking of visitors and really makes it easy to follow visitors as they browse your site - http://www.woopra.com

I tend to use google analytics for a general view of visitors/traffic/content, then use woopra on a daily basis to see whats going on.

Would also recomment Joomla over wordpress any day.

[MATT BATEMAN (OWC)]

Also there is a growing number of people who use Google browsers. Chrome and Android, I'd imaging Google would collect data from there?

Thats the one IMO that is the most influential.

[Roland S]

also google can do "time on site" straight from it's search results. most surfers will click another search result link if the first site they go to isn't to there liking, so the time it takes for the next search result is an easy way to determine time on site. most serarch results have a tracking code in them.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&ved=0CLcBEBYwDQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.somesite.co.uk%2F&ei=2_FNUaKlE7De7Aa7jIFQ&usg=AFQjCNFn9s7g3RPo0L4e5HjhgksqJWL3Hwd

bounce rate i'm guessing would need google chrome or toolbar or analytics to determine it or maybe even adsense ads might be enough. but there's a lot of people paid a lot of money at google to be one step ahead.

[Roland S]

it's the case for every site, you don't need to be using google analytics for google to know what your bounce rate or time on site is, it knows this for every site.

Google finds ways of getting this info alright - but i'm not going to make it easy for them!

yeah i tried analytics on a few sites  (non windowcleaning ones) and it hit my ranking. i steer clear of it now.