What defines the hostname in Web Analytics?

[sulliops]

Hey everyone,

So recently I started using the new Web Analytics feature, and so far it’s quite useful. However, when setting up a new site for Web Analytics, the prompts are unclear as to what “hostname” includes:

The placeholder value e.g. mydomain.com or blog.mydomain.com suggests that analytics can (and maybe should) be applied on a subdomain-by-subdomain basis, with new Web Analytics sites for each subdomain you want to track.

However, nowhere in the panel nor the documentation does it seem to explicitly state that subdomains with the main domain’s JS snippet won’t track as part of a Web Analytics site with just the base domain as the hostname. What I’m really looking for is clarification, because my understanding is as follows:

• If you include the JS snippet of a Web Analytics site with hostname domain.com on a page on sub.domain.com, the clicks will track under domain.com.
• If you include the JS snippet of a Web Analytics site with hostname sub.domain.com on a page on sub.domain.com, the clicks will track under sub.domain.com.
• The first of these rules is not true in the opposite direction.

If this is the intended effect, the documentation should be expanded to include this information (obviously, someone with a better understanding of the true intent of the platform should do this). If this is not the intended effect, and clicks should only track for a subdomain if it is explicitly registered under a user’s panel, then there may be a bug.

[sdayman]

We should have flagged @amayorga on this today while he was here. Maybe he can check on this tomorrow.

[domjh]

Hmm… perhaps @kmklapak on analytics? Or @TKlein if you’re around.

[fritexvz]

Hm, haven’t tried, but if it works like Google Analytics where usually people type domain.org, and if the tracking code is on the page of sub-domain, it tracks that too and shows-up in Analytics.

[YKP]

Hi. Yes, Web Analytics hostname allows sub-domains and is intended. We are in the process of updating our support page related to this subject. Thank you.