This article describes features available to Enterprise users only.
Have you noticed an unexpected spike in your MetaLocator analytics, such as a sudden increase in searches, click-to-call events, or other user interactions?
MetaLocator's Advanced Analytics Dashboard allows you to investigate these spikes by reviewing activity on a specific date, identifying where traffic originated, and examining individual visit logs. This can help you determine whether the increase was caused by legitimate user activity, repeated interactions, or potentially automated traffic.
Follow the steps below to investigate unusual activity in your analytics.
Step 1: Access Your Analytics Dashboard
Log in to your MetaLocator account.
From the left-hand navigation menu, click Analytics to expand the menu.
Select Analytics again from the expanded options.
You will now be directed to your main Analytics Dashboard.
Step 2: Open Advanced Analytics
From your Analytics Dashboard, locate and click the Advanced Analytics button in the upper-right corner.
This will open a new browser tab containing your Advanced Analytics Dashboard, where you can explore more detailed information about your visitors and their interactions.
Step 3: Filter Analytics by the Date of the Spike
The first step in investigating unusual activity is narrowing your analytics down to the specific date when the spike occurred.
Locate the date selector next to All Visits at the top of the Advanced Analytics Dashboard.
Click the date selector and choose the date when you noticed the spike.
Click Apply to update your analytics.
Your dashboard will refresh to display analytics data for the selected date.
Once the date filter has been applied, locate the specific analytics event that experienced the spike, such as searches or click-to-call events.
Confirm that the event shows an unusually high number of interactions for the selected date before continuing your investigation.
Step 4: Review Visitor Activity by Country
Next, locate the Country widget on your Advanced Analytics Dashboard.
This widget provides a breakdown of visitor activity by country and can help you identify unusual traffic patterns.
For example, if your locator primarily serves customers in the United States, but you notice a significant amount of activity originating from another country on the date of the spike, this could indicate potentially automated or unwanted traffic.
What should you look for?
Unusual countries: A large amount of activity originating from countries outside your expected customer base.
Unexpected increases: A country showing significantly more activity than it typically receives.
Normal traffic patterns: If the countries and their activity levels appear consistent with your usual traffic, continue investigating the individual events.
Note: Traffic from an unexpected country does not necessarily indicate spam or automated activity. However, it can be a useful indicator when combined with other information from your analytics.
Step 5: Locate the Event Category or Event Action
If the Country widget does not reveal anything unusual, or if you would like to investigate further, the next step is to review the specific analytics event responsible for the spike.
Locate the Event Category or Event Action section of your Dashboard.
Find the event associated with the unusual activity, such as a search or click-to-call event.
Hover your cursor over the event.
Click the Open the segmented visit logs button.
This will open the segmented visit logs associated with the selected event, allowing you to investigate the activity in greater detail.
Step 6: Investigate the Segmented Visit Logs
The Segmented Visit Logs provide a more detailed view of visitor activity associated with the selected event.
Depending on the available data, these logs can help you identify:
Visitor sessions: Individual visits associated with the selected event including the length of the session.
Actions performed: The searches, clicks, or other interactions recorded during a visit.
IP addresses: The IP addresses associated with visitor activity.
Visitor countries: The countries from which the activity originated.
Repeated interactions: Multiple events triggered during the same visit or across different visits.
Review these logs to identify any unusual or repetitive behavior that could explain the increase in analytics.
What should you look for?
Scenario 1: Multiple events originating from the same IP address
If you notice a large number of events originating from the same IP address, this may indicate repeated activity from a single source.
For example, if hundreds of searches were recorded from the same IP address within a short period, this could suggest automated activity.
Keep in mind that multiple legitimate visitors can share an IP address, so repeated IP addresses alone do not confirm spam.
Scenario 2: A single visitor session triggering numerous events
If you notice that one visitor session contains a large number of interactions, the spike may have been caused by a single visitor repeatedly performing the same action.
For example, a visitor may have performed numerous searches or clicked the same phone number multiple times during their session.
Review the recorded actions to determine whether the behavior appears consistent with normal usage or potentially automated activity.
Scenario 3: Activity distributed across multiple visitors
If the events are spread across multiple visitor sessions, IP addresses, and expected geographic locations, the spike may reflect an actual increase in visitor engagement.
This could be associated with increased interest in your locations, marketing campaigns, or other factors driving traffic to your locator.
Step 7: Review Your Findings
After reviewing the Country widget, Event Categories or Actions, and Segmented Visit Logs, you should have a clearer understanding of what contributed to the spike in your analytics.
Depending on your findings, you may be able to determine whether the increase was associated with:
Legitimate increases in visitor activity.
Repeated interactions from an individual visitor.
Unusual traffic originating from a specific country or IP address.
Potentially automated or unwanted traffic.
While these tools can help identify suspicious patterns, they do not always provide definitive proof that traffic was generated by bots or spam.
If you are still unsure what caused the spike, contact MetaLocator Support and provide the date of the unusual activity, the affected analytics event, and any relevant findings from your investigation.
Our support team can help you review the information and determine whether further investigation is needed.