Wouldn't it be nice to know if someone mentioned you on their blog (assuming what they said was nice of course)? Wouldn't it be nicer if people who read their blog decided to pay a visit to your blog as a result? And wouldn't it be even nicer if you dropped by their blog to see what they wrote and thank them for the link love?
Why yes, yes it would.
But with a gazillion blogs out there, how in the world do you figure out who's talking about you? Well, I'll tell you how I do it.
One Way to Find Out Who's Talking About You
First, a little background…
I track my stats two ways: Google Analytics (here's how to install it) and StatCounter. Why two? There are a few reasons:
- Both are free so why not? (Well there is a paid version of StatCounter, but for my purposes, the free one works just fine.)
- I feel compelled to have Google Analytics because it's well-known and generally trusted by advertisers and anyone else who needs to know my stats. It's sorta like a blogging standard.
- I like GA's interface and its integration with Google tools (not that I've utilized them, but someday I will).
But there are two things I really like about StatCounter over Google Analytics.
- Real-time results. It just plain bugs me that I've got to wait 4 hours or more to see my stats in Google Analytics.
- Full URLs from referring websites. Seeing exactly where someone came from in GA requires a hack or a filter.
I want to talk about #2.
(Total Sidenote: I'm also using GetClicky, which also has a lovely interface, but I'll tell you why it's not my favorite for this in a bit.)
Why is it important to see the full URL of a referring website?
It's important to be able to see the full URL of a referring website because you can then go directly to the post in which you were mentioned.
Google Analytics doesn't do this for you. Instead, they just give you the site's main page.
For example, if I linked to BloggingWithAmy.com on my personal blog WithPurpose.com in a post entitled "I Like Me" (ha!), Google Analytics would tell me:
Referring link: http://withpurpose.com
StatCounter, on the other hand, would tell me:
Referring link: http://withpurpose.com/i-like-me/
You see the difference? With GA, I have no idea where I'm mentioned but in StatCounter, I can go directly there. That's the difference between me taking a minute to connect with someone who was nice enough to link to me and forgetting it all together because it'd take too much time to search an entire blog.
Some Visual Aids
This is what you get in Google Analytics. See? Only domains, no specific URLs.
This is what you get in GetClicky. You get the full URL, but you have to click the arrow to see it. I'm impatient. That's too many clicks for me.
This is what you get in StatCounter. Just click the "Recent Came From" option in the left menu and you get it all. Nice. Works for me. (Click to view larger. And P.S., thanks for the mention The Frugal Find. 
)
So what about you? What are the ways you keep up on who's talking about you? And do you visit them back?
Here at BloggingWithAmy you'll find tips, tools & tutorials about blogging and websites in plain English. Want to 
I just use the wordpress.com stats plugin…it's so simple to use, and it gives the whole referring URL like StatCounter does. Plus, I can see all my stats right from my dashboard and I lurve that!
Thanks for the rec, Kristen!
I really need to get my statcounter working. I am not the best at trouble shooting. My GA works fine, but I like this added detail. Thanks.
I use both Stat Counter and GA too. and agree SC is much easier….
But you can get the direct links on GA
Traffic Sources – referring sites- then click on the name of the site that referred – the next page will show you all the pages on that site that you were linked from -to actually SEE that post – click the little arrow in the box to the left of the name of the link………..MUCH more difficult that SC for sure!!!
I mainly use GA to easily see who my top referring site were for a month etc…..other than that, it's too complicated! lol
Awesome! Thanks TidyMom. I'm with you — StatCounter is still easier and quicker.
Wow – GetClicky and StatCounter look good – I had noticed that you don't get the full URLs with GA, and it was kinda annoying, especially when I had a clickthrough from a domain that seemed weird…and I wouldn't be able to find out where exactly I was mentioned.
I might check out the WordPress stats plugin Kristen@TheFrugalGirl mentioned too – sounds a little too easy to pass up!
Amy, I was just frustrated with GA this morning…and wondering if there was a way to see the specific URL that mentioned me…now I can!
Thanks for the tip!
Are your GA & Clicky numbers vastly different? The bounce rate numbers are so different.
Yes, some of my numbers are different. However, my pageviews are almost the same (with GA's numbers typically running slightly higher).
When it comes to stats, I've found that numbers usually vary from one counter to the next. This is actually another reason why I prefer tracking with a few different tools. I wonder if it provides a more accurate picture if you have the ability to average.
Anyone else wanna weigh in on this?
All the numbers are close except for the bounce rate and time on site. Get Clicky shows a better bounce and time on site. I'll go read Carrie's post.
Get Clicky uses a *vastly* different formula for computing bounce rate. I *kind of* understand why they decided to do it that way, but in my opinion they should call it something different, like "engagement metric" or something. It's not a bounce rate in the way that 99% of people refer to it.
You can read more about how they figure their bounce rate here: http://getclicky.com/blog/214/why-clickys-new-bounce-rate-is-the-best-in-the-biz
I used to use several different stat trackers, thinking that it was a more accurate picture. I found that it didn't do much other than frustrate me that my numbers were a little different and I couldn't figure out why.
Plus, when you quote stats for advertising purposes, you should only quote from one stat tracker, not that the best stats from each of your 5 counters. 
So, I simply use Google Analytics right now, and also have stats public via Quantcast (which I think under-reports, but I guess it's OK as long as it under-reports for everyone).
Yes, I agree, when you're quoting, quote from one. I think GA is seen as an "industry standard" by many, so I think it's a solid choice.
My relationship with stat counters is surface-only for the most part (probably because I'm generally untrusting and always skeptical – ha!), so I still prefer at least a couple trackers in order to get the input of a few different sources.
Thanks Carrie. As always, you are a wealth of information.
Thanks Carrie. I think Get Clicky should call it something else too. Thanks for the post link.
I like Statcounter. I have Google Analytics but haven't got the hang of it. Of course, my blog probably doesn't have enough traffic to really take full advantage of it. I always enjoy your tips!
Thanks Kara.
It always makes me feel good when you recommend something and I find that I'm already doing it – yay! I also have both StatCounter and GA, love them both but for different reasons. I was starting to wonder why GA didn't give me up to date info like StatCounter… now I know! Thanks!!
WOW WOW WOW So many tips, so much helper!! I love it! Thanks for sharing. As I brand new blogger this was a great post to read! I picked Stat Counter, simple and east for me!
Thanks again!
Thanks for the info! The only thing I don't understand on statcounter is the times on the referring links…can you set it to look at TOP referring links say for a month? Or even that day? It seems like the "came from" links are literally the most recent..which I do like, but I'd love to see TOP referrers, too!
Hey Amanda,
I think I hear what you're sayin'. If you look in the sidebar, you'll see a link for "Recent Came From" and one for "Came From" (image here).
Clicking the "Recent Came From" will get you who visited most recently. Clicking "Came From" will get you the number of visitors who came from a particular site. Does that help?
Yeah, I know there are those 2 choices. But what is "recent"? The last 5 minutes? What's the regular "came from"—the last month? It just doesn't seem clear to me what/when the "came from" actually came from! Ha!
I figured it was user error…maybe I need to play around more. It's just crazy b/c on my Impress Your Kids blog NOTHING will track it except statcounter (GA said I had 2 hits yesterday). And the ONE thing I want on that blog is top referrers for the month which I cannot find!
Anyway, it's no biggie, maybe I just need to play with it more.
Ah, gotcha. Hmmm, not sure how to pull your top referrers for a particular month. You might try asking in the forum…you know, with all that spare time you have on your hands.
Amy, I just want to say how much I love your blog – it is a wealth of information. I just started my blog this year and I came across your site a few months into but since I discovered it, it's been transformative for me. Thanks so much.
I know you've covered this lightly here and there, but wanted to ask you since the post is about finding out who's talking about you…
How do you get people to talk about you? I am trying desperately to figure out how to network and get my name out there. I've started commenting on other blogs I frequent, but wanted to know if and how there are other ways?
Thanks
Hi Nichole, I'm so glad it's been helpful.
Getting people to talk about you takes a good amount of time and effort in most cases. Commenting on blogs is a great way to do it. Twitter and Facebook are good places to be too. Guest posting on some bigger blogs in your niche, interacting with your readers and taking part in forums or BlogFrog communities are good options too.
Whether in your posts or other places online, my best tip is to always provide really helpful information people can use.
Amy, I don't fully understand this comment:
"This is what you get in GetClicky. You get the full URL, but you have to click the arrow to see it. I’m impatient. That’s too many clicks for me."
With StatCounter, you would have to click the link as well to view the page right? Or do you mean, since it's "shortened" to fit in that window, you can't see the whole thing unless you clikc on it? If that's the problem, you can go to the main links report which shows a much longer string.
We don't have a report to view referrers and landing pages in one report, but that wasn't the complaint you mentioned about Clicky.
Hi Sean, thanks for stopping by.
Yes, it was having to click through again that I was referring to. I like that I can see in one glance not only the full URL of the referrer (and also the landing page) in StatCounter. While StatCounter doesn't have the most beautiful interface (love GetClicky's by the way), I do appreciate how quickly I can jump in and out.
Hm, I only have GA and I can see the referring sites and a breakdown of where on those sites have linked to me. Go into Traffic Sources, Referring Sites, and then click on the site. It will break down where on the site they've linked to you.
I don't like the 4 hour lag, though.
Okay, I know this is well after the fact, but you mentioned something that I've been wondering about for a while … so.
I use StatsPress Reloaded in WP, but I also have GA. I find that StatsPress shows me that I get WAY more hits than GA (for example 115 unique hits so far today in SPR as opposed to 15 in GA). Do you know if there's a reason for that? While I like the idea of using GA as the standard, I hate that it's not counting all my hits. Sooo … any ideas? Thanks!
Hmmm…I haven't heard of StatsPress Reloaded (anyone else??), so I'm not sure about its accuracy. I understand the discouragement that GA can be, but I don't think it's grossly inaccurate. Still, the discrepancy sounds large. You might try re-installing your GA tracking code to see if you might see a difference??
Thank you so much for all this info!! I have been looking everywhere for some solid answers on how to grow my blog and this has been so helpful!
Thanks so much!!
Kate
So glad you stopped by!