Michigan Needs a Little Work…

Posted by Laura Bergells

July 23, 2007

You might think from the title of this post that I’m making a statement about the Michigan economy. While my home state is facing some serious financial issues at the moment, my title about “Michigan needing a little work” doesn’t address economic or political issues.

Rather, it address a Google Analytics issue! Here’s how the state of Michigan looks in my new Google Analytics Map Overlay:

Map of Michigan in Google Analytics

Yes, Michigan touches 4 out of 5 Great Lakes. But Google’s graphic depiction of Michigan includes the official state lines. Technically, our state lines go down the middle of Lake Michigan, include huge chunks of Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and just a little bit of Lake Erie. However –

Gone is our classic Lower Peninsula / Upper Peninsula distinction. Our classic, lovable LP “mitten” presents as an unsightly, almost unrecognizable blob.

Now, I suppose some people might be accessing my site from the middle of a Great Lake. (Although I doubt it.) If you ARE reading my blog from a boat or ferry in the middle of one of the Great Lakes via satellite — WOW! Be sure to write and tell me about it, because that sure is one unique way to get your blog on! You guys gotta be LOYAL!
Check out the other coastal states on Google Map Overlay. Google doesn’t present these states to include their watery boundaries. Just Michigan — and maybe Wisconsin? Green Bay, for example, looks a little wonky on the Google map overlay.

But Michigan — oh, man!

Other than the blob that represents Michigan, I’m loving the new Google Analytics interface. It’s easy to navigate, and the price (free) cannot be beat. Further, a growing base of Michigan small businesses (and others) can gain valuable marketing metrics when they deploy the program at their websites. You can only effectively manage what you consistently measure, so web analytics are an online business MUST.
If you aren’t measuring your site’s effectiveness — goodness me, why not? Go to Google Analytics at once and sign up for a free account at once.