how to track traffic that comes from RSS through google analytics?

Question

Is there a way to track the traffic that comes from RSS using google analytics?

In other words to measure page views on RSS feeds through RSS readers and Click-thrus to the site from RSS feeds and readers?

Can I add Google Analytics tracking variables, like utm_source, for RSS feeds??

If so, how?

Answer 1

Pageviews in RSS readers aren't really reliable - the standard doesn't include javascript, and I'd expect RSS readers to simply ignore scripts. Also, the concept of a 'page' doesn't really apply to feeds as strictly as it does to web pages; what the user sees may very well be an accumulation of various feeds from different sources, combined into one document.

Click-throughs from RSS to a regular web page should be doable however, provided you add some magic to the link which you embed in your RSS, and detect that on the web server to adjust your GA calls.