What is "encrypted_search_terms" in Top Searches?

• 

  georgiapat · Member · Dec 10, 2011 at 2:13 pm

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  There may already be a thread for this, but I just wondered why the search term “encrypted_search_terms” has begun to appear in my Top Searches list. On those days, traffic goes up. What is controlling this, and is it good or bad?

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

• 

  auxclass · Member · Dec 10, 2011 at 2:19 pm

  • Copy link

  Some search engines do not pass the search terms when a page is loaded from your blog – neither good nor bad – WordPress.COM was able to determine that you had a link from a search engine but not the search terms

• 

  georgiapat · Member · Dec 10, 2011 at 2:22 pm

  • Copy link

  Thanks. I appreciate the reply.

• 

  sanjanasp · Member · Dec 11, 2011 at 7:16 am

  • Copy link

  thank you! I was wondering what that was!

• 

  auxclass · Member · Dec 11, 2011 at 7:36 am

  • Copy link

  You be welcome

• 

  kalanjia · Member · Dec 13, 2011 at 1:57 pm

  • Copy link

  I too have same problem..!! Is it good or bad..?

• 

  auxclass · Member · Dec 13, 2011 at 2:11 pm

  • Copy link

  Is it good or bad..?

  A small amount of not so good if you study your search engine terms real hard for some great internet secret – other than that neither good nor bad – just that some search engines have decided not to share search engine terms with the sites they send visitors to – you still get the visitor – you just don’t know the exact term they used to get to your site – and on WordPress.COM you also don’t know if the search term put your site on Page one or Page 32 and you had a real desperate visitor.

  Me – I don’t worry too much about any single search term other that to wonder “how the heck did my site come up with that search string”

• 

  danieldickey · Member · Dec 15, 2011 at 6:24 pm

  • Copy link

  Yeah, I’ve had it a lot lately as well.

  http://www.daniedickey.com

• 

  timethief · Member · Dec 15, 2011 at 6:25 pm

  • Copy link

  We all have Google webmaster accounts and if we don’t it’s easy to get one. In those accounts we can see the details.

• 

  jessiethought · Member · Dec 20, 2011 at 9:50 pm

  • Copy link

  I searched this on Google and came up with this interesting article about it: http://kissingcrust.com/why-encrypted_search_terms-appears-in-your-top-searches-result/

• 

  georgiapat · Member · Dec 21, 2011 at 7:13 pm

  • Copy link

  I understand all of the comments, and Google is entitled to control information.

  I still don’t understand why traffic spikes significantly on some days, particularly when the “encrypted search terms” is listed in Top Searches. My other Word Press blog, also single-topic, does not experience dramatic spikes nor this search term.

• 

  killerstencil · Member · Dec 27, 2011 at 4:46 am

  • Copy link

  Does anybody know which sites do not choose to share this information? I’d certainly be interested to know.

• 

  justjennifer · Member · Dec 27, 2011 at 6:48 am

  • Copy link

  The article that jessiethought linked to mentions Google, as Google now encrypts all searches for logged in users. Basically, it looks like Google is “encouraging” website owners to sign up and use Webmastertools in order to see their site’s search terms.