Welcome to the delicious world of cookies and analytics! No, we&#8217;re not talking about grandma&#8217;s chocolate chip treats here, but rather the digital treats that help websites measure their success and provide you with a personalized browsing experience. In this article, we&#8217;ll take a bite-sized look at different types of cookies and how they work within analytics. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and let&#8217;s dig in!
<h3>What is a Cookie?</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright size-full wp-image-344" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content-1-1.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content-1-1.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content-1-1-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In the virtual realm, a cookie is a small piece of data that gets stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. It&#8217;s like a digital name tag that the website uses to remember who you are. Don&#8217;t worry, though; cookies won&#8217;t invade your privacy or raid your pantry. They are simply harmless text files with important information that make your browsing experience smoother and more enjoyable.
<h3>Why are Cookies Important?</h3>
Imagine you enter a magical online store and start adding items to your cart. Without cookies, your cart would vanish into thin air every time you clicked on a new page. It would be as frustrating as searching for a chocolate chip in a raisin cookie! Cookies save the day by keeping track of your cart items and your preferences throughout your browsing session. They make online shopping, personalized recommendations, and tailored experiences possible.
<h3>Cookies Have Six Attributes</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright size-full wp-image-345" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content2.png" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content2.png 400w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content2-300x300.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content2-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />Cookies may not have a secret recipe, but they do come with six essential ingredients:
a) Name: Each cookie has a unique name like &#8220;choco-chip&#8221; or &#8220;oatmeal-raisin&#8221; to help websites identify them.
b) Value: This ingredient contains the information the website wants to store. It could be your username, language preference, or even your shoe size (for the shoe enthusiasts out there).
c) Domain: Just like you have a home address, cookies have a domain assigned to them. It specifies which website can access the cookie&#8217;s information.
d) Path: Imagine a cookie crumb trail that leads you to specific pages on a website. The path attribute does the same thing, indicating which pages can access the cookie.
e) Expiration Date: Cookies, like milk, have an expiration date. It determines how long the cookie will be stored on your device. Some cookies expire when you close your browser (we call them session cookies), while others stick around for a longer period (persistent cookies).
f) Secure and HttpOnly Flags: These attributes ensure that cookies are transmitted securely between your device and the website, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
<h3>Session Cookies vs Persistent Cookies</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-346" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content3.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content3.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content3-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Now, let&#8217;s talk about the two main types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies.
Session cookies are the light snacks of the cookie world. They are temporary cookies that are deleted as soon as you close your browser. They help websites remember your actions during a single browsing session. It&#8217;s like having a waiter who knows your order but forgets it as soon as you leave the restaurant.
Persistent cookies, on the other hand, are the cookies that hang around a bit longer, like an aunt who overstays her welcome during the holidays. These cookies stick around even after you close your browser and can be used to remember you when you come back to the website. They help websites recognize you and provide customized experiences based on your previous visits.
<h3>Cookies Used by Google Analytics and How They Work</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-347" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4.png" alt="" width="1747" height="900" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4.png 1747w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-300x155.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-1024x528.png 1024w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-768x396.png 768w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-1536x791.png 1536w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-1200x618.png 1200w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cookie-content4-1400x721.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1747px) 100vw, 1747px" />
Now that we&#8217;ve covered the basics, let&#8217;s talk about how cookies work in the realm of analytics, particularly with Google Analytics.
Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about website visitors. These cookies gather data like the pages you visit, how long you stay, and which links you click on. It&#8217;s like having a group of analytical chefs who observe your every move in the kitchen to improve their recipes.
The cookies used by Google Analytics are typically persistent cookies. They help website owners understand their audience, improve their content, and measure the success of their marketing campaigns. However, rest assured that the data collected by these cookies is anonymized and used in an aggregated form to ensure your privacy.
So, the next time you enjoy a seamless online shopping experience or stumble upon a website that feels like it knows you personally, remember the hardworking cookies that make it all possible. They may not be as tasty as their edible counterparts, but they certainly add a sprinkle of magic to the digital world!

From Chocolate Chips to Persistent Delights: Understanding the World of Cookies

In a shocking turn of events, Core Web Vitals (CWV), the lifeblood of a website&#8217;s user experience, has been fiercely injured, leading to the demise of organic traffic and crucial metrics. This heinous act carries significant consequences, as CWV directly impacts search engine rankings and user engagement. As investigators delve into the case, three possible culprits emerge: Owen the Web Developer, Bill from Marketing, and even Google itself. Each suspect points fingers at the others, creating a complex blame game. Unraveling this mystery is crucial, as understanding the factors behind CWV fluctuations can help prevent future drops and ensure a seamless user experience. Let us embark on this investigation to expose the truth and safeguard the integrity of CWV and your website performance.
<h3>Suspect 1: Owen the Web Developer</h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 22.1771px;"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-338" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/angry-dev.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/angry-dev.png 720w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/angry-dev-300x300.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/angry-dev-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></h3>
“Hey, how come I’m a suspect? The last time I even changed the code was weeks ago!” Owen defended, which is why he’s on our suspect list in the first place.
We have to establish that it takes several weeks for any changes you make on your website to reflect on your CWV scores. CWV scores are calculated by the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) based on the upper percentile (75%) of the last 28 days of user traffic on your website. Therefore, this delay can create the illusion that your CWV scores have “broken on their own” when in reality, they are just now factoring in something that was added to the website’s source code weeks ago.
<blockquote>What kind of changes did you make, Owen?!</blockquote>
Wait, maybe it’s not something that Owen did, maybe it’s something he didn’t do. To be fair, changing something in the code doesn’t always have to reflect negatively on your CWV after the 28-day mark. Another possible cause is if Owen, or the rest of the development team, failed to track the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) numbers, which is a good indicator of an upcoming issue because they were only checking if the URLs are green, yellow, or red.
CWV scores can be monitored through Page Speed Insights (PSI) for specific site scores in LCP and CLS so not being able to anticipate an issue can make it seem like the vitals broke on their own!
<h3>Suspect 2: Bill from Marketing</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-337" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/marketing-guy-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/marketing-guy-300x300.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/marketing-guy-150x150.png 150w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/marketing-guy.png 720w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
If it’s not Owen or the other devs, it’s most probably this guy Bill, the Content Editor from the marketing department.
“Hey, leave me out of this,” Bil tells us off, “what even makes you think that I have anything to do with this when it’s the devs who run and maintain our website?”
Now that’s a really good question from Bill and he actually has a point–except that we found out that he has some access to tools that can directly impact the CWV.
“I heard you talking about adding a new pop-up and widgets the other day!” Owen pointed out, and he told us that Bill was regularly adding large images to the website. These seemingly harmless marketing initiatives usually don’t need to go through the standard development workflow, but when done wrong, they can lead to significant LCP and CLS delays and will eventually make the CWV drop.
<h3>Suspect 3: Google itself (are you sabotaging us?)</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-336" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/joker-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/joker-300x300.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/joker-150x150.png 150w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/joker.png 720w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
If neither the devs nor the marketing team did it, it’s most definitely Google sabotaging us, which is a bit ironic because we’re optimizing our CWV based on its metrics.
“Okay, calm down, will ya?” Google exclaims. “As the top search engine out there, I have the right to regularly modify my website ranking rules and algorithms on CWV indicators and scoring so I can adapt to the evolving user expectations.”
Okay, fair enough Google, and it’s not like we can do anything about it. Since these changes impact how Google tracks and evaluates all websites, URLs can be indexed, deindexed, or scored differently than it was before.
“This is why website owners and their teams need to stay on top of Google’s communication channels so your developers can easily and seamlessly adapt to any algorithmic modifications that can affect your current CWV scores,” Google lectures–take some notes!
“Speaking of evolving users, it’s not always me you have to come for,” Google adds. Apparently, in rare cases, a shift to a different user demographic can also have a significant impact on your CWV scores. Since CWV is calculated based on the experiences of real users and their devices, demographic changes in your user base, such as those that don’t have similar connection speed or technology as your previous audience, can also impact your CWV scores.
<h3>The Verdict</h3>
We’ll actually leave this part to you. When your CWV drops out of nowhere, look into the Owens and Bills in your company–but hey, do it nicely… or not… –and eventually to external factors such as changes in Google’s rules and algorithms so you can finally solve the case and prevent it from happening in the future!

Unraveling the Core Web Vitals Mystery: Investigating the Culprits Behind CWV Drops

Hold on to your hats, folks, because we&#8217;re about to embark on an epic adventure to contain those mischievous monsters known as popups! They may seem harmless at first, but these little troublemakers have been causing quite a stir in the Core Web Vitals’ land. Fear not, brave reader, for in this article, we shall equip you with the tools and strategies needed to tame these pesky creatures, optimize your website&#8217;s performance, and restore peace and harmony to the digital realm.
<h3>Understanding the Issue</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-313" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1.png" alt="" width="1456" height="816" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1.png 1456w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1-300x168.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1-1024x574.png 1024w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1-768x430.png 768w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1-1200x673.png 1200w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imps-1-1400x785.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1456px) 100vw, 1456px" />
Ah, popups—the cheeky imps of the internet, causing more trouble than a band of misfit monsters in a haunted house. They love to play with our Core Web Vitals (CWV), creating more Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) than a bunch of dancing goblins. Sure, they can bring in leads and conversions, but they can also turn your web performance into a real nightmare. It&#8217;s like inviting a bunch of prankster poltergeists into your home—they may be entertaining at first, but they&#8217;ll wreak havoc in no time!
<h3>Mitigating CLS</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-311" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing.png" alt="" width="1456" height="816" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing.png 1456w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing-300x168.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing-1024x574.png 1024w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing-768x430.png 768w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing-1200x673.png 1200w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/monster-surfing-1400x785.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1456px) 100vw, 1456px" />
But fear not, for we shall not let these mischievous monsters ruin our digital lives! We have a secret weapon called smart development strategies, which will send these popups running for the hills. No lighthouse bypasses or tricks up our sleeves—let&#8217;s fight them fair and square!
Now, imagine you try to outsmart performance audits by delaying the appearance of popups. Sneaky, right? It&#8217;s like hiding a werewolf under a full moon to avoid detection. And what do you get? A stellar score on Lighthouse! But beware, my friend, for this cunning move is nothing but a trap. Real users will still encounter the popups, causing genuine CLS issues that not even the mighty Search Console can ignore. It&#8217;s like trying to hide a monster in plain sight—they&#8217;ll find you eventually!
<h3>Effective Solutions</h3>
Enough fooling around with these mischievous monsters! It&#8217;s time to take charge and bring order to the chaos. Here are some powerful coding spells to banish the CLS-causing popups from your website:
Animation and Behavior Removal: Say &#8220;Abracadabra&#8221; and make those jumpy animations and content-shifting tricks disappear. Keep those popups as still as statues, like frozen monsters in a haunted museum. No more unexpected layout shifts, and peace shall be restored!
User Behavior-Triggered Popups: Let the users call the shots! Link the appearance of popups to specific user actions, like a button click. It&#8217;s like summoning these mischievous creatures only when they&#8217;re truly wanted, as if they were loyal sidekicks instead of pesky pests. No more surprises, just a harmonious dance between users and popups.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-310" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/round-v2.png" alt="" width="174" height="174" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/round-v2.png 666w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/round-v2-300x300.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/round-v2-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 174px) 100vw, 174px" />But let&#8217;s be honest—sometimes these monsters can be of good use. They can help you block a juicy prey from leaving your website, “jump scare” users, leading them to the right direction, or sink in their teeth to convert them. In these cases, consider these approaches:
Balancing Popup CLS and Conversion: Weave a delicate balance between the impact of popups on CLS and their conversion potential. Calculate the average CLS using Google Search Console (GSC) data and create a &#8220;CLS buffer&#8221;. It&#8217;s like carrying a vial of potion to protect against temporary CLS spikes caused by popups. Just make sure to banish those monsters before the 28-day average crosses the danger zone!
Sacrificing High-Impact Pages: Some pages are like the bustling center of a lively carnival—boasting high traffic and numerous visitors. Here is where these little monsters will become your allies &#8211; like a werewolf bite &#8211; converting visitors into life-time users. Spread the CLS burden amid these pages, while keeping the remaining less trafficked pages as  “monster-free-zones”. This way your overall CLS stays in check!
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-314" src="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter.png" alt="" width="1456" height="816" srcset="https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter.png 1456w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter-300x168.png 300w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter-1024x574.png 1024w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter-768x430.png 768w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter-1200x673.png 1200w, https://onerhinop.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mosnter-hunter-1400x785.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1456px) 100vw, 1456px" />
The battle against these mischievous popup monsters is not for the faint of heart. But fear not, brave web warrior, for armed with these clever strategies, you shall prevail! Tame those popups like a legendary monster hunter, restoring peace and harmony to your website&#8217;s performance. So go forth, equipped with laughter and the power of clever optimization. May your web pages be free from mischievous monsters, and may your users enjoy a delightful and smooth browsing experience. Happy hunting, my fellow web adventurers!

Blog

From Chocolate Chips to Persistent Delights: Understanding the World of Cookies

Unraveling the Core Web Vitals Mystery: Investigating the Culprits Behind CWV Drops

Taming Mischievous Monsters: Popups and Core Web Vitals