Is there a way to distinguish organic search referrers from users that perform a site: search on Google from my site?

Question

My web-site automatically redirects everyone to Google when people try to search. This is done with the following nice and simple nginx code:

set $goog   http://www.google.com/search?q=site:ports.su+$arg_q;

location = /search {
    return  307 $goog;
}

In Google Webmaster Tools, I see that I have a lot of hits to my web-site every single day; it's basically the same number of hits as visitors in total.

Since Google may or may not redirect people to https (and then in case of such redirect the search string will be lost, and the site:example.com part will be unavailable for present/absent inspection), is there a way to know how many people find the site organically through Google, as opposed to finding Google through my site, only to then find the specific pages within site:example.com?

(Going to https is not an option for me, since it's not backwards compatible with http and older https browsers.)

Answer 1

Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are going to have a hard time distinguishing between your initial set of visitors and visitors returning after doing a site search. If you are using Universal Analytics, visitors will start a new session each time they came in from Google, even from doing a site search.

Rather than redirect users to Google, you can create a Google Custom Search Engine (CSE). The custom search engine allows you to specify that you only want to show results from your site (or a set of sites that you own).

Once you have created it, it allows you to embed the search results on your own site. They have lighbox implementations that overlay the search results right on the page where the user searched.

I prefer a search box that submits to a page on my own site, but then has the search results powered by JavaScript on my search URL.

Searches done with a CSE won't appear in Google Webmaster Tools.

Answer 2

yes,

There is an option provided in the Google webmaster tools for knowing your websites organic keywords for which its is indexed on Google.

you can also go for Google analytics, connect your Google web master tools with your Google Analytics account.

After that you can go to Google Analytics, Choose your property, Click acquisition - - then search queries.

In this you will find all organic keywords for which your website is indexed on Google.

Answer 3

You go to the associated Google Analytics account and use Acquisitions --> Channels option from left Menu