Tracking External Links

Google Analytics doesn't track external page links by default, you have to setup a small bit of javascript to delay the website exit, and trigger a virtual page hit. The code for doing that involves a small bit of jQuery, and the newer version of the Google tracking code.

Google Tracking Code

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxxx-x");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxxx-x");
pageTracker._trackPageview();

jQuery Link Control

Create the following function, and call it in your $(document).ready():

function initExternalTrackingLinks(){
	// Creating custom :external selector
	$.expr[':'].external = function(obj){
	    return !obj.href.match(/^mailto:/)
	            && (obj.hostname != location.hostname);
	};

	// Add 'external' CSS class to all external links, and augment behavior
	$('a:external').addClass('external').click(function(e){
		try {
			e.preventDefault(); // Tested in IE8, Chrome, and FF 3.6 to override the onclick attribute.
			if(pageTracker){
				pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/'+ $(this).attr('href'));
			}
			setTimeout('document.location = "' + $(this).attr('href') + '"', 100);
		}catch(err) {
			document.location = $(this).attr('href');
		}
	});
}
$(document).ready(){ initExternalTrackingLinks(); }
function initExternalTrackingLinks(){
	// Creating custom :external selector
	$.expr[':'].external = function(obj){
	    return !obj.href.match(/^mailto:/)
	            && (obj.hostname != location.hostname);
	};

	// Add 'external' CSS class to all external links, and augment behavior
	$('a:external').addClass('external').click(function(e){
		try {
			e.preventDefault(); // Tested in IE8, Chrome, and FF 3.6 to override the onclick attribute.
			if(pageTracker){
				pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/'+ $(this).attr('href'));
			}
			setTimeout('document.location = "' + $(this).attr('href') + '"', 100);
		}catch(err) {
			document.location = $(this).attr('href');
		}
	});
}
$(document).ready(){ initExternalTrackingLinks(); }