What is Google Analytics?

A user directs a browser to a website that contains a tracking code. This tracking code or script leverages the information already being gathered by the browser; but then also writes a cookie back to the device that yields additional information that the browser cannot provide, such as time-on-site or page-views. The packaged set of collected data is then sent back to a Google server in the form of a GIF file. Lastly, the GIF file is then interpreted and incorporated into reports.