What is Google Analytics and how do I use it?
Google Analytics is a tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor and track the performance of your site. Naturally, after expending so much time and energy towards your digital strategy you want to make sure it is effective. Google allows you implement tags onto your site that will collect information about your audience, their behavior, and whether or not they convert or fulfill various goals. This tool is useful whether you are collecting leads, selling products or simply are interested in your audience’s demographics.
How does it work?
First, you will need to create an Analytics account and add the Javascript tracking code to the page just before the closing </head> tag of your website. Data regarding the users language, browser, device, and traffic source will come streaming in. A session begins when you a user enters the page and is there for at least 30 seconds and up to 30 minutes. A useful setting is to filter out any internal access this way you have confidence it is strictly external traffic. You can also filter bot traffic for a higher level of precision. Once you have set up the basic tags and navigated the interface you will want to implement goal tags. These will allow you to track conversions and achievement of business objectives. Furthermore, you can see where people fall off in the conversion funnel and adjust your site accordingly.
What do all the reports mean?
The audience tab will provide you insights on the users country of origin, the language their browser is set to, the technology they’re using ie: tablet, desktop, mobile and demographic details such as their age, gender, and level of engagement.
The acquisition tab will provide you insights on how they got to your site, this information is based on the source, medium, campaign it is coming through and can be filtered/manipulated with tags. It is highly recommended you implement the appropriate tags so that you can see where visits are coming from and if your strategies are working.
Organic search will mean they’ve arrived from a search engine.
Referral means they’ve clicked your link somewhere.
Direct means they’ve accessed the site via URL.
Social media means they’re coming from social media.
Display and Paid Search means the visit is coming from a paid advertisement.
Affiliates means the visit is coming from an affiliate site.
The behavior tab will allow you to see what people are doing on each page and is highly useful when considering the layout and design. Just as you monitored the performance of your email campaign, you should monitor the performance of your site. Identifying trends in behavior metrics will allow you to pinpoint which changes or additions to your site sit well with your audience.
Page Views indicates how many times the site has been viewed. On this same note, unique page views are individuals who are viewing your site for the first time. You will also be able to gather how long each visitor is staying on the site, the percent of people that are leaving through a page, and the percent of people that arrive and leave immediately (bounce rate).
One of the most insightful metrics is the conversion report. This report will only populate if you are adding conversion tags to your pages but will allow you to track the progression towards goals. For example, let’s say your goal is to capture leads. You are able to see how many people are arriving at the site via a campaign, then click on the lead form, and then submit the lead. If you are noticing a drop off in the process you will want to change elements of the page. This is another scenario where A/B testing is useful.
How can I check which keywords are performing well?
The best way to check which keywords are working and which ones aren’t is through the Acquisition tab. From there go to the Search Console and into Queries. You will able to see which words are attracting visitors to your site. You will be able to see the number of clicks, impressions, and your average position for that word. This information is obviously useful because it will allow you to tweak your SEO strategy, if you are getting absolutely buried for a search term it might be best to switch it out. Similarly, if you are rising for another you could increase the amount of content surrounding that term and reach the top.
What do I do with all this information?
In summary Google Analytics is highly useful for monitoring the performance of your social media, email, content, and digital strategy in general. It is important to use the information to make tweaks to your approach. By using A/B testing and keyword analysis you can better tailor your approach towards your audience’s preferences which will lead to more conversions, attract similar individuals, and boost your chance of being referred. Additionally, you can use audience insights to tailor your information towards a certain demographic and moreover your entire business. As you get the hang of using this new program you can become more and more advanced and gather even the most minute details. For example, you can set up various “hits” to track actions within the site ie; clicked on social media link, clicked on this service, etc.