Importance of a Google Analytics
If you are running a blog or own a website that is for personal or business purposes, then you need google analytics. Using Google Analytics you can understand certain crucial data that is useful for the growth of your website.
- How many people visit my website?
- Where do my visitors live?
- Do I need a mobile-friendly website?
- What websites send traffic to my website?
- What marketing tactics drive more traffic to my website?
- Which pages of my website are the most popular?
- How many visitors have I converted into leads or customers?
- Where did my converting visitors are come from and go on to my website?
- How can I improve my website speed?
- What blog content do my visitors like the most?
These are the essential information you might need to know the status of the growth of your website. There is much other information you could get using the Google Analytics tools.
Installation of Google Analytics
Using your google account you can create a Google Analytics account. Once you sign up you need to enter the information on your website. You are able to organize your analytics account according to the hierarchy. Under one google account, you can create 100 google analytics account and you can have 50 website properties under one google analytic account.
For example, if you have one website, you need only one Google Analytics account with one website property. If you have two websites, one is for your business and the other is your personal, you have to create two different accounts to manage your business website and another for your personal. If you are handling multiple businesses but less than 50 and each business is having one website, then you can organize all your business websites under one google analytics account and a separate one for your personal website. Another scenario is if you are handling several businesses and each of the business is having multiple websites, maybe more than 50 then you have to organize each business under separate business analytics account.
Google Analytics allows you to rename your accounts or properties anytime you want. But note that, you are not able to change the website from one analytics account to another.
Installation of tracking code
Once you setup the google analytics account, you have to click the ‘GET Tracking ID’ button. When you check ‘I agree’ box of terms and conditions you will receive your Google Analytics Code. This code has to be copied and paste into the code of every page you want to track. This is called the installation of the tracking code. Where to install the tracking code on the page depends on the website you have. For example, if you are using WordPress for creating the website there will be a specific area to add the header and footer scripts. In another scenario, if you are using WordPress on your own domain, you can use Google Analytics Yoast SEO plugin to install the code, no matter what framework you are using.
Set up Goal
Once you install the tracking Id you need to configure small but useful settings in your website’s profile on Google Analytics. This is called Goal setting. You can find it by clicking on the admin link at the top of your Google Analytics. Goals will tell you something important that has happened on your website. You are able to set up up to 20 Goals on your website. These goals can include lead form submission, email list sign-ups, and purchase completions. It varies according to the purpose of your website.
Set Up Site Search
This will allow Google Analytics to track any searched made on your website. So that you will get to know more about what your viewers are looking at your specific website.
Google Analytics Data
Once you start getting google Analytics Data, you will come to know the traffic you receive on your website. Each time you visit the Google Analytics account, you will be automatically taken to the audience overview report. Even if you are having more than one website, you will be taken to the list of websites to choose from and then taken to the Audience Overview report of that particular website.
Types of Google Analytics Report
- Audience Reports: This report gives you all the information about your visitors. Your visitor’s age, gender, place, their general interests, language, how often they visit your website, what technology they are using, etc.
- Acquisition Reports: This report will tell you what drove your visitors to your website. Acquisition reports show how you obtain visitors to your site. In Adobe Analytics, these reports are known as Marketing Channels. They require some basic initial setup but allow a much more customized view of channels
- Behavior reports: This report will tell you everything about your content especially the top contents on your webpages. The Behavior section reveals what your visitors do on your website. Specifically, the reports tell you what pages people visit and what actions they take while visiting. You can access Behaviorreports using the menu in the left sidebar of your GoogleAnalytics dashboard
Conversions
A conversion takes place when a visitor of your website will do any action you most care about, like a visitor converting into a customer. This could be through filling out a form, purchasing a product or simply by showing a high level of engagement on your website.
Shortcuts and emails
While you won’t need every report within Google Analytics, you should explore them all to see what they have to offer. When you find that someone wants to visit again and again, use the Shortcut link at the top of the report to add them to the Shortcuts in your left sidebar for faster access. If you choose to send emails to someone outside of your organization, be sure to regularly check your emails by going to your Admin menu and clicking on the Scheduled Emails box under the View column to ensure only people working with your company are getting your data.