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Google Analytics Guide | Learn Analytics in 5 Steps

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Google Analytics is a highly trusted ally of successful Online Advertising Campaigns. The insight it offers incorporates an abundance of data about the site visitors, where they originated from, their behavioral propensities, and probability of their conversions. Despite being such an invaluable asset for advertisers, there are still sites that are not utilizing Google Analytics to quantify their website traffic- Reason? – Either the Website Owners are unaware of its full potential, or they could not find the right Google Analytics Guide to learn it in a nutshell.

And that is why; I thought to come up with this guide to Google Analytics. Below given 5 Steps will supercharge your insight into the Google Analytics-

5 Step Google Analytics Guide

1. What Google Analytics is

Google Analytics might be the most vital tool to enable you to comprehend the conduct of your site visitors and settle on some of the most important Information-driven choices. Google Analytics is one of the most popular and powerful analytics services offered by Google that measures site traffic through different metrics. Google propelled its Google Analytics tool in November 2005 in the wake of procuring Urchin, and now, it is the most utilized web analytics platform.

On September 29, 2011, Real Time analytics was launched by Google Analytics to enable its users have the insight about the visitors currently visiting the site. Google Analytics also comes in two other versions-

  • Google Analytics 360– Earlier known as Google Analytics Premium, directed at big business clients and enterprise users
  • Google Analytics for Mobile Apps- This is a SDK that permits gathering information from iOS and Android Apps

Some other notable features of Google Analytics are-

  • Along with AdWords, Google Analytics can let you review advertising campaigns by following conversions goals based upon the landing page quality. As per Google Analytics Guide, the conversion goals may incorporate lead generation, sales, seeing a particular page, or downloading a file.
  • Google Analytics shows high-level dashboard-type information about different metrics for you, plus, it displays more in-depth information into the report set. It can distinguish ineffectively performing pages with strategies, such as- Funnel Visualization, Custom Visitor Segmentation, etc.
  • E-commerce reporting of Google Analytics can track sales movement and execution. It demonstrates transactions of a web page, income, conversions, revenues and other trade-related metrics.
  • Google Analytics incorporates Google Website Optimizer, also known as Google Analytics Content Experiments.
  • Cohort analysis feature of Google Analytics helps you understand the conduct of component groups of users.

2. Why you need Google Analytics

If you have a static website or a blog, regardless of whether they are for business or personal purposes, you require Google Analytics- And the reason is the answer of these questions that only Google Analytics can provide-

  • How many individuals visit your site?
  • Where do your visitors live?
  • Which pages on your site are the most well known?
  • Do you require a mobile-friendly site?
  • What promoting strategies drive the most activity to your site?
  • What sites send traffic to your site?
  • How your visitors converted into leads or buyers?
  • How would you be able to enhance my site’s speed?
  • Where did your converting visitors originate from?
  • What blog content do your guests like the most?

When we own a physical shop, we can see our clients, learn their propensities firsthand and talk with them.

But, in internet marketing, without Analytics, an online store abandons you oblivious in regards to essential data about your clients. Following a Google Analytics guide and utilizing Google Analytics as per that, can better enable you comprehend the viability of your marketing endeavors, plus, it aids you to comprehend your guests and streamline your store for leads and conversions.

3. Steps to set up Google Analytics

Google Analytics is quite simple to set up, however the correct strides to set it up rely upon the shopping cart you prefer. For instance, if you use Shopify platform, you need to create another Google Analytics account, copy the tracking code, and paste it into the setting page of Google Analytics field. To set up your Google Analytics, you will initially require a Google account. On the off chance that you as of now have a Gmail account, you will have the capacity to utilize that. If not, make your Google account. Now you need to follow below-given steps-

Steps to set up Google Analytics

1. You need to go to the Google Analytics and click on ‘Create an Account’ link in the upper right corner.

Google analytics guide
Steps to set up google analytics account

2. When you are signed into Google Analytics, you need to click on’ Create new Account’. This will help you set up another profile to track the analytics of your site.

3. When the next screen pops up, you should pick Website and finish the required details.

4. Now you need to click ‘Get Tracking ID’ at the base of the page, which will provide you your tracking code.

Google analytics guide
Get tracking code while setting up google analytics

5. Next page asks you to copy the given tracking code. It will appear something like this-

Google analytics guide
Copy the tracking code

 

6. This step demands you to open Admin page of E-Commerce platform, for instance Shopify Store Admin, and then go to the Settings – Online Store.

Google analytics guide
Online store in google analytics

7. Now, in the provided field, you need to paste the code you copied from Google Analytics.

Google analytics guide
Paste your code

8. Once you add the code to your site, you need to turn on different optional tracking features in Google Analytics-

  • First, you should click Admin from the menu bar in Google Analytics and then by using drop down menus, select your account.
  • Now, in the third column, you need to click ‘View Settings’. After doing this, just scroll down and click the toggle to turn it ON in Ecommerce Settings section.
  • Finally, you need to click Save at the bottom of the page.

Within 24 hours, Google Analytics will start gathering data.

4. Learn the Key terms used in Google Analytics

Learning Google analytics advanced terms is something that most of the Google Analytics Guide suggests, as this will help you have some new ideas on how you can take more advantages of Google Analytics. In this Google Analytics beginners guide, I thought to include some of the most important Google Analytics terms, so let us delve into those-

Engagement Rate

Google analytics guide
Engagement rate example

Engagement rate lets you know how long a visitor stays on your website. It is important to understand here that if a visitor only visits one page and leaves your site, Google analytics puts that site visit in the zero to 10 seconds category.

Bounce Rate

If a visitor comes to your site, but leaves it without going anywhere else it is considered as a bounce. In addition, if your visitor is inactive on your site’s page for 30+ minutes, it is also considered as bounce.  Knowing the bounce rate for first-time visitors is more important than of returning visitors suggests Google Analytics Guide.  To view this, you should select- Audience -> Behavior -> New Versus Returning

Custom Dashboards

Google analytics guide
Custom dashboards example

It can be understood as a one-page view of some of the most important details that are significant to your business. As per Google Analytics Certification study guide it is important to create a dashboard for a standard Google Analytics report you want to run every week.

Event Tracking

Even tracking tracks events incorporated in your goals, for instance, if you have a PDF on your site, and you want to track the downloads, you can do this via event tracking. Format of event tracking is-

_trackEvent (category, action, opt_label, opt_value, opt_noninteraction)

Advanced Segments

Google analytics guide
Advanced segments example

If you want to go through some specific reports, you can do this via advanced segments.

Intelligence Events

Google analytics guide
Intelligence events example

This alerting system warns you if anything unusual happens within your Google analytics account. You can set up custom alerts along with the automatic reports that Google suggests when significant spikes or dips occur.

Filters

Google analytics guide
Filters example

Filters are used in analytics to remove any traffic from reports, based on some specific criteria. For accessing filters, you need to select Admin (top right) -> Filters.

Visitor Flow

Google analytics guide
Visitor flow example

Visitor flow helps you know what path your visitors take when they arrive at your site.  Knowing the path your site visitors take is useful advocates Google Analytics Guide, as this will aid you work on the ways that can drive visitors to follow the path of your choice.

Inpage Analytics

Google analytics guide
Inpage analytics example

This allows you to view analytics directly on particular WebPages within your website.

Custom and User Defined Variables

This is an additional information that you can track within Google analytics which is related to your site but is not currently tracked. You can think about different possibilities of tracking additional items related to your site, such as tracking categories and tags within your blog.

5. Know the basic Google Analytics Reports important to pay heed upon

Google incorporates so many reports that can be cut and diced by Analytics in so many ways. The Report categories in Google Analytics can be seen in the left side menu of Google Analytics-

Google analytics guide
Report categories in google analytics

Let’s go through these Google Analytics Reports-

Real-Time-

This one will show you what is going on your site.

Google analytics guide
Real-time reports

To see Real-Time reports-

  1. Click on Real-Time
  2. Click on Overview in left navigation bar
  3. Overview provides you the majority of the data on one dashboard; still you can go through some more reports by choosing one of alternate reports under Real-Time such as Locations, Events, Content, Traffic Sources, and Conversions.

Audience-

This one tells you who is visiting your site. In the Audience Overview report, you can get the aggregate number of visitors, new users, returning users via pie charts and other related means.

Google analytics guide
Audience reports

Different metrics that come under Audience section are-

  • Sessions- Total number of visitor “sessions” to your site
  • Users- Total number of unique visitors to your site
  • Average Session Duration- The average time visitors stay on your web pages
  • Pageviews- Total number of pages viewed on your site
  • Bounce Rate- % of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page
  • Pages per Session- The average number of pages visited per session
  • New Users- % of total visitors who visited your site for the first time

Acquisition-

Lets you know how your clients found and visited your site. This report is truly critical in light of the fact that it gives data about how your guests discovered you and how they landed at your site.

Google analytics guide
Acquisition reports

Acquisition reports let you understand what is working (and not working) in driving your visitors that further enables you to recognize how to acquire more visitors. As per Google Analytics Guide, the Acquisition Overview report will enable you understand-

  1. Which of the channels drive the most number of visitors
  2. Which of the channels drive the visitors who were most engaged with your site
  3. Which of the channels drive the visitors who result in most of the conversions

Behaviour-

Lets you know essential data about your site related to your audience behaviours. This one will let you know what your site visitors are doing on your site.

Google analytics guide
Behaviour reports
  • The Behavior reports let you know how your site-visitors are responding to your content and hence enable you optimize your content marketing as per your clients’ behavioral tendencies.
  • Google Analytics Guide suggests that Behaviour provides data related to speed and load time of your pages that affect Search Engine Optimization of your campaign.

Conversion/Ecommerce Reports-

Lets you know more about your deals and conversions. You can find Ecommerce Reports under the Conversions once you turn on Ecommerce tracking in Google Analytics.

Google analytics guide
Conversion/e-commerce reports

Utilize Ecommerce Tracking to take in more about what your site visitors purchase on your site, including data about:

1. Products- This one lets you know which items your buyers’ purchase, in what amount, and the income created by those items

2. Transactions- This one tells you the income, shipping, tax, and quantity information related to your transactions

3. Time to Purchase- This one tells you the number of days and sessions a buyer takes to make a purchase

Conclusion

Google analytics is extremely powerful to run a conversion-oriented Digital Marketing & Advertising campaign that is result-driven as well, but you need to set some time aside to set it up accurately and execute it as per your custom requirements.

Adeptly knowing Google Analytics will also help you pass the Google Analytics Certification exam to be a Google Certified Analytics expert. I hope this Google Analytics Guide helps you do the same. (Find here the Google Analytics Certification study guide).

Moreover, to get an overall view of Google Analytics, have a look at this Google Analytics Tutorial.

In case you want to understand the practical aspects of Google Analytics, Web Analytics training incorporates the Google Analytics integration guide to learn and execute Google Analytics with utmost accuracy.

What are the Google Analytics terms that confuse you? How do you use Google analytics and what are your preferred reports?  – Share your thoughts in comments.

Avatar of satyendra tewari
Satyendra Tewari
A Certified Corporate trainer involved in Leadership and Life Skills coaching with a holistic 3Q approach. As an E-business Influencer and Digital Media Trailblazer, my forte includes Business leadership, Branding, Social Media and Digital Marketing, Online Advertising, Global Marketing Strategy and Refining of Marketing Processes.

1 thought on “Google Analytics Guide | Learn Analytics in 5 Steps”

  1. Avatar of muhammad abbas
    Muhammad abbas

    Wow! i got the blog which i was looking for this blog post really help to know more about Google analytics. Thank you so much.

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