While Google Analytics is great for keeping track of marketing efforts, That much power is only as good as your understanding of it. Provided below are ten tips for mastering this tool.
Focus on Your Metrics and Your Reasoning for Them
While feedback is lovely, it’s useless for running your business. Focus on 5-10 KPIs that you consider imperative to success and ignore everything else.
Gauge Conversions with Goals
Figure out your goals and set them so Google Analytics can measure conversions. The conversion rate is the most vital KPI. If you have other goals, assign an arbitrary monetary purpose to each one, regardless of its contribution. This step helps you gauge performance by judging closeness to your goals.
Properly Configure Google Analytics
Make sure your account can measure the significant aspects of your business. Doing this ensures accurate data and optimizes tools for better traffic analysis. Use this checklist to make your account as current as possible.
- Set up/track events.
- Track campaigns.
- Analyze e-commerce.
- Track website searches.
- Establish reports for demographics and interests.
- Track keywords and site speed.
- Use Experiments to gauge improvements.
- Learn Multi-Channel Funnels and apply Attribution Modeling.
- Link your AdWords and AdSense accounts.
Customize Dashboards and Reports
Custom dashboards streamline access to crucial data. While 20 dashboards are the limit, you only need one per KPI. You can also consult the Solutions Gallery for existing templates and create reports customized to your needs.
Regularly Review Your Reports
Custom reports are useless without regular check-ins. Review your KPIs weekly and conduct a thorough review of statements at least monthly. Also, check immediately after a significant update to verify any notable effects.
Check Your Past Performance
While Google Analytics defaults to up to 30 days of history, you can tweak the age range and even utilize “Compare To” to analyze any two points in time. KPIs do little unless you compare the current situation to your past. This advice goes double for implementing improvements.
Use Primary and Secondary Dimensions
You can freely change the primary dimensions of a report to refine information gleaned. Some reports also let you bolster information with secondary dimensions, allowing you to cross-reference data points and establish shortcuts. Everything you do can be automatically applied when using shortcuts.
Use Advanced Segments
Segments let you isolate traffic and compare it to the rest of your site. You can create all sorts of segments to do things like classify visitors, how frequently visitors purchase something, discern high-value customers, and even focus on new traffic during a specific window to gauge marketing success.
Clean Things Up with Filters
Use Analytics administration to exclude your home’s IP addresses, your office, and your web developer, so you have a real glimpse of your traffic.
Use Intelligence Alerts
Supplement your default alerts with custom ones. These can be useful for spotting problems or opportunities. The best idea is to review KPI-backed reports with automatic Intelligence alerts regularly.