The Basics of Google Analytics You Need to Know

As marketers, we have always been pushed by a curiosity about how others are consuming our content. Google Analytics is one such tool to feed this curiosity.

As a service offered by Google, the tool tracks web traffic, giving marketers, business owners, and content creators a visual of how their web content is performing. Use information like user session duration, pages per session, bounce rate, and source of traffic to craft a better message and run a more effective website.

Are you ready to do more with your data? You’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn the basics of Google Analytics.

Important Metrics

It’s all about the metrics! With Google Analytics, learn more about behaviors like:

How many visitors you’re getting
Where those visitors are coming from
User behavior on each of your pages

At the end of the day, these metrics are going to help you understand your visitors, acquisition rates, engagement, and the conversion of users into actual paying customers.

Setting Up Google Analytics

If you’ve never used Google Analytics before, getting set up can be the most confusing part. We’ve broken it down for you to make it as simple as possible.

1. Create Your Google Analytics Account

You’ll need a Google (Gmail) account in order to start your Google Analytics account.

You will be prompted to answer some questions about how you will be using the tool. Be prepared with your website name and URL on hand.

2. Organize Hierarchy

Users can have up to 100 Analytics accounts to a single Google account. This will only be necessary if you have many websites you need to manage.

3. Install Tracking Code

Locate your tracking code in the Admin tab. Apply it to your website by adding the tracking code into your website header. There are many wordpress plugins you can use to insert your tracking code as well.

4. Set Goals

Set custom or pre-configured goals in the admin tab and be alerted when successful events happen. You can set a benchmark for page views or completed lead generation forms and receive a notification once you reach your goal.

5. Configure Site Search

Track searches made on your site to learn what your customers or visitors want to find. This can be toggled on in the Settings panel under “Site Search Settings.”

6. Read the Dashboard

The dashboard is your main navigation portal. Access tabs like:

The Home tab – overview of important session information like organic search traffic, bounce rate and goal conversion rate
The Reporting tab – access reports like audience reports, acquisition reports, behavior reports, and conversion reports
The Customization tab – customize reports based on your needs
The Admin tab – manage your account and switch to other accounts, if applicable

You can customize your view to make navigation a better experience.

7. Run a Report

Run a report to share with stakeholders or print it out in a spreadsheet. You can access all reporting features and queries within the Reports tab. Compare date ranges, filter on specific criteria, and communicate your data effectively with your entire team.

Beyond the Basics of Google Analytics

Are you ready to step up your website management? Learning the basics of Google Analytics is a great place to start. Once you’re ready to move beyond this helpful tool, work with a trusted digital marketing agency to take your strategy to the next step.

We’re here to help. Learn more about our services and schedule a consultation today!