Analytics, Data, Conversions, Insights… Sounds dull, right? The truth is that it can be fun when it has an impact on the success and failure of your business. You might think I am a little melodramatic but without a good understanding of the impact your marketing efforts are having on your business, you are essentially shooting in the dark. In the world of digital, we have access to more information than ever before, long gone are the days when you placed an ad in the local paper and hoped that people see it and then act. Google Analytics means we know definitively if our efforts have a positive impact or not…. Even better news it’s free! Google Analytics is an essential tool for any business and once set up correctly will make data, analytics, insight and conversions genuinely fun! Here are just a few areas that Google Analytics should be used for:
Understanding traffic source
This seems obvious but knowing where your traffic comes from helps you to focus on either building up alternative areas or exploiting areas of strength. Google Analytics makes it very simple to see where your traffic comes from and splits it into Organic, AdWords, Direct, Social, Referral and others automatically.
Understanding conversion rates
By setting up goal and transaction tracking within Google Analytics, you can understand how many of your visitors convert into customers/leads/enquiries, etc. This data is precious and low conversion rates can be attributed to many areas that can be improved. Areas such as marketing efforts and channels, user experience and site layout, pricing model, product model, product display, call to action, site speed…. The list goes on. Understanding your conversion rates is fundamental in optimising all of your online activity.
Understanding your visitor’s demographics and locations
Google Analytics allows you to get a snapshot into the types of people that are visiting your site. This data includes age, gender and interests. This kind of information is incredibly valuable and should be used to help design your whole online strategy. As well as people specific metrics Google Analytics also allows you to understand the location of your visitors. This information should shape your marketing efforts as you can be far more accurate in your targeting.
Understand what pages are most commonly visited
Google Analytics allows you to understand the pages that are most frequently visited by your users. This allows you to test new ways of converting this traffic by changing their experience while ensuring that these pages are continually optimised to ensure the best possible result.
What pages are visitors exiting from?
Understanding the flow of your traffic is imperative. It is simple to understand through Google Analytics any pages that seem to hinder the success of your site. For example, if customers are frequently leaving at the “confirm payment stage” then it would indicate that this page is needs analysing and improving. Finding “pain points” in the flow of your site is a very effective way of ensuring you get the best conversion rates from your traffic.
Ultimately Google Analytics offers so many benefits that it is hard to scratch the surface in a small article like this. At Clicksmith, we take the view that before you embark on any marketing strategies, it is essential that you ensure your analytics is set up correctly. If you don’t think your business is making the most from Google Analytics, then get in touch today and we can help you understand your site better.
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