Why use Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about a website’s traffic and traffic sources and measures visitor activity. It is the most widely used website statistics service.
Google Analytics can track visitors from all referrers, including search engines and social networks, direct visits and referring sites.
GOOP adds Google Analytics (GA) to websites as standard practice. It is essential in measuring the success or otherwise of your website.
Features
Google Analytics includes, but is not limited to, the following features. We highly recommend you login and familiarise yourself with this tool.
Login into Google Analytics here.
Audience Characteristics and Behavior
Your audience is the reason you have a website – you want to reach your audience, connect with them and appeal to them to purchase your product or service.
Therefore, finding out who your audience is, what they’re like, where they come from, how they found your website, what computers and browsers they use to get there, how often they return to your website and how they engage with your content, is vital.
The best way to maximise business from your existing or returning audience and to reach a bigger audience is to understand who, what, why, where, how…?
Geographical – location and language
Where does your audience live? What language do they speak? Again – vital information to help you target advertising to specific groups of people. You may find a niche market in another geographical location that has a natural interest in your product or service, perhaps it’s not available where they live or not of the quality consumers expect today (with the option to search online for companies that do it better).
Mobile Device Usage
Track how many users view your website and purchase via mobile devices. This information should help you decide if you need to invest in a mobile-friendly website. Smart phone usage has boomed in recent years and it’s important your business meets the needs of the modern mobile user.
Traffic Sources
How does your audience find your website? What keywords are they searching in Google that directs them to you? There may be other referrers that link to your site – such as other websites, blogs, social media accounts and more. It’s valuable to find out where your audience is being directed from so you can invest more time optimising your site to that group. If you’re getting a lot of referrers from another website or blog, they might present an advertising opportunity.
When people reach your site which pages are most popular? Latest news, latest arrivals, the contact us page? The most popular pages should be updated with all new information to keep your audience coming back for more. It will also show you which other pages need work and why.
Keywords
When people search a product or service, what are they typing into search engines such as Google to find you? What are the keywords that search engines are picking up on driving people to your site? Having a list of keywords that people commonly type into search engines can help you optimise the content on your site for search engine referrals. Use these keywords in the updated content in your website (such as your blog or latest news page) for more referrals from search engines. More referrals mean more people enquiring about your service and/or purchasing your products.
Content
How does your audience interact with the content on your site? Do most users go straight to your ‘contact us’ page, is your ‘latest arrivals’ page the most popular? Finding out which content is most popular and generates the most business can help you improve the overall content on your site to meet the needs of your audience.
Access
If you would like access to Google Analytics you must provide us with a Google Account email address. (Usually a Gmail address) so we can add you as an administrator. This allows you to access your sites analytics within your own Google account at any time.
If you do not have a Google Account email address it is free and easy to set one up.
• Open up www.google.com.au
• Click on the ‘Sign In’ button on the top right hand corner of your screen.
• Click on the ‘Sign Up’ button on the top right hand corner (not the sign in box).
• Follow the instructions.
• Once created, forward us the email account (not the password) used to create the Google Account and we will grant you administrative access.
If you would like to discuss Google Analytics or have any other Website enquiries please contact us.
The team from GOOP