The Importance of Google Analytics
In business, it can be a vital skill to follow your gut instinct which can often lead to significant benefits. However, we all know it’s wise to sometimes (99% of the time for me) follow the data. As an SEO Consultant, I may not have the specific industry insight into your niche. However I can make up for this by analysing data to gain the relevant insights.
Using data is crucial to identify what works best and what doesn’t. There are numerous tools that I use for this when working with SEO clients however one of the most important is Google Analytics.
Google Analytics is arguably the most useful tool for any online business right now. The software sends user behaviour data to Google servers which we can then access and analysis.
I’ve decided to go over a few of the best aspects:
It helps you understand your visitors
Businesses ought to make informed decisions by understanding their target audience so that any action doesn’t hurt them. But, how do you make an informed decision blindly? Well, that’s where Google Analytics helps you understand your users.
Through the tool, you can learn the location, demographics, whether the users are using a mobile device or desktops, and their preferred pages on your business. By evaluating this information, you can determine how to give the users a better experience.
For example, if your users have a high bounce rate on certain pages, you can improve them or get rid of them. Upon knowing what pages interest your audience, you can also make them better to maximize your conversions.
Understand your Keywords better
In this day and age, you definitely know about search engine optimisation. You may also know that keywords are part of SEO. Google Analytics shows you data of all the keywords driving traffic to your website. Any online business aims at ranking on the first pages of Google, and with the knowledge of the keywords you are ranking for, you can achieve that.
You only need to analyse ranking keywords and improve on them. To work perfectly, you also need to analyse how the ranking websites have used the same keywords and then make your content better and well optimised.
Track your conversions
With Google Analytics, you can track your conversions. It doesn’t make any meaningful impact if you cannot tell how much your daily visitors are worth. GA allows you to set targets for your visitors where you expect them to act on specific actions. You can then analyse how the audience reacts to each set goal.
Compare mobile and desktop interactions
Google analytics has a device overview section that helps you compare how your site compares on mobile and desktop versions. Are your visitors coming in through mobile devices or desktops? Which one converts better than the other? With an answer to these questions, you can determine how to make the user experience even better.
For example, if you have visitors on mobile and desktop but only one converts better, it means you need to improve the user experience on the lesser converting device.
Customize your reports
Another amazing feature about Google analytics is that you can create customized reports. Yes, you heard that right, and if you’re wondering how, follow these steps.
– Log in to your Google Analytics account
– Scroll to your personal view
– Click on the icon “customization.”
– Scroll down and select reports
– Upon clicking on the custom reports, select new report
– Key in the title of your report
– Select the report type, whether a flat table, overlay map, or explorer
– Next, you need to determine the metrics and dimensions of your report
– Select whether you want to view a specific section of the report or all views using the drop-down menu
– Finally, save your report
Reports are crucial because they help you determine how different aspects of your online business are faring.
This is something I do on a monthly basis for many clients in my SEO services.
It helps you to understand the cause of bounce rates
Bounce rates imply that you could have high traffic but very few conversions. Your aim is to convert as many visitors at the end of the day because it translates to more profits for your business. There are many causes of high bounce rates, from poor landing pages to your website lacking the content readers want.
With an understanding of the leading causes of high bounce rates, you can improve your landing pages and content. By doing this, you’ll convert more and smile to the bank-literally! Ensuring your landing pages work effectively forms a big part of my web development services.
It gives you an idea of the best social media platforms
In this digital era, almost every business has an online presence and tries to place ads on social media platforms. Let’s face it. The social media platforms won’t convert at the same rate. With Google Analytics, you can determine what platform works better for your business. This way, you can invest more in working platforms and reducing your spending on the less effective platforms.
Integrates well with other tools
Google analytics works perfectly as a desktop version and is also available for Ios and android devices as an application. This means that you can monitor your website metrics on the go. Besides, you can also integrate other tools such as Google Search Console and Google Adwords with Google analytics. By doing so, you enable all the tools to work together to enhance your business’s performance.
It helps you know what content to write
The free Google Analytics tool helps you know what content is converting better. With this knowledge in mind, you can develop better content to engage your readers. For example, if informational posts are converting better than affiliate content, you know what to focus on.
In a Nutshell
Google Analytics is a free tool that can help businesses, whether startups or established to up scale and improve your business. The tool helps you learn what’s working and what’s not. This guide gives you all the benefits you get from creating a GA account and using it to monitor business performance.
About Josh Willett
I work as an SEO Consultant and Web Developer based in London however I have clients all over Europe. My goal is to help businesses (big or small) improve their digital presence and ultimately become more successful. See my case studies here.
