Introduction to Google Analytics

What is Analytics?

Free Tool by Google to help users make informed decisions on site design

Improve Conversion Rates & monitor Website Profitability

Track advertising effectiveness including search keywords

The interface is designed to be used by novices and experts alike.

Integrates with Adwords, Ad Planner, uses map overlays

Questions Analytics can Answer

Map Overlay which can help you understand how to best target campaigns by geographic region

AdWords Integration which makes it easy to track AdWords campaigns and allows you to use GA from your AdWords interface

Internal Site Search which allows you to track how people use the search box on your site

Benchmarking so that you can see whether your site usage metrics underperform or outperform those of your industry vertical.

Funnel Visualization so that you can optimize your checkout and conversion click-paths

How Analytics Works

When a visitor accesses a page on your site, a request is made to the webserver to display the page.

The page is served and the GA Tracking Code (GATC) JavaScript is executed.

The GATC, which is a snippet of code that you place on each page of your site, calls the trackPageView() method.

At this point, the GA first-party cookies are read and/or written.

The webpage then sends an invisible gif request containing all the data to the secure GA reporting server, where the data is captured and processed.

Data is processed regularly throughout the day and you can see the results in your reports.

Limitations

GA uses only first-party cookies, which are considered safe and non-intrusive by most internet users today.

Users blocking or deleting cookies -> blockers not tracked by GA, deleters will be seen as new visitors and the referrer will be impossible to track

Javascript disablers  and JS  Errors wont be tracked – code wont be executed or error before GA script executes – page visits wont be tracked

Cached pages – tracked as long as the user is connected to the internet.

Mobile devices – yes if mobile device executes Javascript

Focus on trends – as no reporting tool is 100% accurate.

Data Confidentiality

All data collected by GA is anonymous, including where, site navigation, and actions.

No personally identifiable information is collected.

Google does not share Analytics data with any 3rd parties.

Furthermore, Google optimization, support/sales staff may access a client’s data only with the client’s permission.

Users may elect to share your GA data “with other Google products”, and Google will use the data to improve the products and services they provide for benchmarking.

Benchmarking – Google removes all identifiable information about your website, then combines the data with hundreds of other anonymous sites in comparable industries and reports them in an aggregate form.

Opt out by “do not share my GA data”

GA Settings

The account-specific page where you manage the set-up and configuration of your account and profiles.

Toggle to your other Analytics accounts using the drop-down menu at the top right of the page.

Each profile for the selected account is displayed under “Website Profiles”.

From this screen you can access reports for each profile.

You an also edit configuration settings, add filters, add or change user permissions, and add or remove profiles altogether

Analytics Installation

Set up a new website profile

Get Code and send it to the Web/Sys administrator

Set up a goal and include IP Filters

24 hours is needed to verify installation – also use content reports or page source code, site scan tool by epic 1

Part 2 – Coming Soon!

INTERPRETING REPORTS

Guidelines

Help resources available on any Analytics report including conversion university, about this report, common questions.

Look at metrics in context not in their entirety – how does it compare to the site average?

Bounce rates vs site average

Use trends to bring context to data – graph mode can identify of page views moved in line with visits

Look at traffic sources to focus promotion and website content resources.

Pageviews, Visits, Visitors

Unique pageviews are pageviews per unique visit not per unique visitor!

Pageview is counted each time the website loads

A visit is a session of interaction – closing the browser or 30 minutes plus inactivity

Visitor is identified by a GA cookie which is time stamped and assigned with randomly generated unique visitor ID

Unique PageView = number of visits during which the page was viewed

Page View = total nuber of pages viewed

Absolute Unique Visitors reports on Visitors

New (recency) vs Returning (loyalty) reports on Visits – high new visitors suggest success as driving traffic, High returning as retaining and engaging visitors.

Visitors is found in Visitors and Visits in Traffic Sources, Pageviews and Unique Pageviews are found in the content section.