This post explains the basics of how to set up a Google Analytics account and outlines some of the main reports that can help you start to analyse site performance in relation to visitor interaction.
Setting up your Account
Firstly, set up a Google Account here or sign in with your existing Google account.
Visit Google Analytics.
Getting and installing your Tracking Code
Follow the instructions for creating a New Account and then select “Get Tracking ID”. The generated tracking code will look something like this:
<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[‘GoogleAnalyticsObject’]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,’script’,’//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js’,’ga’);
ga(‘create’, ‘UA-24118409-6‘, ‘auto’);
ga(‘send’, ‘pageview’);
</script>
Paste this code into every page of your site that you want to track just before the closing </head> tag.
If your site is built using WordPress then all you have to do is just paste the Tracking ID from the code (e.g. UA-24118409-6 from above) into the relevant “Settings” field of an appropriate installed WordPress plug in. Most other decent Content Management Systems will generally provide a field to either paste in the tracking code or tracking ID, which will propagate all pages in the site.
If you are using Google Tag Manager then create a simple “Tag” using your Tracking ID.
Testing your site is being tracked
To test that tracking is being recorded, visit your site in a new browser window and then check the Real-time / Overview report in your GA Account.
Filtering out irrelevant traffic
Set up Filters in GA to exclude your IP address and any others that may skew your visitor stats.
Wait a few weeks for your visitor stats to accumulate so that there is enough data to start identifying trends.
Some Google Analytics Reports
The Audience Overview Report
The section in the top right of the report allows comparison of different date ranges. Useful comparisons are current period (the default is the previous 4 weeks) versus the previous period as shown below. Comparisons versus the same period last year is useful to remove any seasonality effects. Dates can be fully customised.
Explanation of some of GA’s vital stats:
- Sessions = No of Visits
- Users = Unique visitors
- Pageviews = No of times pages were downloaded
- Bounce Rate = The % of visitors who only visited one page on the site and then left.
See where your traffic is coming from in the Acquisition > Overview report
Check which pages are the most popular / least visited in the Behaviour > Site Content > All Pages report.
Check what devices visitors are using to view your site in the Audience > Mobile > Overview report
Summary
These reports will help you get the ball rolling in identifying visitor trends and behaviour, and will allow to you to delve in even deeper to really unleash the power of Google Analytics, helping you discover how it can frame and enhance your marketing strategies.
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